Female Pilots During World War II

American female pilots played an important and valuable role in World War II. Female pilots pressed forward despite never gaining military status. The women proved themselves extremely qualified for the jobs that they performed. They completed many tasks and became a great strength to the Allied war effort. As a result, the female aviators impressed many of their male colleagues. Female pilots in World War II broke new ground as they sought to overcome gender barriers and prove themselves capable fliers to men and to the world.

The United States initially did not offer women the chance to perform piloting duties. Great Britain first gave women the option to fly for the war effort. The women did the work for which they possessed a "special aptitude," such as ferrying planes between the production plants and the air field.¹ Lady aviators filled these positions so that men could fly combat missions. Male British pilots spoke of their female counterparts "almost with reverence" because the females did the "dull, dirty work" that the men did not like to do.² The women did not mind doing the harder jobs because they liked contributing to the war effort instead of staying home as dependent housewives.

Some American female pilots saw the work that women performed for England and wished to donate their services in the same way. Jacqueline Cochran, an American and the first woman to fly a bomber across the North Atlantic, visited the British Isles. She observed with great interest the missions that English women flew. Cochran tried to persuade the United States to set up a similar service because the country could "never have too many pilots for an air transport auxiliary."³ She presented a plan to the War Department, but American women first became wartime pilots for Great Britain.

Cochran headed the movement to mobilize female pilots from the United States for the air transport service. She led a group of twenty-five women to England to fly for the British Air Transport Auxiliary of the Royal Air Force. Though initially turned down by the United States Congress, Cochran realized that America might need female pilots at some point in the future. In Great Britain, Cochran felt that the American pilots could assist their ally and also "organize and train as a nucleus" to aid the United States when the need arose.⁴ Until then, the women gladly went to the British Isles to help as much as possible.

Great Britain treated the female American pilots well. The amount of experience of each aviatrix determined how much pay she received. The average woman earned four thousand dollars a year. The ladies also obtained "substantial insurance" and twenty-five dollars of "expatriation pay" deducted from their earnings and put in an American bank for when they returned home.⁵ Each pilot signed a contract for eighteen months of service to ferry light air craft from factories to air fields. The women executed their duties happily and well.

Not every person felt the same pleasure as the American female aviators in England did. Some people did not understand why the United States government would permit the women to fly for England when they could fly missions for America. Shortly before the female pilots left, American President Franklin Roosevelt instituted a "big plane program," that needed instructors to teach men how to fly the planes.⁶ Some of the women eligible to join Jacqueline Cochran's group also qualified as instructors. A few of these chose to stay in America because of the anticipated need for female trainers.

Not all talented female pilots waited for a call from the government to instruct new pilots. Nor did they go to England to fly with the Cochran group. Major Earl Johnson commanded a group of 2,500 women pilots in the Civil Air Patrol in 1942. In his opinion, the ladies flew "just as good as men ... and sometimes better."⁷ The women worked harder, paid closer attention to details, and followed through on orders better than men did. Aviatrixes performed a variety of jobs, including navigation and communications. However, female pilots could not fly over the coastal regions due to coast's designation as a combat zone.

As the female pilots gained experience and impressed their superiors, Congress investigated the option of establishing an American air transport. Finally, the Army Air Force established the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) as an experiment. Congress appointed Mrs. Nancy Harkness Love, "a beautiful 28-year-old blond" as group commander.⁸ The military restricted the group to "handling training and liaison type of airplanes" within the continental United States.⁹

The WAFS lost no time in setting up a training camp. The program established its headquarters in New Castle County, Delaware. The instruction lasted four weeks, consisting of "ground courses ... includ[ing] several hours of flying."¹⁰ They received their own "gray-green uniforms with squared shoulders" to wear on ferry duty or while at their station.¹¹ Members of the WAFS lived in barracks, but could "pretty up" their quarters as much as they pleased.¹² Women added quilts, curtains, and rugs to their rooms to make them more feminine. Unfortunately, due to their civilian status, the women did not receive their rooms or meals for free.

In spite of some drawbacks to serving in the WAFS, many women flying with the Air Transport Auxiliary voluntarily came back from Great Britain. Jacqueline Cochran returned to the United States to take part in the new squadron. The WAFS immediately took advantage of her arrival and put Cochran in charge of a program "designed to create a pool of trained women pilots ... [to draw] ... personnel [from] for noncombat flying purposes."¹³

Cochran and Harkness trained their female pilots well. The Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron first hired twenty women to begin service. The training program in Delaware flourished, with many women eager to begin learning to fly military planes. They progressed against odds, and, despite their "meager" training, the female pilots flew the planes capably.¹⁴ The performance of these courageous and talented women encouraged the military to begin a new program for female aviators.

The Army Air Force started a different auxiliary branch to train women pilots to fly transport planes. Called the WASPs (Women's Air Force Service Pilot), the outfit prepared for their future missions in Sweetwater, Texas. The group trained for noncombatant jobs and their main duty consisted of ferrying planes from the factory to the field. The "gentler treatment" that the women received set them apart from men, but they completed the same courses as their male counterparts.¹⁵ Upon graduation, the aviatrixes received their own "snappy" uniforms and earned 250 dollars a month.¹⁶ The women ferried planes wherever the army told them to, often serving as both pilot and co-pilot on flights. The new group of WASPs included many talented and experienced women.

The WASPs acquired these ladies by absorbing the WAFS and females "assigned to other flying services" within the Army Air Force.¹⁷ The military named Jacqueline Cochran to the new post of Director of Women Pilots in the Air Force. Nancy Harkness Love received an executive assignment on the Commanding Officer of the Ferry Division's staff. The women earned these assignments "in recognition of the achievement and growing importance of women pilots in the war effort."¹⁸

Women's new status in ferrying planes became apparent when the Army authorized them to operate Flying Fortresses, the "heavy stuff" of the Air Force.¹⁹ The seventeen aviatrixes chosen to learn to fly the large planes operated out of Lockbourne Air Base in Ohio. All WASPs held civilian piloting licenses before their training in Texas. The women additionally completed a five and a half week course in Texas. The aviatrixes moved up "faster and further in the uniformed services" than ever before.²⁰ Even with all of their talent, the women still maintained civilian status.

Despite their civilian rank, the military thought it best to outfit the female pilots with their own uniform and insignia. Their dress uniform consisted of a jacket and skirt in blue wool, while their work uniform combined a "battle jacket" with blue pants and shirt.²¹ The insignia consisted of "somewhat smaller" pilot wings in silver, with a diamond shape in the center.²² Female pilots needed their own special outfits because the men's uniforms fit too loosely on the women. Also, the aviatrixes averaged four inches narrower in the hips than other females due to their mandatory exercise and training. The slimmer bodies of these ladies required the clothing manufacturer to design a new, smaller type of uniform than women in other auxiliary groups wore.

The new clothing and the chance to fly caused many women to hope that they could join the WASPs. The Army Air Force proceeded with caution in their training of females. Though the women daily proved their worth, the military started that it could not train and use female pilots "at the expense of training and experience needed for men pilots."²³ Despite keeping the female pilots to a minimum, the Army increased the jobs that the women performed. They filled 200 positions in the Army Air Force, including towing targets for gunnery schools, flight control tower operator, and camouflage technician. The military still needed 10,000 additional Women's Auxiliary Corps members, but these women would remain on land and not have a chance to pilot planes.²⁴

Women fortunate enough to fly took their war job seriously. A sign posted on the WASP boardroom door in Sweetwater, Texas read "Wasp's nest. Drones keep out or suffer the wrath of the queen."²⁵ Female aviatrixes set a record fatality rate; only .05 women perished for each 1,000 hours they flew. In contrast, the men suffered .07 casualties for the same amount of hours. Female fliers flew 5,000,000 miles each month for their various duties.²⁶ Though the ladies proved excellent replacements for men and worked for the armed forces, the military still classified them as civilians. As such, they paid for room and board and purchased their own uniforms.

Not all in the military felt that the women should have civilian status. Some officials felt that because the women discharged their missions as well as men, they deserved the same standing. John M. Costello of California introduced a bill to the Congress that provided for the appointment of women as aviation cadets in the Army Air Force. Under this bill, the aviatrixes would receive the same pay, "rights, privileges, and benefits" as men.²⁷ The Costello Bill received mixed views from the members of the House of Representatives.

Representatives in Congress hotly debated the issue. Charles A. Halleck of Indiana raised the question of whether or not the women truly wanted military standing. He stated that several women pilots objected to joining the military because none voiced their desire for militarization before the House Military Affairs Committee. General Arnold disagreed with Representative Halleck. General Arnold stated that he spoke to several female aviators and did not "yet see one who oppose[d] it."²⁸ Additionally, he said, the male pilots did not think it fair that the women could come and go more freely because of the females' civilian rank. Secretary of War Stimson refuted the idea that the WASPs held positions that men needed. He assured the press that no WASP would keep out any male "instructor or partially trained civilian pilot who desires to become a service pilot or cadet."²⁹ Clearly, many favored the militarization of women pilots.

The House Civil Service Committee dealt a major blow to those supporting the Costello Bill. As the Congress debated the bill, Robert Ramspeck of Georgia, chair of the committee, issued a report that urged the termination of recruitment and training for female fliers. The report condemned the WASPs as "costly, experimental, and unjustified."³⁰ A minority report, disagreeing with the Civil Service Committee findings, found that the Army Air Force should determine "the termination ... continuation, or ... further development of a woman's flying program."³¹

Despite the support for the women, the House of Representatives defeated the Costello Bill and ordered the shutdown of the WASP training and recruitment program. All of the female members of the House voted in favor of the Costello Bill, and several men did too. The bill received 169 yeas to 189 nays. Unfortunately, too many felt the bill "unnecessary and unwise" since the Allies turned the tide of war in their favor.³² Furthermore, Congress told the Army to close down Sweetwater Field. WASPs in training continued their courses, but those accepted for the next session received tickets to go home. Female pilots still flew ferrying missions and continued with a special training course in Orlando, Florida, to qualify them to operate at military bases. Still, the women sensed that they would not fly for America much longer.

The confirmation of their fears came in October of 1944. The Army Air Force announced that the WASPs would deactivate in December, to allow for time for the last training group to graduate. Each active pilot, as well as the 30 killed in the line of duty, would receive an honorable discharge as well as a "certificate of service."³³ Jacqueline Cochran felt great disappointment at the demobilization of her unit, but she told America the war did not end female piloting. "You won't keep these women out of the air," she stated, because "[p]eople never stay grounded once they learn to fly."

The aviatrixes certainly did not want their time in the skies to end. However, the Army Air Force carried through with their decision to end the unit. In December of 1944, they started replacing the women still on duty with men. Northeast Airlines took advantage of the end of the WASPs to elect Cochran as their new director. The company anticipated that women would want to travel by air more after the war and wanted to represent "this large segment of the population."³⁴ The war certainly brought women's interests into the public eye.

The ladies' interests did not matter as much to the military as did the male pilots'. The armed forces determined that the returning men needed the flying jobs more than the women did. Despite the WASPs' exemplary track record, the Army Air Force, with little regret, officially terminated the Women's Air Service Pilots on 20 December 1944. Many female pilots returned to their families, proud of their service, but disappointed at the short amount of time they spent in the service of their country. Other aviatrixes formed female piloting organizations. Jacqueline Cochran received the Distinguished Service Medal immediately after the disbanding of the WASPs. She became the first woman civilian to collect such an honor.

Female pilots during World War II proved an efficient, loyal, and valuable asset to the United States. They did something no group of women did before; they flew military airplanes during a time of war. These hardworking fliers put their lives on the line and supported their country unfailingly to the end. Despite their dedication, the military demobilized the unit in favor of males. Other than a few grateful words, the WASPs received little commemoration until the 1970s when they finally won veterans' rights. The female pilots during the Second World War deserve much praise for their willingness to follow orders and break new paths. Their drive and determination to succeed opened the door to flying careers for future generations of female aviators.

¹ Craig Thompson, "Britain to Recruit Women in Service," The New York Times, 11 April 1941, in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

² Jacqueline Cochran as quoted in Elizabeth R. Valentine, "No.1 Woman Flier," The New York Times, 13 July 1941, in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

³ Ibid

⁴ "American Women to Ferry Planes," The New York Times, 24 January 1942, in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

⁵ Ibid

⁶ Nona Baldwin, "25 Women Fliers Joining the British," The New York Times, 26 March 1942, in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

⁷ "Women as Pilots Praised by Leader," The New York Times, 23 August 1942, in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

⁸ Christine Sadler, "WAFS Is Latest Women's Unit," The Washington Post, 11 September 1942, in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 5 April 2005.

⁹ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "Women Will Form a Ferry Command," The New York Times, 11 September 1942, in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

¹⁰ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "First of the WAFS Pass Ground Test," The New York Times, 12 September 1942 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

¹¹ "Gray-Green Uniform is Adopted for WAFS," The New York Times, 16 September 1942, in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

¹² Nancy Harkness Love as quoted in Jane Eads, "Curves in Coveralls," The Washington Post, 17 September 1942, in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 5 April 2005.

¹³ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "Named to Direct Women's Air Work," The New York Times, 15 September 1942 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

¹⁴ "Women's War Gain I s Seen As Lasting," The New York Times, 18 November 1942 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

¹⁵ The Associated Press, "Women Learning to Be Army Pilots, To Relieve Men in Ferry Command," The New York Times, 28 April 1943 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

¹⁶ Ibid

¹⁷ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "Women War Pilots Named the WASPS," The New York Times, 21 August 1943 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

¹⁸ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "Miss Cochran Put in High Air Post," The New York Times, 6 July 1943 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

¹⁹ "Women Fly Fortresses," The New York Times, 23 October 1943 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

²⁰ Eleanor Darnton, "Women On The March," The New York Times, 11 July 1943 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

²¹ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "New Wasp Uniforms Give Women Fliers Swank And Lift Them Nearer to the Rank of Army Officers," The New York Times, 17 November 1943 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

²² Ibid

²³ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "Arnold Hails WAC on Air Force Duty," The New York Times, 4 January 1944 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

²⁴ Ibid

²⁵ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "Wasps, to Be 600 Strong This Month, Hope Soon to Be Members of the Army Air Forces," The New York Times, 4 January 1944 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

²⁶ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "Wasps Set Record in Fatality Rate," The New York Times, 5 January 1944 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

²⁷ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "Back Bill to Put WASPS in the AAF," The New York Times, 23 March 1944 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

²⁸ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "WASP Bill Strikes a Committee Snag," The New York Times, 25 March 1944 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

²⁹ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "WASP Militarization Favored By Stimson," The New York Times, 5 May 1944 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

³⁰ "End of Wasp Training Plan Recommended by Committee," The Washington Post, 6 June 1944 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 5 April 2005.

³¹Ibid

³² Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "House Defeats Bill to Put WASPS in Army," The New York Times, 22 June 1944 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

³³ Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, "Wasp to Disband Dec. 20, Arnold Says; 1,000 Women Pilots to Get Certificates," The New York Times, 4 October 1944 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.

³⁴ "Jacqueline Cochran Is Elected Director of Northeast Airlines," The New York Times, 11 December 1944 in ProQuest Historical Newspapers [database on-line]; accessed 4 April 2005.