The Women of World War 2

World War II presented one of the first times women were allowed to participate beyond nursing and support in factories or with sewing kits. I was interested in who the women in the war were and what accomplishments they achieved, so here are some kick-ass women who served in World War II.

Lieutenant Elsie S. Ott was a flight nurse and the first woman to receive the the U.S. Air Medal. She was awarded this medal for her work in India, where she was able to be a part of an evacuation having never been a plane before with barely a 24 hours notice. She worked as an in-flight nurse on the plane for a week, and helped to get the soldiers off the plane and to safety on the mainland. She wrote a report with recommendations for future flights to make them safer and help the medics, and later she even returned to India for further military evacuation.

Colonel Ruby Bradley was another amazing woman, an army nurse stationed in the philippines during the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was taken as a prisoner of war and spent three years treating sick and injured soldiers as well as smuggling supplies to Americans. When finally liberated, she had gone from 110 pounds to a mear 84, showing the devastating effects of the camps. Despite that, Bradley helped the sick and dying, and even delivered babies in the camp, showing her determination and courage.

Lieutenant Annie Fox was the first woman to ever receive the Purple Heart Distinction from the US army. Sadly, the requirements for the Purple Heart changed, but she was still awarded with a bronze medal in its place. Fox was in charge of the hospital nearest to the airfield during the Pearl Harbor attack, and saved countless lives after the bombs hit. The hospital was chaotic as waves of injured people continued to flow in, as well as constant bombs still dropping near the hospital, some even just across the street. Fox organized everything, including civilian volunteers, to save as many people as possible. She also participated in surgery. Her bravery in a terrifying situation was astounding and deserving of the awards she received.

I know it’s a US history class and this next person isn’t an American, but I could not pass up the chance to research Lyudmila Pavlichenko, history’s deadliest female sniper. She had 309 confirmed kills, including 36 enemy snipers by just 1942. There isn’t too much about the specifics of her missions, but she was injured by mortar fire and unable to continue serving. She became a sniper training for the rest of the war. She also visited the US and Canada, almost as a publicity stunt for the Soviet Union, and the first Soviet citizen to be received by a US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Overall, there were some 350,000 women who joined the Armed Services. It wasn’t perfect, as women were often kept only as nurses and in the background, and the WAAC had to be upgraded to the WAC before the brave women serving in it would have full military status. But despite the troubles, the women of World War II were phenomenal and brave in the face of danger. The WASPS were the first women to fly military aircraft, and the WAVES held the same status as naval reservists. Women being allowed to contribute during World War II was a huge step forward for women’s rights, and these amazing women should still be remembered today.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Ott
https://www.womenshistory.org/articles/bravery-army-nurse-annie-g-fox-pearl-harbor
https://study.com/academy/lesson/famous-important-women-in-world-war-ii.html
http://mentalfloss.com/article/29219/11-women-warriors-world-war-ii
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyudmila_Pavlichenko
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1