In 1942, the United States was faced with a severe shortage of pilots, and leaders gambled on an experimental program to help fill the void: Train women to fly military aircraft so male pilots could be released for combat duty overseas. The group of female pilots was called the Women Airforce Service Pilots - WASP for short
WASP (from left) Frances Green, Margaret Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn leave their B-17, called Pistol Packin' Mama, during ferry training at Lockbourne Army Air Force base in Ohio. They're carrying their parachutes.
If they died doing their jobs, they didn't get a military funeral. They were pioneering civilian volunteers in WWII (1942–1944), totaling 1,074 women who flew over 60 million miles.
They ferried 12,000+ aircraft, towed targets for gunnery training, and instructed, all to free up male pilots for combat. Though they served, they were denied military status until 1977.
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