When the United States entered the second World War, most Americans wanted to serve their country. This included minroties such as African Americans, Latin Americans, and even Japanese Americans, all of whom wanted to prove their worth as citizens to the majority population - and all of whom expected their service to be rewarded with, at the very least, some respect by the time the war was over. Unfortunately that respect was a long time coming after the war ended - but that's a subject for a different hub.

Anyway, one such group of people, who got no respect but wanted to earn it, were women - and in particular women pilots. Men were flying pursuit planes in combat, the transport and training roles, they felt, could be best taken by women, freeing more men for combat. After a while, Army brass ended up agreeing, and on August 5, 1943, the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) were formed. (Actually the WAFS - Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, and the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WTFD) had already existed, and they were folded in to form the WASP under the leadership of Jacqueline Cochran.

The formation of the WASP, and the rivalry between Nancy Harkness Love and Jacqueline Cochran deserves a Hub in itself, and I'll get to it one day, but this particular Hub is not about the WASP but rather about a group of women, from all over the world, who flew during World War II and are pretty much unknown - the Air Transport Auxiliary. They flew not in the United States but in England, they consisted of Americans and other women from England's former colonies, as well as English women too, of course.

Their story is told in Spitfire Women of World War II, by Giles Whittell, published by Harper Perennial in 2007. (It's available from Amazon.com, but only in used editions.)

From the back matter:

"This is the incredible story of an exclusive wartime sisterhood: a group of courageous, individual, gifted women who, in exceptionally dangerous circumstances, flew Spitfires, Hurricanes, and Lancasters to the frontline of World War II.

The women of Air Transport Auxiliary came from every continent and every background but were all astonishingly brave. Although not allowed into combat they provided a vital link for the RAF, and flew unarmed, withou radios or instruments, at the mercy of the weather and long-range enemy aircraft, to deliver planes to the male pilots who would fly them into battle."

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of World War II, and the history of women. Unlike their compatriots, the WASP, the ATA women were paid the same as their male counterparts (men unfit for military service also flew for the ATA), but like the WASP (and every other minority group who served in the US) they were pretty much dismissed at war's end, and told to go about their business.

Many women did so - they settled down, got married and raised families, as with the end of the war they could no longer afford to fly, and most of them were not offered positions in the military after their service was over. But some women persevered and carved out pretty impressive careers for themselves.

This book, however, is concerned only with World War II, as of course it should be.

Many well-known women pilots - well-known to aviation enthusiasts, let me point out, not to the general world at large - are covered here, from Amy Johnson, who gave her life, to Rosemary Rees, Audrey SAle-Barker, Jacqueline Cochran of course, Pauline Gower (founder of the women's section of the ATA)Lettice Curtice (the first woman cleared to fly four-engine bombers), and Diana Barnato Walker.

Mary de Bunsen was lame from polio, had poor eyesight and a hole in her heart... and courage that filled her all up. She flew Spitfires and Mosquitos.

Margot Duhade took her training then then joined the Free French, serving in Morocco ad their only female pilot. After the war she returned to Chile where she worked as an air traffic controller for thirty years.

Perhaps American Helen Richey's story sums it up best.. she flew in air races before the war, flew all kinds of planes during World War II, and returned to the US to fulfill her dream of becoming an airline pilot. Although she was duly hired by an airline, that airline's union froze her out, for no other reason than because she was a woman, despite the fact that she'd proved her flying skills time and time again. She ended up committing suicide.

Nevertheless, these stories in Spitfire Women of women who proved their worth time and time again, and who overcame prejudice on the ground as well as danger in the air, makes for fascinating reading.