Cassi Creek: memories
of long ago battles and units I’d forgotten about – if I ever knew of
them.
Nacht vexen!
The nature of
the Soviet Union in WWII was such that it was willing to use fighters of both
genders to repel then Nazi invasion.
While the armies of Western Europe, Great Britain, and the U.S. used
females only for rear area duties and to free up men for combat missions, the
USSR used women in most combat capacities.
American women were used to ferry aircraft to Europe from
the CONUS. I’ve met several women who
flew those missions. They were a very small but important force for opening
service opportunities for women. 70
years later the U.S. is still limiting access for women to some types of duty
in our armed forces. We have seen women
in aerial combat since the Gulf War. Other
opportunities for women to serve at the upper and outer levels still remain
blocked or delayed. Though the Soviets
fielded the first female combat pilot in 1939, the Soviet Army no longer
exists. While our military has lurched
forward, slowly making improvements for women, the Russian army has regressed
as Russia turns back to the sexism of earlier years.
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