The Women Airforce Service Pilots and American Society
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2003 Pushing the envelope : the Women Airforce Service Pilots and American society Katherine Elizabeth Landdeck Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Recommended Citation Landdeck, Katherine Elizabeth, "Pushing the envelope : the Women Airforce Service Pilots and American society. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2003. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/5149 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Katherine Elizabeth Landdeck entitled "Pushing the envelope : the Women Airforce Service Pilots and American society." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in History. G. Kurt Piehler, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation writtenby Katherine Sharp Landdeckentitled "Pushing the Envelope: The Women Airforce Service Pilots and American Society." I have examined the finalpaper copy of this dissertation forform and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillmentof the requirements forthe degreeof Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in History. G. Kurt Piehler, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Acceptancefor the Coun il: �--,--. PUSHINGTHE ENVELOPE: THE WOMEN AIR.FORCE SERVICE PILOTSAND AMERICAN SOCIETY A Dissertation Presented forthe Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee,Knoxville Katherine Elizabeth SharpLanddeck May2003 Copyright© 2003 by Katherine SharpLanddeck All rights reserved. 11 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to the Women AirforceService Pilots whose kindness and willingness to sharetheir experiences made this work possible and To my family, who always believed in me. 111 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In a project that has spannedso many yearsit is clearthat my debts to others are immeasurable. My experience at the University of Tennessee has been positive and rewarding. From my original master's committee ofDr. SusanBecker (who helped originate many of the questions this work asks), the late Dr. Charles Johnson and Dr. Elizabeth Haiken, to my committee of today, Dr. G. Kurt Piehler, Dr. JanisAppier, Dr. Lorri Glover and Dr. Steve Pope, I have been fortunate to know that they all really care about my success as a historian. The Department as a whole has supported my work from the beginning. Dr. Yen Ping Hao in particular always seemed to find a little extra Bernadotte Schmidt money to help me with my research.Dr. WilliamBruce Wheeler encouraged me throughoutmy entire graduateexperience. I am gratefulfor the confidence andinterest of all. Nothing is more sustaining than knowing you have people you respect that believe in you andyour work. Archivists at the Woman's Collection at Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas have, fromthe beginning, worked to insure that I always foundthe informationI needed. Their professionalism, knowledge and friendship always made my many weeks ofresearcha pleasure. Thanksspecifically to NancyDurr, Dawn Letson, and Tracey MacGowan. I amthrilled that I will be just across campusas I teach in the History/GovernmentDepartment at TWU. My new colleagues have been incredibly supportive as well. I am especially grateful forDominick Pisano, Dorothy Cochrane and the rest at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. My summer there IV as a Guggenheim Fellow was a dream come true, andtheir insightfuland continuing guidance has made this work much stronger. The archivists at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado were always helpfuland enthusiastic about my work. The National Archives in College Park, Marylandwas fabulousand I am gratefulfor the organized pack-rats that preserve our history. The Eisenhower Library was helpfulas well. As forthe WASP themselves, this dissertation _simply could not have been written ,;• . without them. My entire life,as a matter of fact,would be differentand less fulfillingif these amazingwomen had not been so welcoming andhelpful. I want to give special thanksto Caro Bayley Bosca who firstinvited me to meet the WASP and to those women at Dayton, Ohio in 1996 who becamemy firstinterviews. I amalso especially gratefulfor the "Oshkosh WASP." I always look forward to eating peanut butter and marmalade sandwiches as I listen to your tales and search formembers of the"foggy goggles club." Thanksfor telling everyone that I was okay Shutsy, Ethel, Scotty, Betty and Kaddy. Fellow graduate student Nancy Schurrhas asked thoughtfulquestions that have strengthened this work. Her professionalismas a teacher and a historian are outmatched only by her friendship. I am glad to know Johnny Goins, Kate Johnson, and Arris Oakley. BrianKrause always listened when I needed to vent. I could not have done this without my familywho was always there for me. Mom, Dad, Richard, Sarah - Thanks.Our dear Missy helped sustain me through all these years of graduateschool. I only wish she could be here forthe party at theend. And my husband John, the joy of my life,claims he's done nothing but has really done everything. I knowI could not be here without his love, friendship, patience, encouragement, and smiles. V ABSTRACT The purposeof this study was to determinehow far the women who served as Women Airforce ServicePilots (WASP) during World War IIwere able to push the parameters of the social, political and economic limits of American society. This work establishes that these women were extraordinary when comparedto their white, middle class peers and so were amongthe most likely of American women to both be willing and able to succeed at achieving their lifegoals, despite the society's limits on women. While traditional archivalsources such as governmentdocuments, contemporary newspapers and magazines were utilized, the primary source forthis study was the over 150 personal histories the author gathered fromWASP from 1996 to 2002. With these histories and other memoirs the author createdan extensive database that tracked the women fromtheir youth to the present. With this informationshe was able to determine both what the women wanted and what they did with theirlives. The limits they faced in reaching their goals and what they did to overcome those limits reveals a great deal about Americansociety and its behavior toward women. The women of the WASP worked together to achieve their goal of continuing to fly afterthe War. While a number of them made a career out of flying, many more found other career paths rather than continuing to work in the expensive and male dominated world of aviation. Regardless,these women as a groupcontinued to be ahead of their peers whether in their careers,their returnto workafter having children, or their determination to lead their lives on their own terms. The WASP provide anexample of how farAmerican women of their age cohort were able to push the limits of American society. Vl CONTENTS Chapter One: Introduction . .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 Chapter Two: Determinedto Succeed ............................................28 Chapter Three: ThwartedOpportunity .......................................... 63 Chapter Four: Finding Their Place ................. .............................. 110 Chapter Five: Leading By Living ......................................... ....... 148 Chapter Six: Conclusion ........................................................... 170 Bibliography: ....................................................... ................. 179 Appendix: .... ....................................................... .................. 197 Vita: ................................................................................... 199 Vll ACRONYMS AAF - Army Air Force AT -Designatesan advancedtrainer aircraft,for example the AT-6 Texan ATA -Air Transport Auxiliary, in Britain ATC - Air Transport Command, a part of the AnnyAir Force B-Designates a bomber aircraft, forexample the B-29 Superfortress BT -Designates a basic trainer aircraft,for example the BT-13 Vultee CAA-Civil Aeronautics Administration, the precursor of today's FAA CAP- Civil Air Patrol CPTP -CivilianPilot Training Program FERD-FerryingDivision, a partof theAir TransportCommand P-Designatespursuit aircraft,for example the P-51 Mustang WAAC -Women's Auxiliary Army Corps WAC - Women's Army Corps WAFS -Women's AuxiliaryFerrying Squadron WASP -Women Airforce Service Pilots WFTD- Women's Flying Training Detachment WTS- yrar Training Service, runby the Civilian Aeronautics Administration Vlll WASP TIMELINE Sept 1942 - Love begins recruiting women pilots forFERD; Cochran begins WFTD Jan-March 1943 - Love ferriesAT-6, P-51, C-47; Betty Gillies ferriesP-47 March21 , 1943 - CorneliaFort is killed April 17, 1943 - Order that WAFS to flyanything