Lester Cohen (1901–1963)

As early as 1920, US Army General Billy Mitchell began sounding alarm bells about an inevitable Japanese invasion from sea-based aircraft. Through the press and in person he lobbied naval brass about America's woefully unprepared defensive air power but his talk of dogfights over the Pacific with superior planes was laughed at and dismissed by all. Mitchell's vision of a US Air Arm would have meant massive, costly upgrades to the nation's dated flying machines owned by private firms holding patents on aircraft machinery. Old guard soldiers, like John J. Pershing, dismissed as delusional ravings Mitchell's belief that a battleship could be destroyed by a bomber. Mitchell's outspoken press conferences about an airplane trust supported by corrupt government officials led to his court-martial for insubordination in 1925. He died in 1936, a man ahead of his times.… (altro)

On the one wing, Prophet without Honor is an interesting up-close look at General Mitchell from a man who knew him personally, offering insights into Mitchell's relationships with other aviation pioneers like Glenn Martin and Hap Arnold and detailing his battles on behalf of air power against the Army and Navy brass before Congress, in the press and in the court room. On the other, Gauvreau's obvious reverence and near idol-worship for the father of the U.S. Air Force became somewhat tiresome. His contemporary perspective also led to assumptions about the reader's knowledge which left open some pretty big gaps, the worst of which was an inadequate explanation of the early Twentieth Century "Aviation Trust" working against Mitchell.… (altro)