98-413: General Goddard may refer to: George William Goddard (1889–1987), U.S. Air Force brigadier general Henry Arthur Goddard (1869–1955), Australian Army temporary brigadier general Rick Goddard ( fl. 1960s–2000s), U.S. Air Force major general Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
196-428: A brigadier general was not renewed, and he reverted to his permanent rank of colonel , due to his insubordination . Later that year, he was court-martialed for insubordination after accusing Army and Navy leaders of an "almost treasonable administration of the national defense" for investing in battleships. He resigned from the service shortly afterwards. Mitchell received many honors following his death, including
294-450: A recess appointment (as did Menoher) on July 16 to become Assistant Chief of Air Service with the rank of brigadier general. On July 30, 1920, he was transferred and promoted to the permanent rank of colonel, Air Service, with date of rank from July 1, placing him first in seniority among all Air Service branch officers. On March 4, 1921, Mitchell was appointed Assistant Chief of Air Service by new President Warren G. Harding with consent of
392-666: A Congressional Gold Medal. He is also the first person for whom an American military aircraft design, the North American B-25 Mitchell , is named. Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is also named after Mitchell. Born in Nice , France, to John L. Mitchell , a wealthy Wisconsin senator , and his wife Harriet Danforth (Becker), Mitchell grew up on an estate in North Greenfield, Wisconsin , which
490-468: A continent in the past." He returned from Europe with a fervent belief that within a near future, possibly within ten years, air power would become the predominant force of war, and that it should be united entirely in an independent air force equal to the Army and Navy. He found encouragement in a number of bills before Congress proposing a Department of Aeronautics that included an air force separate from either
588-593: A fierce bureaucratic and personal dispute with the then USAAC Director of Photography, Lieutenant Colonel Minton Kaye . It was exacerbated by Goddard's single-minded promotion of the continuously open-shutter strip-camera, which he revealed to the public in an extensive photo coverage in Life magazine. In punishment, for a time, the USAAC relegated Goddard to combat venereal disease at a base in Charlotte , NC. Using his connections, he
686-499: A long way even since World War II, General Goddard said. "Present advances in cameras, equipment and particularly in night photography, have greatly restricted maneuvers of the enemy in Korea." "Fast jets, traveling at 600 miles an hour and at either 3,000 or 40,000 feet, are able to take continuous film strips of miles of territory that are as clear as day-time pictures. They are so clear that on pictures taken from 40,000 feet, you can count
784-430: A minor but embarrassing protocol rift with Rear Admiral William A. Moffett at the start of the naval arms limitation conference , Patrick assigned him to an inspection tour of Europe with Alfred V. Verville and Lieutenant Clayton Bissell that lasted the duration of the conference over the winter of 1921–22. Mitchell was dispatched by President Harding to West Virginia to stop the warfare that had broken out between
882-555: A number of aircraft innovations, including bomb-sights, sled-runner landing gear for winter operations, engine superchargers , and aerial torpedoes . He ordered the use of aircraft in fighting forest fires and border patrols. He also encouraged the staging of a transcontinental air race , a flight around the perimeter of the United States. He also encouraged Army pilots to break aviation records for speed, endurance and altitude. In short, he encouraged anything that would further develop
980-508: A predecessor of the present day United States Air Force , in May 1916, when its head was reprimanded and relieved of duty for malfeasance in the section. Mitchell administered the section until the new head, Lieutenant Colonel George O. Squier , arrived from attaché duties in London, England, where World War I was in progress, then became his permanent assistant. In June, he took private flying lessons at
1078-590: A relatively unimportant Army base had been directed by Secretary of War John Weeks . In response to the Navy's first helium -filled rigid airship Shenandoah crashing in a storm in September 1925, killing 14 of the crew, and the loss of three seaplanes on a flight from the West Coast to Hawaii, Mitchell issued a statement accusing senior leaders in the Army and Navy of incompetence and "almost treasonable administration of
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#17328762827491176-454: A reputation as a daring, flamboyant, and tireless leader. In May, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He was promoted to the temporary rank of colonel on October 10, 1917, to rank from August 5. In September 1918, he planned and led nearly 1,500 British, French, and Italian aircraft in the air phase of the Battle of Saint-Mihiel , one of the first coordinated air-ground offensives in history. He
1274-514: A threat to the United States and make the Air Service the nation's first line of defense instead of the Navy, he began to set out to prove that aircraft were capable of sinking ships to reinforce his position. His relations with superiors continued to sour as he began to criticize both the War and Navy departments for being insufficiently farsighted regarding air power. He advocated the development of
1372-556: A year. He was a free-lance cartoonist in Rochester until January 1916, when he became a staff artist for Coke and Iron Monthly in Chicago, Illinois. While in Chicago, he saw an exhibition by aviator Ruth Law which inspired him to learn to fly. Originally Goddard intended to serve the war effort in the Corps of Engineers, but persuaded by a pilot he met en route to this job, he decided to join
1470-404: Is for the invention and development of a new technique, photonic instrumentation, instrument, or system." Goddard was the first recipient of the award in 1961. Goddard's autobiography, written with DeWitt S. Copp and published in 1969, is a piece of reconnaissance literature and an important and detailed source to the history of the field in the United States. In 1976, Goddard was inducted into
1568-591: Is no substitute for focal length." Brigadier General Goddard received a lot of decorations during his military service. Here is the list: Goddard retired as a brigadier general in 1953. In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis , Goddard served as an Air Force consultant on detecting and interpreting the Soviet missile sites in Cuba , especially by advocating the use of his strip camera for low-altitude flights. Goddard
1666-616: Is now the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, Wisconsin . Mitchell's father served in the American Civil War as a first lieutenant in the 24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment along with future general Arthur MacArthur (the father of General Douglas MacArthur ). The elder Mitchell served as a United States senator from 1883 to 1889. His paternal grandfather, Alexander Mitchell , a Scotsman , established what became
1764-502: The New-York Tribune revealed that the Navy's "tests" were done with dummy sand bombs and that the ship was actually sunk using high explosives placed on the ship, Congress introduced two resolutions urging new tests and backed the Navy into a corner. In the arrangements for the new tests, there was to be a news blackout until all data had been analyzed at which point only the official news report would be released; Mitchell felt that
1862-658: The 1st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment on May 14, 1898. Mitchell was immediately assigned and mobilized into Brigadier General Arthur MacArthur 's command in the Philippines , where MacArthur was placed in charge of the Department of Northern Luzon in the spring of 1899. Mitchell participated in operations against Filipino insurgents in northern and central Luzon at the end of the Spanish-American War and during
1960-501: The Armistice was declared, ending World War I , Goddard was transferred to Carlstrom Field , Arcadia, Florida, where he finally graduated from flying school and was rated a pilot in May 1919. At the personal urging of General Billy Mitchell , who was impressed with Goddard's camera experimentation, he was assigned to McCook Field , Ohio , as officer in charge of aerial photographic research. In that capacity, he started developments in
2058-667: The Curtiss Flying School because he was proscribed by law from aviator training by age and rank, at an expense to himself of $ 1,470 (approximately $ 33,000 in 2015). In July 1916, he was promoted to major and appointed Chief of the Air Service of the First Army. When the United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, Mitchell was in Spain en route to France as an observer. He arrived in Paris on April 10, and set up an office for
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#17328762827492156-683: The Distinguished Service Medal , the World War I Victory Medal with eight campaign clasps, and several foreign decorations. Despite his superb leadership and his fine combat record, he alienated many of his superiors during and after his 18 months of service in France. Mitchell returned to the United States in January 1919; it had been widely expected throughout the Air Service that he would receive
2254-527: The International Air & Space Hall of Fame . Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force . Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, commanded all American air combat units in that country. After the war, he
2352-522: The Lampert Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and sharply castigated Army and Navy leadership. The War Department had endorsed a proposal to establish a "General Headquarters Air Force" as a vehicle for modernization and expansion of the Air Service, to be funded through shared appropriations for aviation with the Navy, but shelved the plan when the Navy refused, incensing Mitchell. In March 1925, when Mitchell's term as Assistant Chief of
2450-633: The Milwaukee Road railroad and the Marine Bank of Wisconsin. Mitchell Park and the shopping precinct of Mitchell Street were named in honor of Alexander. His paternal grandmother, Martha Reed Mitchell , was well known in charity, art and society circles. Mitchell's sister Ruth fought with the Chetniks in Yugoslavia during World War II and later wrote a book about her brother, My Brother Bill . Mitchell
2548-661: The Philippine–American War . He quickly gained a commission due to his father's influence and joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps . Following the cessation of hostilities, Mitchell remained in the Army. From 1900 to 1904, Mitchell was posted in the District of Alaska as a lieutenant in the Signal Corps. On May 26, 1900, the United States Congress appropriated $ 450,000 to establish a communications system connecting
2646-684: The Progress Medal for 1951 at the annual convention of the Photographic Society of America , held in Detroit, Michigan. In May 1952, Goddard was transferred to headquarters of NATO 's Allied Air Forces in Central Europe at Fontainebleau , France, for duty as director of reconnaissance, Operations Division. While there, he worked with Central European countries to develop unified standards in aerial photographic methods. In July 1953, Goddard
2744-524: The State Department had countermanded much of this effort and returned equipment to the Soviets. During the war period, Goddard (along with Roosevelt) continued to stridently advocate for a dedicated reconnaissance aircraft, as opposed to the use of modified types. By mid-August 1945, Colonel Goddard returned to Wright Field, restored as Director of Aerial Research and Development. In August 1945, Goddard
2842-712: The United Mine Workers , Stone Mountain Coal Company , the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency , and other groups after the Matewan Massacre . Miners outraged by the ambush slaying of Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield by agents for the coal company marched on Mingo and Logan County leading to the Battle of Blair Mountain , August 25 to September 2, 1921. On August 26, Mitchell commanded Army bombers from Maryland to Charleston, West Virginia . Mitchell told
2940-503: The 13 judges was Major General Douglas MacArthur , who later described the order to sit on Mitchell's court-martial as "one of the most distasteful orders I ever received." Of the thirteen judges, ( Charles Pelot Summerall , William S. Graves , Robert L. Howze , MacArthur, Benjamin A. Poore , Fred W. Sladen , Ewing E. Booth , Albert J. Bowley , George Irwin , Edward K. King, Frank R. McCoy , Edwin B. Winans , and Blanton Winship ), none had aviation experience and three (Summerall, who
3038-643: The Air Service expired, he reverted to his permanent rank of colonel and was transferred to San Antonio , Texas, as air officer to the Eighth Corps Area . Although such demotions were not unusual in demobilizations (Patrick himself had gone from major general to colonel upon returning to the Army Corps of Engineers in 1919), the move was widely seen as punishment and exile, since Mitchell had petitioned to remain as Assistant Chief when his term expired, and his transfer to an assignment with no political influence at
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3136-400: The Air Service. The court found the truth or falsity of Mitchell's accusations to be immaterial to the charge and on December 17, 1925, found him "guilty of all specifications and of the charge". The court suspended him from active duty for five years without pay, which President Coolidge later reduced to half-pay. The generals' ruling in the case wrote, "The Court is thus lenient because of
3234-512: The Air Service. In 1924, Gen. Patrick again dispatched him on an inspection tour, this time to Hawaii and Asia, to get him off the front pages. Mitchell came back with a 324-page report that predicted future war with Japan, including the attack on Pearl Harbor . Of note, Mitchell discounted the value of aircraft carriers in an attack on the Hawaiian Islands , believing they were of little practical use because they could not operate effectively on
3332-895: The Air Service: Mitchell took command on May 27 after testing bombs, fuses, and other equipment at Aberdeen Proving Ground and began training in anti-ship bombing techniques. Alexander Seversky , a veteran Russian pilot who had bombed German ships in the Great War , joined the effort, suggesting the bombers aim near the ships so that expanding water pressure from the underwater blasts would stave in and separate hull plates. Further discussion with Captain Alfred Wilkinson Johnson , Commander, Naval Air Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet aboard USS Shawmut , confirmed that near-miss bombs would inflict more damage than direct hits; near-misses would cause an underwater concussive effect against
3430-488: The Army or Navy, primarily legislation introduced concurrently in August 1919 by Senator Harry New of Indiana and Representative Charles F. Curry of California, influenced by the recommendations of a fact-finding commission sent to Europe under the direction of Assistant Secretary of War Benedict Crowell in early 1919 that contradicted the findings of Army boards and advocated an independent air force. Mitchell believed that
3528-580: The Army's adjutant general , ordered Summerall and McNair to provide testimony. They refuted Mitchell's claims that during his time in Hawaii in 1923 the Hawaiian Department had no plan to defend Oahu from Japanese attack. They also demonstrated that Mitchell was incorrect in stating that the Air Service was not treated fairly in the distribution of resources in Hawaii; in fact, Summerall had reallocated funding, equipment and other items from other branches to
3626-484: The Aviation Section Reserve on August 8, 1918, and assigned to Taliaferro Field , Fort Worth, Texas , to organize and take to France the 43rd, 44th and 45th Aerial Photographic sections. Despite plenty of informal flying, Goddard did not become a rated pilot until two years after joining up. He had been assigned to photography because he had admitted to being an amateur photographer in civilian life. When
3724-475: The Aviation Section from which he collaborated extensively with British and French air leaders such as General Hugh Trenchard , studying their strategies as well as their aircraft. On April 24, he made the first flight by an American officer over German lines, flying with a French pilot. Before long, Mitchell had gained enough experience to begin preparations for American air operations. Mitchell rapidly earned
3822-547: The Hawaiian Department's assistant chief of staff for operations (G-3). During the Army's ongoing debate over the best methods for providing coastal defense, which engaged proponents of the Coast Artillery branch and Army Air Service, McNair's panel compared the use of coast artillery and aircraft for shore defense. The panel concluded that coastal artillery was sufficient, provided that adequate listening and lighting equipment for detecting and illuminating enemy ships and planes
3920-539: The Navy and President Harding were incensed by an apparent demonstration of naval weakness just after Harding had announced, on July 10, invitations to other naval powers to gather in Washington for a conference on the limitation of naval armaments. Statements asserting the obsolescence of the battleship by disarmament proponents in Congress such as Senator William Borah heightened official anxiety. Both services tried to defuse
4018-581: The Navy chose an area 50 mi (80 km) off the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay rather than either of two possible closer areas, minimizing the effective time the Army's bombers would have in the target area. The planes were forbidden from using aerial torpedoes, would be permitted only two hits on the battleship using their heaviest bombs, and would have to stop between hits so that a damage assessment party could go aboard. Smaller ships could not be struck by bombs larger than 600 pounds, and also were subject to
General Goddard - Misplaced Pages Continue
4116-423: The Navy in use of the strip camera and color photography, and introduced the moving film magazine. Goddard also directed the design of reconnaissance aircraft and equipment. At Wright Field , Goddard and his staff were preoccupied with preparing hitherto much-neglected reconnaissance aircraft types for the coming war. The biggest job was in modifying 100 P-38 Lightnings to F-4 standard. In 1941, Goddard got into
4214-622: The Navy was going to bury the results. The Chief of the Air Corps attempted to have Mitchell dismissed a week before the tests began, reacting to Navy complaints about Mitchell's criticisms, but the new Secretary of War John W. Weeks backed down when it became apparent that Mitchell had widespread public and media support. On May 1, 1921, Mitchell assembled the 1st Provisional Air Brigade , an air and ground crew of 125 aircraft and 1,000 men at Langley Field in Hampton, Virginia , using six squadrons from
4312-470: The Ostfriesland. We could see her rise eight to ten feet between the terrific blows from under water. On the fourth shot, Capt Streett, sitting in the back seat of my plane stood up and waving both arms shouted, "She is gone!" There were no direct hits but at least three of the bombs landed close enough to rip hull plates as well as cause the ship to roll over. The ship sank at 12:40 pm, 22 minutes after
4410-454: The Senate. On April 27, Mitchell was reappointed as a brigadier general with date of rank retroactive to July 2, 1920. Mitchell did not share in the common belief that World War I would be the war to end war . "If a nation ambitious for universal conquest gets off to a flying start in a war of the future", he said, "it may be able to control the whole world more easily than a nation has controlled
4508-530: The Signal Corps Air Service to become a pilot instead. On December 14, 1917, Goddard enlisted in the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and entered the aerial photography course at the School of Military Aeronautics at Cornell University . Upon completion of the three-month course, he became an instructor in aerial photographic interpretation. Goddard was commissioned a second lieutenant in
4606-538: The air, not on the ground. In 1908, as a young Signal Corps officer, Mitchell observed Orville Wright's flying demonstration at Fort Myer , Virginia . Mitchell took flight lessons at the Curtiss Flying School at Newport News, Virginia . In March 1912, after assignments in the Philippines that saw him tour battlefields of the Russo-Japanese War and conclude that war with Japan was inevitable one day, Mitchell
4704-456: The attacks from the controls of his DH-4 aircraft, nicknamed The Osprey . On July 20, 1921, the Navy brought out the ex-German World War I battleship, Ostfriesland . On the scheduled day, 230, 550, and 600 lb (100, 250, and 270 kg) bomb attacks by Navy, Marine Corps, and Army aircraft settled the Ostfriesland three feet by the stern with a five-degree list to port. She
4802-587: The bow. At this point, Capt. Walter R. Lawson's flight of bombers, consisting of two Handley-Page O/400 and six Martin NBS-1 bombers loaded with 2,000 lb (910 kg) bombs, was dispatched. One Handley Page dropped out for mechanical reasons, but the NBS-1s dropped six bombs in quick succession between 12:18 pm and 12:31 pm. Bomb aiming points were for the water near the ship. Mitchell described Lawson's attack, "Four bombs hit in rapid succession, close alongside
4900-534: The demonstration after news leaked of its own tests. To counter Mitchell, the Navy had sunk the old battleship Indiana near Tangier Island , Virginia , on November 1, 1920, using its own airplanes. Daniels had hoped to squelch Mitchell by releasing a report on the results written by Captain William D. Leahy stating that, "The entire experiment pointed to the improbability of a modern battleship being either destroyed or completely put out of action by aerial bombs." When
4998-568: The development of night photography using the Edgerton D-2 skyflash. He also successfully interested the RAF in the strip camera, which Roosevelt had initially refused because it required very low altitude flight for best results. Goddard said later that the two collaborated in sending a letter to the President demanding that Colonel Kaye be removed from his posts in Washington. Kaye then fell in disfavor and
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#17328762827495096-525: The early part of the Korean War in 1950, Goddard went to Korea to introduce this new system of night photography and the latest type strip camera, which has been highly successful in the low-altitude jet aircraft operations under adverse weather conditions. In August 1951, he was awarded the honorary degree of master of photography by the Photographers Association of America , and also received
5194-522: The effects of smaller munitions. Navy studies of the wreck of the Ostfriesland show she had suffered little topside damage from bombs and was sunk by progressive flooding that might have been stemmed by a fast-acting damage control party on board the vessel. Mitchell used the sinking for his own publicity purposes, though his results were downplayed in public by General of the Armies John J. Pershing who hoped to smooth Army/Navy relations. The efficacy of
5292-522: The film strip camera (see strip aerial photography ). Before and during World War II, Goddard went to England on several occasions to learn British methods of reconnaissance and exchange technical information. During these trips, he met with his counterpart in the Royal Air Force (RAF), Group Commander Frederick Laws , who had pioneered British aerial reconnaissance as early as 1913. During World War II, Goddard promoted aerial reconnaissance, aided
5390-401: The first aerial mapping units, directed photo coverage of General Billy Mitchell 's 1921 warship bombings, and made mosaic maps of many cities and land area. Returning to McCook Field, Goddard pioneered the development of nighttime reconnaissance photography in 1925. One night in 1925, he stunned Rochester, N.Y., by igniting an 80-pound flash powder bomb to light up the whole city. The result
5488-572: The first bomb, with a seventh bomb dropped by the Handley Page on the foam rising up from the sinking ship. Nearby the site, observing, were various foreign and domestic officials aboard the USS ; Henderson . Although Mitchell had stressed "war-time conditions", the tests were under static conditions and the sinking of the Ostfriesland was accomplished by violating rules agreed upon by General Pershing that would have allowed Navy engineers to examine
5586-749: The flying component of the Air Service, but that office was in name only as it was a wartime agency that would expire six months after the signing of a peace treaty. Menoher instituted a reorganization of the Air Service based on the divisional system of the AEF , eliminating the DMA as an organization, and Mitchell was assigned as third assistant executive, in charge of the Training and Operations Group, Office of Director of Air Service (ODAS), in April 1919. He maintained his temporary wartime rank of brigadier general until June 18, 1920, when he
5684-404: The future, "a dominating factor in the world's development", both for national defense and economic benefit. Winged Defense sold only 4,500 copies between August 1925 and January 1926, the months surrounding the publicity of the court martial, and so Mitchell did not reach a wide audience. Mitchell experienced difficulties within the Army, notably with his superiors when he appeared before
5782-403: The ground forces "for personal reasons". A reciprocal resignation offer from Mitchell was refused. Major General Mason Patrick was again chosen by Pershing to sort out a mess in the Air Service and became the new chief on October 5. Patrick made it clear to Mitchell that although he would accept Mitchell's expertise as counsel, all decisions would be made by Patrick. When Mitchell soon got into
5880-402: The ground or navies on the sea can be the arbiter of a nation's destiny in war. The main power of defense and the power of initiative against an enemy has passed to the air. – November 1918 In 1922, while in Europe for General Patrick, Mitchell met the Italian air power theorist Giulio Douhet and soon afterwards an excerpted translation of Douhet's The Command of the Air began to circulate in
5978-434: The growing obsolescence of the surface fleet. His assurances that the Air Service could develop whatever bomb was needed to sink a battleship, and that a national defense organization of land, sea, and air components was essential and inevitable, were met with cool hostility. Mitchell found his ideas publicly denounced as "pernicious" by Roosevelt. Convinced that within as soon as ten years strategic air bombardment would become
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#17328762827496076-417: The high seas or deliver "sufficient aircraft in the air at one time to insure a concentrated operation". Instead, Mitchell believed a surprise attack on the Hawaiian Islands would be conducted by land-based aircraft operating from islands in the Pacific. His report, published in 1925 as the book Winged Defense , foretold wider benefits of an investment in air power, believing it to be, at both that time and in
6174-406: The hull. The Navy and the Air Service were at cross purposes regarding the tests. Supported by General Pershing, the Navy set rules and conditions that enhanced the survivability of the targets, stating that the purpose of the tests was to determine how much damage ships could withstand. The ships had to be sunk in at least 100 fathoms of water (so as not to become navigational hazards), and
6272-405: The infra-red and long-range photography, special aerial cameras, photographic aircraft and portable field laboratory equipment and formed the nucleus of the Photographic Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio . On July 1, 1920, Goddard received his regular commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Service, and was promoted immediately to first lieutenant the same date. He then
6370-474: The last days of the civil disturbance, Mitchell's bombers flew several reconnaissance missions but did not engage in combat; one bomber crashed on a return flight, killing three crew members. On September 3, surrounded by 2,000 Army troops, Chafin's force dispersed and most miners went home although some surrendered to the Army. Later, Mitchell cited the "Mingo War" as an example of the potential for air power in civil disturbances. The day has passed when armies on
6468-447: The many isolated and widely separated U.S. Army outposts and civilian Gold Rush camps in Alaska by telegraph . Along with Captain George C. Brunnell, Lieutenant Mitchell oversaw the construction of what became known as the Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System (WAMCATS). He predicted as early as 1906, while an instructor at the Army's Signal School in Fort Leavenworth , Kansas, that future conflicts would take place in
6566-410: The morning of July 21, in accordance with a strictly orchestrated schedule of attacks, five Martin NBS-1 bombers led by 1st Lt. Clayton Bissell dropped a single 1,100 lb (500 kg) bomb each, scoring three direct hits. The Navy stopped further drops, although the Army bombers had nine bombs remaining, to assess damage. By noon, Ostfriesland had settled two more feet by the stern and one foot by
6664-410: The most modern battleships, can be destroyed easily by bombs dropped from aircraft, and further, that the most effective means of destruction are bombs. [They] demonstrated beyond a doubt that, given sufficient bombing planes—in short an adequate air force—aircraft constitute a positive defense of our country against hostile invasion. The fact of battleship sinking was indisputable, and Mitchell repeated
6762-442: The national defense." In October 1925, a charge with eight specifications was proffered against Mitchell on the direct order of President Calvin Coolidge , accusing him of violation of the 96th Article of War, an omnibus article that Mitchell's chief counsel, Congressman Frank Reid , declared to be unconstitutional as a violation of free speech. The court-martial began in early November and lasted for seven weeks. The youngest of
6860-432: The occupation of Germany, Goddard received special clearance to take over and recover useful scientific and technical information from the Schneider Optical Plant at Bad Kreuznach and the renowned Carl Zeiss and Schott AG plants at Jena . Goddard was able to seize much data and material, and persuaded many optical scientists to move to the West just before the Red Army replaced American troops, but he complained that
6958-411: The performance twice in tests conducted with like results on the U.S. pre-dreadnought battleships Alabama in September 1921, and the Virginia and New Jersey in September 1923. The latter two ships were subjected to teargas attacks and hit with specially designed 4,300 lb (2,000 kg) demolition bombs. The bombing tests had several immediate and turbulent results. Almost immediately
7056-506: The post-war assignment of Director of Air Service. Instead, he returned to find that Maj. Gen. Charles T. Menoher , an artilleryman who had commanded the Rainbow Division in France, had been appointed director on the recommendation of his classmate General John Pershing , to maintain operational control of aviation by the ground forces. Mitchell received appointment on February 28, 1919, as Director of Military Aeronautics , to head
7154-513: The press that Army bombers alone could end the "Mingo War" by dropping tear gas on the miners. A private army of 3,000 led by Sheriff Don Chafin and financed by the Coal Operators Association engaged in gun battles and used private planes to drop dynamite charges and World War I surplus gas and explosive bombs against an estimated 13,000 miners. Neither side responded to President Harding's August 30 proclamation to cease hostilities. In
7252-401: The requirements of sea-based aviation than ground forces commanders understood the capabilities and potential of air power, and vigorously resisted any alliance with Mitchell. The Navy's civilian leadership was equally opposed, if for other reasons. On April 3, Mitchell met with Roosevelt and a board of admirals to discuss aviation, and Mitchell urged the development of naval aviation because of
7350-520: The results by reports from the Joint Board and General Pershing dismissing Mitchell's claims and suppressing his report, but the report was leaked to the press. In September, General Charles T. Menoher forced a showdown over Mitchell as the bombing tests continued. Menoher confronted Secretary Weeks and demanded that Weeks either relieve Mitchell as Assistant Chief of Air Corps or he would resign. On October 4, Weeks allowed Menoher to resign and return to
7448-642: The same interruptions in attacks. Mitchell held to the Navy's restrictions for the tests of June 21, July 13, and July 18, and successfully sank the ex-German destroyer G-102 and the ex-German light cruiser Frankfurt in concert with Navy aircraft. On each of these demonstrations the ships were first attacked by SE-5 fighters strafing and bombing the decks of the ships with 25-pound anti-personnel bombs to simulate suppression of antiaircraft fire, followed by attacks from Martin NBS-1 (Martin MB-2) twin-engine bombers using high explosive demolition bombs. Mitchell observed
7546-445: The tests remains in debate to this day. Nevertheless, the test was highly influential at the time, causing budgets to be redrawn for further air development and forcing the Navy to look more closely at the possibilities of naval air power. Despite the advantages enjoyed by the bombers in the artificial exercise, Mitchell's report stressed points which would later be highly influential in war: sea craft of all kinds, up to and including
7644-630: The ties in a railroad track, or the rivets on the wings of an airplane. "Efforts to camouflage installations also are detected by new electronic aerial photo equipment," the general added. General Goddard declared that advances in aerial photography have been greatly speeded by Congress' recognition of its value and its willingness to provide funds. Helpful, also, the general said, are the research experiments of three leading American universities. He referred to Boston University , Ohio State , and Wesleyan University as contributing significant advances. Goddard's Law states that "in reconnaissance, there
7742-577: The title General Goddard . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=General_Goddard&oldid=1224391692 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Title and name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages George William Goddard George William Goddard (June 15, 1889 – September 20, 1987)
7840-500: The use of aircraft, and that would keep aviation in the news. In February 1921, at the urging of Mitchell, who was anxious to test his theories of destruction of ships by aerial bombing, Secretary of War Newton Baker and Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels agreed to a series of joint Army-Navy exercises, known as Project B , to be held that summer in which surplus or captured ships could be used as targets. Mitchell
7938-477: The use of floating bases was necessary to defend the nation against naval threats, but the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral William S. Benson , had dissolved Naval Aeronautics as an organization early in 1919, a decision later reversed by Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt . However, senior naval aviators feared that land-based aviators in a "unified" independent air force would no more understand
8036-723: Was a United States Air Force brigadier general and a pioneer in aerial photography . George William Goddard was born in London, England, in 1889. He moved to Rochester, New York , in June 1904 to live with his aunt and uncle. He was naturalized on April 27, 1918. Goddard graduated from Washing Irving Preparatory School in New York in 1910 and attended Keuka Institute, now Keuka College in Keuka Park, New York , for two years. While at Keuka College, he witnessed early flights by Glenn Curtiss . Goddard then studied commercial art in Rochester for
8134-614: Was accepted into Columbian University (later renamed George Washington University) in Washington, D.C., but dropped out to join the United States Army during the Spanish-American War , though he eventually graduated from the school. While there he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Upon dropping out of Columbian at age 18, he enlisted in the United States Army as a private and was mustered into Company M of
8232-604: Was appointed chief of the Photographic Laboratory at Wright Field. Goddard was sent to Bikini Atoll in 1946 in connection with the atomic bomb test. He retired June 30, 1949, but was recalled to active duty the following day by General Hoyt Vandenberg , Air Force Chief of Staff, retaining his position as chief of the Photographic Laboratory. In July 1950, Goddard was awarded the Thurman H. Bane Award for his development in low-altitude high-speed night photography. During
8330-461: Was appointed deputy director of the Air Service and began advocating for increased investment in air power, believing that this would prove vital in future wars. He argued particularly for the ability of bombers to sink battleships and organized a series of bombing runs against stationary ships designed to test the idea. He antagonized many administrative leaders of the Army with his arguments and criticism and in 1925, his temporary appointment as
8428-641: Was appointed officer in charge of aerial photography in the Office of the Chief of the Air Corps , Washington, D.C. While on that assignment, he received a presidential appointment as Air Corps representative on the Federal Board of Surveys and Maps . He organized the first Army aerial photographic mapping units that pioneered in mapping Muscle Shoals , Tennessee River Basin, Teapot Dome , Mississippi River and many other areas. As chief photographic officer, Goddard created
8526-601: Was assigned to Headquarters Air Materiel Command , Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Goddard was presented the George W. Harris award by the Photographers' Association of America at its 61st annual national convention in Chicago. Goddard received the award, the highest single honor the profession of photographers can bestow, for his contributions to the art of aerial photography in supervising development of aerial cameras, equipment and techniques. "Aerial photography has come
8624-440: Was available, and that bombers were less accurate, but more effective at destroying enemy ships at longer distances from shore, provided they could overcome obstacles including inclement weather. Summerall, the department commander, was so incensed at Mitchell's questioning of his and McNair's integrity that he attempted to be appointed as president of the court-martial. During Mitchell's trial, Major General Robert Courtney Davis ,
8722-577: Was concerned that the building of dreadnoughts was taking precious defense dollars away from military aviation. He was convinced that a force of anti-shipping airplanes could defend a coastline with more economy than a combination of coastal guns and naval vessels. A thousand bombers could be built at the same cost as one battleship, and could sink that battleship. Mitchell infuriated the Navy by claiming he could sink ships "under war conditions", and boasted he could prove it if he were permitted to bomb captured German battleships. The Navy reluctantly agreed to
8820-551: Was elevated to the rank of (temporary) brigadier general on October 14, 1918, and commanded all American air combat units in France. He ended the war as Chief of Air Service and Chief Group of Armies. Recognized as one of the top American combat airmen of the war alongside aces such as his good friend, Eddie Rickenbacker , he was probably the best-known American in Europe. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross ,
8918-585: Was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1976. Goddard died on September 20, 1987, at the age of 98. He was buried with his wife Elizabeth (1898–1984) at Arlington National Cemetery . The Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers ( SPIE ) has awarded the George W. Goddard award annually since 1961 in recognition of "exceptional achievement in optical or photonic instrumentation for aerospace, atmospheric science, or astronomy. The award
9016-573: Was one of 21 officers selected to serve on the General Staff —at the time, its youngest member at age 32. He appeared in August 1913 at legislative hearings considering a bill to make Army aviation a branch separate from the Signal Corps and testified against the bill. As the only Signal Corps officer on the General Staff, he was chosen as temporary head of the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps ,
9114-522: Was reduced to lieutenant colonel, Signal Corps (Menoher was reduced to brigadier general in the same orders). When the Army was reorganized by Congress on June 4, 1920, the Air Service was recognized as a combatant arm of the line, third in size behind the Infantry and Artillery. On July 1, 1920, Mitchell was promoted to the Regular Army (i.e., permanent) rank of colonel in the Signal Corps, but also received
9212-479: Was sent to India just short of his promotion to flag rank, and Goddard returned to the good graces of General Henry Arnold , the chief of the Air Force. After the liberation of Paris , Goddard set up headquarters there and led in reconnaissance development for the U.S. air forces in theater. That winter, he finally succeeded in getting a stereo-strip camera installed in an F-6 Mustang , trying it out over Paris. With
9310-403: Was taking on water. Further bombing was delayed a day, the Navy claiming due to rough seas that prevented their Board of Observers from going aboard, the Air Service countering that as the Army bombers approached, they were ordered not to attack. Mitchell's bombers were forced to circle for 47 minutes, as a result of which they dropped only half their bombs, and none of their large bombs. On
9408-623: Was the first aerial night photograph. On a trip to the Philippines, Goddard mapped unexplored areas, and subsequently became Director of the photographic school at Chanute Field, Illinois. Goddard personally developed and held the patents on the Air Force's system for taking night pictures. Developed in 1926, the system, with improvements, was still in use through the 1950s. In 1934, Goddard directed aerial mapping in Alaska. As chief photographic officer at Wright Field, Ohio, he pioneered in stereoscopic, high altitude, and color photography and developed
9506-764: Was the president of the court, Sladen, and Bowley) were removed by defense challenges for bias. The case was then presided over by Major General Robert Lee Howze . Among those who testified for Mitchell were Eddie Rickenbacker , Hap Arnold , Carl Spaatz , Ira Eaker , Robert Olds , Thomas George Lanphier Sr. and Fiorello La Guardia . The trial attracted significant interest, and public opinion supported Mitchell. The chief prosecutors were Major Allen W. Gullion , Lieutenant Joseph L. McMullen, and Colonel Sherman Moreland . Mitchell's public assertions about non-aviation officers being ignorant of aviation matters were shown to be based on events he falsely claimed to have witnessed in Hawaii during experiments led by Lesley J. McNair ,
9604-520: Was then detached to work on naval tasks, since the Navy thought the strip camera would be useful for amphibious operations in the Pacific. In February 1944, Assistant Secretary of War for Air Robert Lovell sent Colonel Goddard to England to assist friend Colonel Elliott Roosevelt , the son of the president, in setting up the reconnaissance program for the 325th Reconnaissance Wing . Goddard helped modify F-8 Mosquitos for radar photography, and assisted in
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