Mitchell claimed credit for aviation advances already underway

Mitchell learned that the Navy had already been testing attacks on ships, and the results did not support the story he wanted to tell. He also claimed credit for advances that were already underway. Aerial torpedoes had been used during World War I, while bombsight development involved more than his advocacy. Sled landing gear addressed a narrow winter need, and supercharger development belonged to an international horsepower race that had begun years earlier. The distinction separates effective promotion from technical invention.