WASP: The Untold Story. With the men gone off to war and planes being manufactured, pilots and mechanics were needed to ready and transport the airplanes from the factory to their bases. The answer to the problem was to train women pilots to take over the men’s jobs.

In September 1942, the U.S. Army Air Forces organized the Women’s Flying Training Detachment and the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron. On August 5, 1943, both organizations were merged into the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). The WASP were trained pilots who tested experimental planes, repaired aircraft, ferried planes from factories to their bases, pulled targets behind their planes for artillery practice, and trained male pilots.

Women and the War Effort: Recruiting Posters of WWII illustrates how America used propaganda posters to recruit women to join the war effort. Using some of the bestknown artists of the period to design appealing and patriotic posters, the initial focus was on recruiting WACS, WAVES, SPARS and women Marines.

Women and the War Effort:Women willingly accepted the fact that they would be needed to replace men on the production line, and that they could free men for combat by joining the military. Over 6 million women worked in production jobs and about 400,000 women joined the military.

Museum open daily 10am-4pm and Sundays noon-4pm