Memoirs of World War I By Brigadier General William Mitchell - 1st Printing 1960

Description

Memoirs of World War I - From start to finish of our greatest war - By Brigadier General William Mitchell - 1st Printing.
General "Billy" Mitchell was one of the most controversial figures in American military history. Flamboyant and colorful, he fought for years to give air power its rightful place in war and peace. His turbulent Army career ended, of course, with his famous court-martial. Memoirs of World War I - published now for the first time - is an adventurous, eyewitness account of our first war in the air by the "father" of American air power. In 1917, before the United States entered the war, Colonel Mitchell asked for leave and went to Europe as an observer. As a result, he was the only high-ranking American officer at the front immediately after we declared war. Much of this book, which Mitchell based on the extensive diaries he kept at the time, is exciting history: the overall development of the Great War, the trial-and-error emergence of aerial combat, and the final succeseses of tactical and strategic air power. The story is even more engrossing on the timeless level of human interest. Mitchell himself ws a dramatac, outspoken figure; he did not hesitate to sue both words and action to fight for his beliefs. He describes many of his own combat experiences at the front - on the ground in the Marne Valley as well as in the air over the Argonne. The narrative is studded with first-hand reports about such famous fliers as Eddie Rickenbacker and Frank Luke, as well as candid portraits of prominent Allied commanders. Billy Mitchell the man will perhaps always remain something of a mystery. But this book certainly presents one of the best portraits we have of him. Imaginative, aggressive, dedicated, ambitious - yet with a real sense of humor and vitality - Billy Mitchell here at last tells an important part of his own story.
Please see all pictures for condition.
Ex library book with dust jacket that has a clear cover on that. The clear part of dust cover has edge wear. Has stickers and stamps from library. The rest of the book is free of marks or tears.
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