The Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) were a brave and dedicated group of aviators who helped the U.S. emerge victorious in air combat missions during WWII. Military authorities classified these women as civilian employees versus military service members. They did not participate in combat directly, which allowed the men to fight in combat missions. These women came from a variety of backgrounds. The most common included:
Businesswomen
Factory Workers
Fashion Designers and Models
Farmer’s Wives and Daughters
Housewives
Teachers
When the WASP corps was established in 1942, of the 25,000 young women who volunteered to join the WASP training program, 1,830 were admitted and 1,074 completed the course and were assigned to operational duty. Their training was nearly identical to male pilots except for the combat-related portion of instruction.
These women were among the first women to fly military aircraft. They were also the only women in the service at that time to face the same potential dangers as men with stateside assignments. They ferried planes, towed targets, tested aircraft, and performed many other noncombat flying duties in order to release more male pilots for overseas combat missions. They flew everything from Piper Cubs to famed Mustang fighters.
They were assigned to air bases across the country to ferry planes. WASP eventually flew 77 types of aircraft, including the P-38, F-5, P-39, P-40, P-63, C-54, C-46, B-26 and B-24. Although ferrying was the first and principal duty of WASP, in 1943 women pilots were assigned to the Training Command where they gunnery towed targets and served as flight instructors.
After April 1944, fighter plane ferrying became the main WASP activity. A few exceptionally qualified women were allowed to test early jet aircraft. The women encountered the same flying conditions and problems as male pilots, sometimes guarding their own planes at understaffed airfields, sometimes having to improvise refueling facilities, and flying open-cockpit training planes in subzero weather. A total of 37 WASPs lost their lives in aircraft accidents, while 7 suffered major injuries and 29 suffered minor injuries. With the need for pilots diminishing by December 1944, WASPs were deactivated from military duty. In 1977, WASPs were awarded veterans status and in 2009, the Congressional Gold Medal.
For more information on the topic, I recommend the following books and links:
Books
On Silver Wings: the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II, 1942-1944. 1991 Genealogy (G) 940.54 Verges
To Live and Die a WASP: 38 Women Pilots Who Died in WWII. 2016 (Not in the Lee County Library System)