The U.S. air services commander in World War I, Mitchell was a feisty champion for air supremacy whose outspoken manner led to his court-martial. This illustrated 1925 treatise employs Congressional records, articles, and personal experience to articulate a controversial vision of air power that was ultimately vindicated.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Arguably no American was more instrumental in promoting the development and use of airpower than Billy Mitchell. Winged Defense remains a premier aviation classic and a must-read for all service and commercial aviators. Logisticians, military historians, entrepreneurs, economists, leaders of all types, and those interested in the power of ideas will find this book valuable.
--Air and Space Power Journal
About the Author
Robert S. Ehlers Jr. is a colonel in the United States Air Force. He is currently serving as a professor of airpower history at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Colonel Ehlers has also served in command positions at the squadron and group levels.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Stirring, Visionary, Inspiring,
By E. M. Van Court "Van, emvc (at) lycos.com" (Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE)
This review is from: Winged Defense: The Development and Possibilities of Modern Air Power--Economic and Military (Dover Books on History, Political and Social Science) (Paperback)
Just not very coherent. In a U.S. Army course, the main learning points about General Mitchell were that he campaigned for an independent air force and was court-martialed for insubordination and disrespect. Members of the U.S Air Force speak of Mitchell as the first American prophet in the temple of Air Power. So I figured I'd read it for myself. As it turns out, the two perceptions are not mutually exclusive.If you're interested in early airpower theory, read The Command of the Air (USAF Warrior Studies) by Guilio Douhet. Douhet provides a coherent and internally sound conceptual structure where Mitchell just sounds like he's lobbying for a Congressional appropriation. In addition to this edition, "Winged Defense" appears in Roots of Strategy Book: 4 Military Classics : The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783, Some Principles of Maritime Strategy, Command of the Air, Winged Defense. By Mitchell's own admission, this book was hastily assembled and published from other articles and notes from his Congressional presentations. And it shows. Sweeping statements and extensive lists of requirements for Mitchell's vision of an air force are great, but where Douhet had meticulously charted out his reasoning, Mitchell's underlying argument seems to be "I'm an Airman, you're not, now listen to me because you'll never really understand." Not an argument that carries the day, unless your the boss, and not necessarily then. His use of hyperbole only accentuates this perception, like when he asserts that in 1921, the Army hadn't changed since the Civil War that ended in 1865. The only defense for the poor structure of Mitchell's arguments may be that he was trying to make them accessible to a broader audience, while preserving the spirit of airmen manifest in his prose. As a historical work, this is an important primary source for one of the first experiments (the first U.S. experiment) in the use of air craft to attack a naval vessel. Mitchell carefully records the experiment, the events surrounding it, and some of the political considerations of the time. This is gold for historians of the interwar period. There are constant reminders of his attitudes about aviation that grate on the nerves of non-flyers, like his assertion that majors, captains, and lieutenants in aviation carried greater responsibility that admirals and generals. He sure didn't understand the concept of a Joint military as Douhet seemed to. Mitchell wanted an Air Corps that was supported by the Army and Navy, rather than a triad of power, land, sea and air. Mitchell was also a fighter pilot, and had all the vices of modern fighter pilots. (Q: How do you know if there is a fighter pilot at your party? A: He'll tell you. Q: What's the difference between God and fighter pilots? A: God doesn't think he's a fighter pilot. Etc...) but because of this, envisioned a greater role for fighter aircraft than Douhet, which is an interesting contrast. To his credit, Mitchell understood and articulated a more balanced view of offence and defence than Douhet did, and he understood ground based defences a bit better than Douhet. I have heard officers from the U.S. Air Force's Space Operations community voice the opinion that space needs its Mitchell, someone willing to martyr their career for the goal of an independent Space Force (and when asked if they were volunteering, they change the subject). Be careful what you ask for... "Winged Defense" was worth reading as history, but not very clear regarding air power theory, and I didn't enjoy it. It is interesting how many of the attitudes of aviators have changed so little over the entire history of their discipline. E. M. Van Court P.S. Should anyone try to do a film biography of Mitchell, they've GOT to get Mike Myers to play Mitchell. Look at the cover photo, and look at the actor's picture... Van
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Airpower doctrine,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Winged Defense: The Development and Possibilities of Modern Air Power--Economic and Military (Dover Books on History, Political and Social Science) (Paperback)
This book is the basis for airpower doctrine in the US. This book shows how forward looking Gen Mitchell was even though the technology for conducting air operations was in its infancy. Required reading for anyone who claims to want to study airpower / aerospace doctrine. USAF leaders today should return to these foundational roots and make sure they understand the difference between doctrine and dogma.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Words straight from the prophet,
By
This review is from: Winged Defense: The Development and Possibilities of Modern Air Power--Economic and Military (Dover Books on History, Political and Social Science) (Paperback)
"Winged Defense" is a collection of Brig. General Billy Mitchell's publications during the dark days of the interwar period between the World Wars. General Mitchell, the strongest advocate for an independent Air Force, frequently wrote on the future capabilities of Air Power. It took nearly sixty years for many of his predictions to come true.The book is a reproduction of many of those original papers. The typeset used for the book will look unusual to many readers, as the articles are published close to how they first appeared. In any case, the quaint print only serves to reinforce the truly prophetic words of a true visionary. This books needs to be on the reading list for every student of Air Power. Only after reading it, can you appreciate the genius of Billy Mitchell.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
