Posted: 01/04/2023

A Timeline of Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs)

1938

Sept. 28: Brig. Gen. Hap Arnold participates in a White House meeting about the potential for with Nazi Germany. President Franklin Roosevelt instructs Arnold to build up the nation's air defenses, worried about Germany's formidable air force.
Sept. 29: Arnold is named the Air Corps Chief of Staff. He resolves that civilian aviation schools should be used to train pilots for the Air Corps, leading to 300 pilots being trained that year.

1939

Sept. 1: Germany invades Poland, marking the beginning of World War II.
Sept. 28: Amid the escalating tensions, Jacqueline Cochran, a pioneering woman in aviation, writes to Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady of the United States, proposing the use of female pilots in non-combat missions.

1940

May: Nancy Love, a pilot, contacts Lt. Col. Robert Olds of the Army Air Forces, suggesting that seasoned female pilots could transport aircraft and potentially replace commercial pilots while they serve in the military. Olds speaks to Arnold, who dismisses the plan, stating that the Air Corps currently doesn't require female pilots.
May 10: The war intensifies as Germany expands its reach across Europe, invading France.
Sept. 16: Congress approves the first draft during peacetime in American history.
Sept. 27: An assessment of U.S. air strength reveals a lack of combat-ready squadrons and outdated aircraft.

1941

March 11: President Roosevelt authorizes the Lend-Lease Act, providing support to Britain and other Allied nations.
May: The Army Air Corps Ferrying Command is established, with Olds appointed to organize it.
June 7: The British Air Mission consults with Arnold regarding a pilot shortage in the British Air Transport Command, requesting assistance. Cochran volunteers to fly a Lend-Lease bomber to Britain and investigate whether the British could use female pilots.
June 17: Cochran completes the first-ever transatlantic flight by a woman piloting a military aircraft. She travels to London to examine the skills of 50 female pilots.
June 20: The U.S. Army Air Forces are formed, marking the transformation of the Air Corps into an independent branch.
July 1: Cochran dines with President and Mrs. Roosevelt to discuss women's participation in aviation. The president advises Cochran to speak with Robert Lovett, assistant secretary of war for air, to investigate plans for a female pilots' organization.
July 3: Cochran and Lovett meet to discuss her vision for a women's pilot division in the Air Corps Ferrying Command.
Late August: Arnold rejects Cochran's proposal, stating that the limited availability of qualified women to fly trainer aircraft doesn't justify the logistical complexities of educating and housing them.
Oct. 4: Cochran requests a meeting with Arnold to discuss her proposal.
Oct. 28: Cochran meets with Arnold and resubmits her proposal for women's training to fly military planes, which Arnold approves. Within a few days, Arnold receives a request for assistance ferrying British planes, and he directs Cochran to take a group of women to Britain to help the British Air Transport Command.
Dec. 1: The Civil Air Patrol is formed.
Dec. 7: The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, leading to America's entry into the war.

1942

January: Facing a critical pilot shortage, Olds revisits Cochran's suggestion to employ women for aircraft ferrying. At Arnold's behest, Cochran starts recruiting American women for service in the UK.
Jan. 18: A female pilot bound for England calls Cochran, confirming that she's aware of plans to recruit female pilots in the U.S. Cochran contacts Arnold, concerned that she'll lose the opportunity to lead the American women added to the U.S. forces.
Jan. 19: Arnold instructs Olds not to proceed with enlisting female pilots until Cochran returns stateside.
March: Cochran departs for England along with 25 American female pilots.
March 9: The Ferrying Command evolves into the Air Transport Command (ATC), which encompasses the Ferrying Division. Col. Harold George leads the ATC, with Col. William Tunner overseeing the Ferrying Division.
April 1: George is nominated by Arnold as the successor to Olds.
April 9: U.S. forces capitulate at Bataan.
April 18: The Doolittle Raid sees 16 North American B-25s, under Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle's command, take flight from the USS Hornet (CV-8) to bomb Tokyo.
May 14: Congress officially authorizes the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) and appoints Oveta Culp Hobby as its leader.
May 18: Tunner proposes the employment of 25 women in the ferrying unit under the women's auxiliary corps, stationed at New Castle.
May 23: Arnold departs for England, where he discusses the formation of a female pilots' organization with Cochran.
June 11: George expresses his intention to hire female pilots to the Army Air Forces chief of air staff and proposes moving Love to Washington to assist in devising the plan.
July 2: Cochran concludes her work with the American Wing of the Air Transport Auxiliary.
July 4: B-17s with the 97th Bombardment Group carry out the first Army Air Forces bomber mission in Western Europe, targeting the Rouen-Sotteville Railyards in France.
July 13: Love presents a detailed plan to George outlining the recruitment of female pilots for civilian positions.
July 18: George suggests employing female pilots experimentally in a memo to Arnold.
July 20: Arnold instructs George to consult with the Civil Aeronautics Authority and Civil Air Patrol and provide data on the potential availability of female pilots.
July 30: Congress authorizes the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Services (WAVES).
Sept. 3: George returns Love's proposal to Arnold.
Sept. 5: Mistakenly believing that he has obtained Arnold's approval, George tells Love to begin recruiting women as civilian ferry pilots.
Sept. 8: Cochran concludes her work in Britain and heads home.
Sept. 10: The Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) is established. This organization is put in charge of ferrying aircraft from factories to military bases, freeing up male pilots for combat roles.
Sept. 12: Cochran and Arnold meet, and Arnold expresses frustration at the establishment of the WAFS without his say-so. Cochran conveys her plans for a broader program, with more militarily trained pilots performing duties beyond just ferrying.
Sept. 15: The Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) is established to prepare female pilots for roles in the WAFS.
Sept. 21:The first WAFS recruits report for duty.
Sept. 22: Cochran travels to Houston to inspect training facilities for female pilots.
Sept. 26: Cochran personally selects and conducts interviews with young women who are chosen to undergo pilot training.
Oct. 7: A plan is developed to begin the first WFTD class at Houston Municipal Airport on Nov. 15.
Nov. 9: The Women's Flying Training Detachment's first class is scheduled to graduate in February and slated to become part of the Ferrying Command alongside the WAFS.
Nov. 11: Due to a severe shortage of male pilots, there is mounting pressure to enlist women, physically unfit individuals, and older men into service as pilots.
Nov. 14: Aviation Enterprises takes on the task of training female pilots.
Nov. 16: The WFTD, now called the 319th Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment, welcomes a cohort of 28 female pilots who have reported for training.
Dec. 9: The U.S. Army undergoes a restructuring process, resulting in the formation of three independent forces: the Army Air Forces, the Ground Forces, and the Services of Supply.
Dec. 19: The second class of 60 female pilots arrives in Houston.
Dec. 25: Orders are given to stop enrolling more women in the WAFS.

1943

Jan. 30: A report to the AAF Central Flying Training Command indicates that there are no open dormitories in Houston.
Feb. 6: The AAF Central Flying Training Command launches a hunt for alternative training venues for female pilots, aiming to double the initial goal from 396 to 750 graduates that year.
Feb. 7: The Second Women Flying Training Detachment/Sweetwater gets approval.
Feb. 14: Class 43-4 splits, sending half to Houston and the other half to Sweetwater.
Feb. 21: The second WFTD institution opens at the 318th AAFTD Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas.
Feb. 23: All training ceases in Houston, with all operations shifting to Sweetwater.
Feb. 27: Love successfully performs a solo flight in a P-51.
Feb. 28: A WAFS pilot qualifies to fly a single-engine P-47.
March 7: WFTD trainee Margaret Oldenburg becomes the first fatality in the program.
March 19: Arnold makes history in the Army Air Forces by attaining the rank of four-star general, becoming the first to achieve this distinction.
March 21: WAFS pilot Cornelia Fort becomes the first female U.S. military pilot to be killed during active duty.
April 17: Policies allowing all pilots involved in plane ferrying to progress based on their ability, regardless of gender, are issued.
April 25: Class 43-6 begins training, coinciding with the celebration of Easter Sunday.
May 3: Arnold gives Cochran permission to design a uniform for the female pilots, saying only that it should be blue.
May 29: Norman Rockwell's iconic cover for The Saturday Evening Post features "Rosie the Riveter," symbolizing the significant contributions of women to the war effort.
June 1: To counteract unfavorable rumors about female pilots in Sweetwater, Cochran organizes interactions and social gatherings with locals, cultivating a positive rapport.
June 22: Cochran takes on the role of director of women pilots and joins the general air staff of the commanding general, operating out of Pentagon offices. Love assumes executive functions, overseeing the women serving in the Air Transport Command.
June 25: Cochran and Hobby meet to discuss differing views on the inclusion of the WAFS pilots into the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC).
June 30: Tunner receives a promotion to brigadier general.
July 1: The WAAC is militarized and renamed the Women's Army Corps (WAC).
July 14: Gen. Barney Giles, Army Air Forces chief of air staff, proposes that 25 female pilots undertake tow-target flying training at Camp Davis starting Aug. 1.
July 25: Cochran and Arnold consider the fact that female pilots are now doing jobs aside from ferrying, making the name "Women's Auxiliary Ferry Squadron" inaccurate. Arnold suggests the name "WASP," standing for "Women Airforce Service Pilots."
Aug. 1: Women at Camp Davis commence flying larger aircraft, A-25s and A-24s, while towing targets.
Aug. 4: AAF Regulation 20-8 formally approves the name "WASP."
Aug. 5: Arnold orders the WAFS and WFTD to merge, forming the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs).
Aug. 6: A WASP pilot covers a distance of more than 8,000 miles over a ten-day period while delivering four aircraft.
Aug. 7: Class 43-4 graduates, with 112 out of 151 trainees successfully completing their training.
Aug. 9: Class 44-1 commences their training.
Aug. 11: Camp Davis WASPs receive qualifications to fly dive bombers.
Aug. 15: The first women achieve the distinction of becoming qualified pilots for B-17s.
Aug. 20: Arnold issues orders formally assigning the acronym "WASP" to all AAF female pilots.
Sept. 1: A critical shortage of pilots leads to the WASPs taking on significant flying duties for the ATC and Camp Davis.
Sept. 11: Class 43-5 graduates, with 86 out of 127 trainees successfully completing their training.
Sept. 13: Due to losses in aircraft and manpower, a covert project is begun to work on confusing enemy radar detection. WASPs are called upon to test the results.
Oct. 1: Fifteen WASPs are transferred to Camp Stewart to receive specialized training in the operation of radio-controlled drones.
Oct. 9: Class 43-6 graduates, with 84 out of 122 trainees successfully completing their training.
Oct. 14: WASPs are sent to Dodge City, Kansas, to be trained on twin-engine B-26s, in a unique effort to boost morale among male pilots who had reservations about flying B-26s.
Nov. 1: Class 44-4 commences training at Avenger Field.
November: The Training Command faces a pilot shortage and expands the responsibilities of the WASPs to include target-towing, glider-towing, radar calibration flights, co-piloting bombers, and participating in bombardier training missions.
Nov. 11: Six WASPs are dispatched to South Plains Base in Lubbock, Texas, for glider-towing training.
Nov. 13: Twenty WASPs from Class 43-7 are assigned to fly B-25s.
Dec. 17: Class 43-8 graduates during a nighttime ceremony, with 48 out of 76 trainees successfully completing their training, becoming the first to officially earn WASP wings.

1944

January: Training modules expand from nine to ten weeks each, lengthening the total training period to 7 1/2 months.
Feb. 11: Class 44-1 completes their training successfully with 49 graduates out of 101 initial candidates. This class is the first to wear the new blue WASP uniform.
Feb. 16: Secretary of War Henry Stimson writes a letter supporting the inclusion of the WASPs in the Army Air Forces, which would make them official members of the military. Following this, U.S. Rep John Costillo proposes H.R. 4219 in a bid to militarize the WASPs.
March 13: Class 44-2 successfully completes their training under the watchful eyes of Arnold. During his graduation speech, he expresses his support for the increasing participation of WASPs in the Army Air Forces.
March 22: The House Committee on Military Affairs backs H.R. 4219 and recommends its approval.
March 24: A bill advocating for the militarization of female pilots is introduced in the Senate. WASPs are informed about their impending commissions and the need to undergo officer training.
April 15: Class 44-9, consisting of 107 trainees, starts their training. Class 44-3 graduates with 57 out of the initial 100 candidates.
April 19: Fifty initial WASP trainees begin officer training.
April 29: The New York Daily News criticizes the WASPs for supposedly preempting Congress. Public opinion swings against the WASPs.
May 4: As militarization legislation is under consideration, the Office of the Secretary of War restricts all press releases concerning female pilots. WASPs are counseled to refrain from reacting to these press attacks.
May: WASPs participate in a pilot program investigating the impacts of high-altitude oxygen-enhanced flying on female pilots. All participating WASPs pass the program, with two qualifying to pilot America's largest bomber, the B-29.
May 12: The first WASP class concludes their officer training. A second batch has already started their training.
June 6: The Allies launch the D-Day invasion of Europe, deploying 175,000 ground troops, 10,000 planes, 4,000 invasion ships, and 600 warships.
June 21: Despite Arnold's support, the WASP militarization bill (H.R. 4219) fails, 188 to 169. The bill is returned to the committee for revisions, and officer training classes are suspended.
June 26: A House report proposes terminating the WASP training program for any recruits not already undergoing training. In response, Arnold orders the discontinuation of the WASPs by December of 1944. Class 45-1 members, who had reported to Avenger Field, are asked to bear their own expenses and return home.
June 27: Class 44-5 graduates, with 72 successful candidates out of the initial 132.
Dec. 20: The WASP program shuts down. Despite their contributions to the war effort, WASPs are not accorded military status or the corresponding benefits.

1977

Nov. 23: President Jimmy Carter acknowledges the crucial role of WASPs during World War II and signs a bill granting them military status.

Additional Reading on Female Pilots

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