| During World War II, women pilots were given the opportunity to fly military aircraft for the first time in history. Women in the United States ferried every type of airplane from factories to airbases, while in the Soviet Union, they flew combat missions along the Eastern Front. Despite differences in aerial operations and military status, Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and Soviet women flyers shared much in common. Patriotic with a mutual love of aviation, they faced similar obstacles while challenging assumptions of male supremacy in wartime culture. Despite prejudices against them, the air-women fulfilled a need---albeit a temporary one---created by the war. After failing to attain military status, the WASPs disbanded in 1944. The Soviet airwomen were also excluded from their postwar military. As gender stereotypes were reestablished, the women were reminded that their rightful place in society was not in the cockpit---but in the home. |
