Remembering women pilots in World War II as we mark Women's History Month

Larry Schwandes
·4 min read
Pilot Jacqueline Cochran looks from the cockpit of her P-51 Mustang at Palm Springs, Ca., on Dec. 10, 1947.
Pilot Jacqueline Cochran looks from the cockpit of her P-51 Mustang at Palm Springs, Ca., on Dec. 10, 1947.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Most people are familiar with the fact that during World War II, American women went to work in factories to help with the war. However, many of us did not know that our country and others used women pilots to support the war effort.

Jackie Cochran, an American, was one of the most famous women pilots of the late 1930s and early 1940s. It was from her fame and ability that our government decided to let women fly during WW2.

Hers was an interesting background. She was born to a poor Southern family and at one point had to quit school to pick cotton. In her mid-20s, she moved to New York and worked at a beauty salon. It was there that she met her millionaire husband.

At the age of 26 she got interested in flying and took lessons. This was 1932. By 1937 she was the best female pilot in the U.S. In 1938 she won the Bendix Trophy Race which was dominated by male pilots.

Adolf Hitler invaded Poland in 1937 and war clouds were on the horizon for the whole world. Cochran wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt and suggested women pilots could help in ferrying airplanes. But the Army was not interested.

In March 1941 she met Gen. Henry Arnold, who was in charge of Army pilots. He asked Cochran if she would help fly a twin-engine bomber across the Atlantic. She was successful and at last the Army was interested in using female pilots. Gen. Arnold suggested that she visit England to see how they were used there.

In England she learned about a new flying group. The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) had been formed. It included both men (1,152) and women (168) pilots. They delivered planes and flew with no radios. Over 309,000 aircraft were transported.

Hurricanes and Spitfires were the main fighting aircraft. These were both flown by women in 1941 but not in battles. For the first time in modern history, women pilots earned equal pay with the men. During the war, 174 ATA pilots were shot down. This included 38 women.

When Cochran returned to the U.S., she decided it would be good to have a similar flying group but to just use women pilots.

Pilot Jacqueline Cochran receives a pre-flight briefing from Chuck Yeager at Edward's Base, California on Aug 25, 1961. Cochran flew a Northrop-Talon T-38 Jet plane a 1,356 kms/h, breaking the record for the fastest female flight. Yeager was the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound.
Pilot Jacqueline Cochran receives a pre-flight briefing from Chuck Yeager at Edward's Base, California on Aug 25, 1961. Cochran flew a Northrop-Talon T-38 Jet plane a 1,356 kms/h, breaking the record for the fastest female flight. Yeager was the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound.

During World War II, American male pilots were needed in the battlefield. Thousands of airplanes were being made in factories in continental U.S. and there was a need to ferry them to the coasts. It was decided to have women pilots fly them.

In 1942 Cochran formed the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squad, or WAFS. The first mission flew small Piper Cubs. Over the next two years the women would learn to fly PT-19 trainers, P51 Mustangs, B-26 Marauders and the B-29 Superfortress.

Later the name of the group was changed to WASP, or Women Airforce Service Pilots. The women delivered over 12,000 aircraft.

There were other duties. The women flew planes that trailed targets that ground forces could fire at. When planes were repaired, they would be tested for air worthiness by the women. From all these activities the number of deaths was 38.

Jacqueline Cochran, the famous American pilot and Director of Northeast Airlines, USA, in the cockpit before she flew a Bristol Britannia Turbo-prop plane from London to Paris on Nov 28, 1956. She then ordered five of them and booked an option on two more. At the time she was only woman airline director in the world.
Jacqueline Cochran, the famous American pilot and Director of Northeast Airlines, USA, in the cockpit before she flew a Bristol Britannia Turbo-prop plane from London to Paris on Nov 28, 1956. She then ordered five of them and booked an option on two more. At the time she was only woman airline director in the world.

In Russia a group of female pilots was formed called the Night Witches, or the 588th Night Bomber Regiment. Wood and canvas biplanes were used and flown at night. The engines were idled as the target was approached. Therefore, the German pilots named them night witches.

Their air speed was very slow, and the German planes would stall if they flew the same speed. Thus, they were difficult to shoot down. Over 260 women served with 32 deaths. Twenty-three women won the Hero of the Soviet Union award.

Today the U.S. Air Force has 806 female pilots. In the American aviation industry, only 6% are female pilots. When women achieve equal status with men, our society will greatly advance.

Larry Schwandes lives in Gainesville.

Join the conversation

Send a letter to the editor (up to 200 words) to letters@gainesville.com. Letters must include the writer's full name and city of residence. Additional guidelines for submitting letters and longer guest columns can be found at bit.ly/sunopinionguidelines.


Journalism matters. Your support matters.

Get a digital subscription to the Gainesville Sun. Includes must-see content on Gainesville.com and Gatorsports.com, breaking news and updates on all your devices, and access to the Gainesville.com ePaper. Visit www.gainesville.com/subscribenow to sign up.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Larry Schwandes: Remembering WW2 women pilots in Women's History Month