Flying for her country : the American and Soviet women military pilots of World War II / Amy Goodpaster Strebe ; foreword by Trish Beckman.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [97]-104) and index.

1. America's first women military pilots -- 2. Marina Raskova and her Soviet aviation regiments -- 3. Patriotism and love of flying -- 4. Gender issues -- 5. The ties that bind -- 6. The WASP are disbanded -- 7. Demobilization of the Soviet airwomen.

"During the Second World War, women pilots were given the opportunity to fly military aircraft for the first time. In the United States, famed aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran formed the Women Airforce Service Pilots program, where over one thousand women flyers ferried aircraft from factories to airbases throughout the United States and Canada from 1942 to 1944." "In the Soviet Union, Marina Raskova, Russia's "Amelia Earhart," famous for her historic Far East flight in 1938, formed the USSR's first all-female aviation regiments that flew combat missions along the Eastern Front." "Sharing both patriotism and a mutual love of aviation, these pioneering women flyers faced similar obstacles while challenging assumptions of male supremacy in wartime culture. Despite experiencing discrimination from male aircrews during the war, these intrepid airwomen ultimately earned their respect. The pilots' experience and their courageous story continue to inspire future generations of women in aviation."--BOOK JACKET.