WASPS (Women Airforce Service Pilots)

Definition

The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) was a civilian women pilots' organization whose members were United States federal civil service employees. They flew military aircraft under the direction of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.

Analogy

Think of WASPs as delivery drivers. Just like delivery drivers transport goods from one place to another, WASPs transported military aircraft from factories to bases, freeing male pilots for combat roles.

Related terms

Tuskegee Airmen: A group of African-American military pilots who fought in World War II and faced significant racial discrimination.

Army Air Forces: The predecessor of the U.S. Air Force, this was the aerial warfare service component of the U.S. Army during and immediately after World War II.

D-Day Invasion: The day on which Allied forces invaded northern France by means of beach landings in Normandy during World War II.