Winged Defense: The Development and Possibilities of Modern Air Power--Economic and Military

Fire Ant Books

by William Mitchell, Robert S. Ehlers Jr. (Foreword)

This book is the basis for airpower doctrine in the US, and demonstrates  how forward looking Gen Mitchell was even though the technology for conducting air operations was in its infancy  when it was written.  It is essential reading for anyone concerned with airpower history or aerospace doctrine. William Lendrum "Billy" Mitchell (December 28, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was an American Army general who is regarded as the father of the U.S. Air Force, and is one of the most famous and most controversial figures in the history of American airpower. Mitchell served in France during the First World War and, by the conflict's end, commanded all American air combat units in that country. After the war, he was appointed deputy director of the Air Service and began to advocate  increased investment in air power, claiming this would prove vital in future wars. He particularly stressed the ability of bombers to sink battleships and organized a series of dramatic bombing runs against stationary ships designed to test the idea that attracted wide notice from the public. He antagonized many  in both the Army and Navy with his arguments and criticism and, in 1925, was demoted to Colonel. Later that year, he was court-martialed for insubordination after accusing military chiefs of an "almost treasonable administration of the national defense." He resigned from the service shortly thereafter. Mitchell received many honors following his death, including a commission by the President as a Major General. He is also the only individual after whom a type of American military aircraft is the B-25 "Mitchell."

Genres: Military History, War, History, Nonfiction

302 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1988

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Reviews

[Mark Jacobsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winged Defense was Billy Mitchell's wakeup call to a government he believed was asleep at the wheel. By failing to develop airpower as a national resource, America was falling farther and farther behind other great powers. "Where there is no vision the people perish," Mitchell quotes, then goes on to lay out his own vision for airpower employment. Although Mitchell's vision is often compared to Douhet's, I found Mitchell to be less dogmatic and more grounded in the complexities of the real world. This book is an artifact of its time, but I found Mitchell's foresight fascinating. The book's greatest weakness is its repetitiveness.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The foreword within this book is a warning for the era to which it was written. Persons that criticize this book in modern times lack the understanding to the times to which this book was written and the urgency that General Mitchell had placed to the need of an effective Air Service away from the choices of the Signal Corps and directional use from Naval Commanders. The book was originally compiled in 1923 and published in 1925 at the height of anger General Mitchell had caused within Department of War and the U.S. Congress. There is nearly a century now between the date of this book and the current era to which we live. I admit this can be easy to invite comparisons of policy to Douhet or any other effective developing Air Arm of the time, and this does no justice for the intended audience of the compilation that General Mitchell pieced together. This book was designed to incite action from the U.S. Government through urgency of need – it wasn’t intended to be an effective directive (directives and service departments would come later and General Mitchell was all too aware of this fact.) In theory, the strategy employed within these pages were visionary for the time, but very specific to the U.S.A. General Mitchell would in retirement take a more effective stance, write other articles, and take a more refined approach, though no less combative in nature. One also should consider that this is the book he wrote and had published before his Court Martial began in October of 1925 – context to time and history must be an important consideration. A sense of urgency prevails within – a political argument and breaking the mold of the Army and Navy wasn’t easy and didn’t work. He was also ill at the time and I can only speculate that this heightened his sense of urgency. He predicted Pearl Harbor and wouldn’t live to see it occur. FDR realized the value of his friend and after Mitchell’s death – as a result he would be posthumously promoted to Major General and receive a Special Congressional Medal of Honor in 1946.

I would recommend that persons interested in the development of the Air Service read first/also “A Few Good Captains” by Dewitt S. Copp. The book is out of print now but used copies can be found easily on-line.

[Mwenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely needs to be read with an understanding of the context in which it was written. I enjoyed thinking about what ideas have panned out (e.g. a standalone Air Force) and which didn’t (e.g. dirigibles) and why.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Mitchell was certainly a visionary, some of his ideas for the implementation of Air Power were far too rooted in fantasy and the notion that war was ever chivalrous.

[Nate Huston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright, I know there's controversy regarding whether or not ol' Billy got his ideas from Douhet, but come on. Really? He definitely did, right? Mitchell's book is a valuable insight into the man's thoughts at the time. His work is clearly intended for the general public and it results in an easier read than Douhet. Of course, that also means it's much lighter on actual justification. While Douhet was mistaken (at least today) regarding his underlying "invincibility of air power" premise, his argument is at least logical. Mitchell's work is more a work of persuasion and call for independent air force than it is a theoretical proof of concept.

That said, his writing is smooth (if repetitive) and easy to follow. His account of the battleship tests was particularly entertaining. Overall, this is a valuable look at the thinking of the time through the eyes of perhaps the largest American air power advocate of the time.

[Barry Hunte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The founder of Air Force Air Power.