Today in World War II History—December 20, 1939 & 1944
Former US President Herbert Hoover, Dr. van Loon, and Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia raising funds for Finland for the Winter War, New York, New York, 20 Dec 1939 (public domain via WW2 Database)
80 Years Ago—December 20, 1939: “Let’s Help Finland” event is held at Madison Square Garden, New York City.
Capt. Hans Langsdorff, captain of scuttled German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, commits suicide in Argentina.
Eight WASP pilots in front of a North American AT-6 Texan a month before the WASPs were disbanded, Waco Army Airfield, Texas, 27 Nov 1944 (US Army Air Force photo)
75 Years Ago—Dec. 20, 1944: US terminates WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) program—returning combat airmen will perform their ferrying services; 1037 women served, with 38 fatalities.
Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, is appointed 5-star general of the army.
I wonder what year it was when women pilots reappeared in the Air Force. Some time in the 80s?
I can’t find a date for transport and airlift pilots in the USAF – looks like the early 1980s. In 1993, Jeannie Flynn became the first female fighter pilot in the USAF.
I looked into the WASP story a little more and posted an item on it on one of my blogs, here: http://ncaerodrome.blogspot.com/2019/12/on-wasps.html
Very interesting slice of WWII history!
Nice article! Thanks for posting the link here.