Women at War

You might think that since women have only recently been able to serve in military conflicts, that they have never been involved in wars before. If you think that, you are wrong. Women may not have been front line soldiers, but they have been actively involved in many other ways. Women have been spies, nurses, doctors, pilots, and support staff in the armed forces.

When German forces overran France at the start of World War II, the bravest men and women immediately began organizing themselves into a resistance force. The women were especially good spies because the Germans did not suspect them. They could often slip into villages, make note of enemy troops and their movements, and slip back out again. However, it was extremely dangerous work. If they were caught, they could expect to be tortured and executed. One such spy was an American woman named Virginia Hall.

Women on the home front also looked for ways to serve their country. One large group of women was the Army Nurse Corps. The ANC was not a new organization. It had been formed in 1901. The number of women in the organization went up and down through periods of war and peace. The army's drive to enlist nurses was not without its downsides. So many nurses enlisted to aid the war effort that there was a shortage of nurses serving civilian hospitals. The Bolton Act subsidized the training of new nurses who promised to work in either military or civilian hospitals for the remainder of the war. For the first time in American history, female nurses were used at front line field hospitals. Some worried that the nurses would be overcome by the stress of the noise and constant danger, but they were soon proven wrong. The nurse corps showed they were brave, steady, and always professional no matter where they were.