Clipped Wings, WASPs

This “excellent study” shines a light on America’s pioneering women aviators and their forgotten contributions during WWII (American Historical Review).

During the Second World War, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program was unique among women's auxiliaries. It was made up entirely of women who undertook dangerous missions more commonly associated with men. WASPs challenged the myth of male supremacy by flying the fastest fighter planes and heaviest bombers. They even test-piloted experimental models and developed weapons systems.

In Clipped Wings, Molly Merryman draws upon declassified military documents, congressional records, and interviews with WASP veterans to tell the story of these extraordinary women. She examines the social pressures that culminated in their disbandment in 1944—even though their services were still needed. And she documents their struggles to gain military status and receive veterans’ benefits, which they finally did in 1977.

In the preface to this reissued edition, Merryman reflects on more recent changes in women’s aviation, as NASA’s new Artemis program promises to land the first female astronaut on the moon. Updating the story of the WASPs, Merryman reveals that their fight for recognition continues even today.