Jacqueline Cochran
National History Day 2022
Debate and Diplomacy
Jacqueline and the WASP Accomplishments
The WASPs participated in many different tasks during the war. These wartime duties included ferry work, filling in for male aviators, and delivering and testing planes for aircraft factories. As stated in the below document, the women were able to "release men for more advanced or combat duties, and they are accomplishing this with cumulative effect".
Description of WASP Wartime Duties
"American Women Pilots," Eisenhower Library, September 3, 1943.
The WASPs proved to be very successful with their duties by doing their tasks even better than male pilots, with very little error. This is shown specifically through Jacqueline Cochran’s efficiency ratings, which were considered “excellent”.
Jacqueline Cochran's Efficiency Rating, Eisenhower Library, July 24, 1944.
"Records indicate that WASPs performed their duties slightly better than their male counterparts. Statistics from AAF Headquarters in 1944 revealed pilot error percentages at .001 for WASPs, versus .007 for male pilots." - Clipped Wings: The Rise and Fall of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) of World War II by Molly Merryman
The WASPs were determined to succeed in their line of work, despite the discrimination they faced. They were paid very little while asked to do a sufficient amount of work.
"They ferried more than 12,000 aircraft of 78 types, served without military benefits, and were paid two-thirds as much as the male civilian ferry pilots they had replaced. The WASPs frequently endured discrimination, yet many offered to continue ferrying aircraft for a dollar a year." - Valor: The WASPs of World War II, Air Force Magazine, Nov. 1, 1995
"[It was thought] women wouldn’t be able to think fast enough or be able to physically control the aircraft. There was an ingrained idea that it was not proper for a woman to do that and she didn’t have the wherewithal. So [the WASPs] set out to disprove all of that and they did very, very handily." - Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs): Not Afraid of a Challenge
Even with the discrimination they faced, the WASPs were able to complete their assigned tasks. However, they were unable to do this without the help of General H. Arnold. He was one of the few men during this time that supported the work that the WASPs did, which is why his support was significant in the fight of the WASPs.
General H. Arnold at the Graduation of the WASP, December 7, 1944
"You, and more than nine hundred of your sisters have shown that you can fly wingtip to wingtip with your brothers. If ever there was any doubt in anyone's mind that women can become skillful pilots, the WASP have dispelled that doubt . . . I want to stress how valuable I believe the whole WASP program has been for the country . . . We know that you can handle our latest fighters, our heaviest bombers; we will know that you are capable of ferrying, target towing, flying training, test flying, and the countless other activities which you have proved you can do . . . So, on this last graduation day, I salute you and all WASP. We of the Army Air Force are proud of you, we will never forget our debt to you." - General H. Arnold at the Graduation of the WASP, December 7, 1944.
Even though these women were very successful, there was still ongoing debate about the work they accomplished and their involvement in the war.