Four Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) pose in front of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, circa 1944. The WASP program was created to free up male pilots for service in World War II, and proved vital to the war effort. (US Air Force)

Remembering the ‘WASP’ Female Pilots of World War II

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Though the Women Airforce Service Pilots played a key logistical role during World War II, their contributions were not formally recognized by the US government until 1977.

83 years ago, on August 3, 1943, two civilian flight organizations merged together, creating a new unit that went on to fly thousands of military aircraft during World War II. What was remarkable about this unit in particular was the fact that all of its pilots were women.

The “Women Airforce Service Pilots,” or WASPs, played a critical role on the home front during World War II. At a time when male pilots were in overwhelming demand in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific, women helped fill in for them in the United States, testing and ferrying aircraft across the country and helping to train other pilots.

The unit had no official military standing at the time, although Congress retroactively recognized WASP members as veterans in 1977, entitling them to military benefits.

Just One WASP Aviator Is Still Living

As of August 2026, fewer than 45,000 American World War II veterans are still alive—representing under 0.3 percent of the 16.4 million Americans who served during the conflict.

Among this small minority is WASP pilot Nell Stevenson, who turned 105 on June 18 and is now the last known living member of the squadron that played a vital role in helping America win the war.

Stevenson was just 21 years old in 1943 when she saw an article in Flying magazine calling for female volunteer pilots to aid the war effort. The new program was meant to free up male pilots for combat roles outside the United States.

As a licensed pilot who had 75 hours of flight time, Stevenson more than met the requirements. She soon became one of the 1,830 applicants........

© The National Interest