American War Hero Marc Mitscher

During the time of World War II, Marc Mitscher developed into a fine aviator, and a commander of the most powerful naval striking force in the world. He is known best for his techniques of carrier air operations. He looked to improve technology, tactics, and strengthen aviation into a powerful striking force. His accomplishments during his era had a great influence on the United States Navy. In addition, the impacts he had on the Navy are still felt today. His many innovations consisted of design, tactics, training, standard operation procedures, and leadership.

One innovation that Mitscher put a lot of his time in during his career was design. Designing more efficient aircraft and aircraft carriers would strengthen the Navy.

The aircraft carrier was a relatively new navy platform during Mitscher's era. Many naval engineers simply thought of installing a flight deck onto a conventional ship, which Mitscher strongly opposed. He envisioned a carrier being built from the keel up, which would include a hangar deck, machine shops, gasoline storage facilities, and maintaining flight control. As it was, a carrier built with a convertible flat top and a standardized ship underneath would have no room to store the machine shops and gasoline facilities that Mitscher was interested in. If he built the ship from keel up, he could even store planes below the main deck. This new carrier would also save room, and enable Mitscher to use the lower decks for repairing damaged plains. He also favored speed and maneuverability with carriers, which would be the backbone of his success in fast-carrier task-force operation in the coming years.

By innovating a new carrier with a flight deck, the Navy would be able to launch planes out in the ocean, and then allow the planes to land after they accomplish their mission. A stronger flight deck would enable heavier planes to land, without risking damage to the carrier.

Mitscher also strongly disliked the idea of using kite balloons as a method of observing other ships. Men in the balloons often had trouble observing because they were to busy preventing themselves from falling out of the balloon. Over the next few years, Mitscher would do away with the balloon and use airplanes for scouting enemies far further than observers in balloons could locate.

As carrier aviation continued to unfold, Mitscher made many contributions to maximize the performance. In the early carrier planes, pilots landed from a right-hand pattern, which placed the landing signal officers (LSO's) on the right sight of the flight deck. Likewise, the throttle was also on the right side. In the new carrier planes, the throttle was installed on the left side. Mitscher decided to attempt using two landing signal officers on the flight deck. He found that the LSO on the left side was far more useful, and therefore no longer used an LSO on the right side.

Many planes had better armor installed, and also self-sealing gasoline tanks. This would offer better protection to the pilots who were getting more involved in dog fights. Self-sealing gasoline tanks prevented leaking and explosions. The tactics that Mitscher invented during his time were essential, especially in a time of war. His influences from tactical improvement are still seen in navy aviation and aircraft carriers today.

Transatlantic flight was also a new idea during Mitscher's time in the Navy. Mitscher had a strong interest in the NC construction. The NC-1 aircraft was of particular interest to Mitscher, despite its gross weight of over 28,000 pounds and its difficulty in getting off the water. Mitscher came up with the idea of adding a fourth engine. His fourth engine would work as a "pusher", rather than the engines creating a pulling force. On behalf of the Navy, Dr. Hunsaker, the head of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, composed a letter approving Mitscher's planned alterations.

One of Mitscher's greatest accomplishments for the Navy occurred after Pearl Harbor. The United States had planned to attack Japan using B-25 aircraft. Through many calculations, Mitscher said it would be possible to launch these aircraft of the Hornet's flight deck. The largest wingspan at the time that the Navy had ever launched from a carrier was 40 feet, while Mitscher was confident in launching the B-25's that had a wingspan up to 67 feet. In addition, the planes normally required a runway with a distance of 1,200 to 1,500 feet for take off. Despite the Hornet's deck only being 780 feet long, Mitscher was confident he could do it safely. Matcher's calculations were correct, and all of the fifteen B-25's got up in the air. Decreasing the take off distance set a new milestone for the Navy.

His main focuses on aircraft were small dive-bomber planes which he also planned to use for fighter-intercept missions. His ideas asked for more attention in developing large industrial capacity in order to create this type of plane. The role of small dive-bomber planes would increase over the years, and they play a huge role in the navy today. The planes could be used for dog fighting, dropping bombs, and also protect the carrier from other enemy planes. These planes served similar roles to the jets our navy uses today. Today's aviation strategies would be Mitscher's dream. The F-14, F-18, and the F-22 for example, are used to fight off enemy aircraft, and are also used to attack land.

The Battle of Midway is one of the most famous battles Mitscher has ever fought in. His tactics used in this war were risky, but proved to be a total success. During the course of the battle, American bombers fought Japanese planes into the night. As it started to get dark, the Hornet had shut off its lights to protect itself from enemy fire. Meanwhile, many American bombers could not find the flight deck of the Hornet. None of the Hornet pilots had qualified for night carrier landings. Using common sense, Mitscher simply ordered to turn on the truck lights which would enable the pilots to see the ship better. This was risky in that the Hornet would be more vulnerable to attack, but Mitscher knew he had to safe his air force.

The attack on Truk, Mitscher had more advanced fast-carrier-tricks. With common sense, he knew that before he launched the bombers, he would use an initial fighter to destroy enemy air defenses. To have maximum effectiveness, he would fly the final strike at dusk, which would make repairing the damage at night time very difficult. Likewise, he also he urged task-group commanders to hold on hitting the fuel dumps until they made their last strike in the day. This would prevent smoke from filling the air, enabling targets to be seen easier. These simple air tactics gave the Americans a huge advantage against their enemy.

Another war that Mitscher had an influence on was the invasion of the Marshall Islands. It was here where Mitscher began to discover new way to improve the Navy's air war. He asked for the training of special photographic units for carrier air groups. By using photographic reports, he could take pictures of enemies from the air. Mitscher still had concern about night training for his pilots. He feared his pilots would not be able to see a horizon after they are launched. To better the safety of his pilots, he would have his screening destroyers move in front of the task force and turn on their truck lights, similar to what Mitscher did during the Battle of Midway.

Training is an important factor to all personnel in the Navy. During Mitscher's time, aircraft was very new to society. Without the proper training, pilots would not know how to handle new equipment, and not be prepared for wartime. Mitscher made sure that his pilots were trained to the maximum level.

Mitscher took his first major command in Miami Naval Air Station in Florida. His leadership here was essential to the Navy, considering Miami NAS was one of the largest naval-air facilities in the United States, second to Pensacola. Mitscher, unhappy with what he saw, greatly improved the naval station. He built a machinegun range, and he also made significant improvements to the flying skill of the pilots. He also was constantly looking for more instructors so his students could gain more personal attention. Mitscher's improvements of Miami NAS would benefit the Navy, in that it enabled them to carry out their mission more effectively by keeping German submarines away from the Key West and Cuba areas.

During World War II, Mitscher used a method for training young pilots in Pensacola. He discovered that you could use a piece of string for safety, by tying it to a strut that supported the center pontoon in the seaplane. He claimed, "If the string was blowing off to one side, you knew you were side-slipping; if it was blowing straight back to you, you knew at least you were still in the air. But if you ever saw that string dropping, you knew you would probably crash, sure as hell". His discovery was very successful in increasing the safety of young pilots.

At the Fleet Air Base in San Diego, California Mitscher learned more about the capabilities of aircraft and finding the right planes for the forthcoming carrier. One of his accomplishments in San Diego was teaching pilots how to fly by day and night and how to take off and land on a wooden platform. Captain A. W. Johnson quoted, "Nobody knew better than Mitscher the capabilities and limitations of aircraft.

Mitscher also established Project Affirm that was set up at NAS Quonset Point to practice night fighting equipment and tactics. It was difficult for many reasons. For one, all naval air stations were designed for planes other than carrier times. Second, Congress did not want to create new air stations, and only authorized construction on current stations which cause many problems. Third, there were a few stations that weren't even completely constructed. Despite these problems that Mitscher faced, he was able to get Project Affirm up and running.

Mitscher's biggest legacy, by far, is the creation of the carrier battle group. The carrier battle group has been in use to this day. Before this came to existence, aircraft carriers operation solo, making them very vulnerable to attack. They also had no ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) capability, so they could not defend themselves from enemy submarines.

After Mitscher's performance at Guadalcanal, he became commander of Carrier Division Three. This command would become Task Force 58/38. Mitscher's position would be a fortunate move for the Navy and for the total effort of World War II. His new Task Force was made up of new battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and fast aircraft carriers. Supporting these platforms were ammunition ships, fleet oilers, dry-store ships, and refrigeration. His force often had made up of 100 ships.
Mitscher was in command of this Task Force. He deployed the force as a whole. He also designated missions and established policies to the task-group commanders. In return, they would send these orders to their subordinate commanders. When approaching battles, he ordered to keep radios silent to prevent enemies from locating them. Once battle began, radio silence would be broken, and the bridge would be able to receive important messages from the group commanders.

The backbone of the task force laid in Mitscher's command. In his compact room, communications equipment and charts were used. Radar repeaters were located around the bulkheads. There were also speed indicators, telephone systems, and repeater compasses. This new Task Force worked so effectively, that it is still used today. Deploying the force as a whole made the United States one of the most superior naval forces on the water. Planes could be used for attack, and also for air defense to the other ships. Destroyers and Cruisers offered surrounding protection to the carriers, and were equipped with ASW equipment giving them the ability to destroy enemy submarines and aircraft. Other ships, such as hospital, oil, ammunition, and refrigeration ships were just as important as any other platform. With oil, the task force could stay at see for extended periods of time and travel further distances. At times of war, hospital ships were important for injured sailors who needed care. This would allow the war ships to primarily focus on fighting and not worry about caring for injured men on board or how much food they had left, etc. Nonetheless, warships and aircraft had to maintain a close watch that the oil and hospital ships weren't attacked.

Leadership was among Mitscher's strongest qualities. His commitment and willingness to improve naval aviation and surface warfare went a long way. Mitscher's contributions to aviation were essential to the United States Navy during the 1920's. During this time, naval aviation personnel had decreased both officers and enlisted. The Navy only had a budget to purchase one hundred planes. Mitscher's success in aviation revived the naval air force, which would continue to grow and protect the United States for centuries.

Mitscher also produced aircraft for the British, French, and the rest of the United States' allies. He arranged sharing of the production of frames, propellers, and engines. He sponsored many aircraft companies around the country. By providing the United States Allies with top of the line aircraft, the United States allies would be able to help fight other countries as well as the United States itself. This would important during the time of war when the United States had many enemies.

Another way that Mitscher showed great Leadership was the way he acted towards the people working under him. In order for the navy to work properly, enlisted sailors and officers must get along and be able to work together. Mitscher kept a friendly environment by often greeting and talking to the enlisted sailors. A sailor named Nowatzki quoted, "He made me feel special even though he himself had been promoted to RADM in December… He was always calm and soft spoken, even when giving orders and gave the impression of being a kind, gentle, and highly intelligent person. I felt very fortunate to have had ADM Mitscher as my first commanding officer…. To me, he was truly inspirational and a splendid role model to any young man." This quote shows how great of a leader Mitscher really was.

In summary, Marc Mitscher has made many innovations for the United States Navy. It is evident that his influences are still shown today. In design, he mastered the structure of aircraft carriers and airplanes. He built stronger flight decks, improved airplanes where they were able to launch and land on carriers, as well as innovating new equipment such as airplane engines, better armor, frames, propellers, and self-sealing gasoline tanks.

The tactics Mitscher innovated were exceptional. He used transatlantic flight, had the ability to launch the largest planes available off his carrier, and used small dive-bombers as a dual purpose aircraft. He also risked his carrier being spotted by turning on the lights at night so his pilots could land safely. Other tactics include, using initial fighters to destroy enemy air defense, launching final attacks at night to make it difficult for enemies to recovery, and also making photographic reports of the enemy.

The training that Mitscher put in really showed on how well his men performed. He trained his pilots to fly at night, how to take off and land on carriers, as well as handling the most advanced aviation equipment. He made ever effort to provide enough instruction for his pilots.

Mitscher perfected the Navy's Standard Operation Procedures by creating the carrier battle group. His carrier could now perform without worrying about having to defend its self. Cruisers, Destroyers, Submarines, and other ships would surround the carrier and fight off any threat that came their way.

Mitscher's development of leadership also had an influence on the Navy. By keeping good relationships with his enlisted personnel, everyone was able to get along in the working environment. His commitment and desire to improve naval aviation and surface warfare also showed he was one of the top leaders in his era.