Becky Aikman is the author of the new book Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II. Her other books include Off the Cliff. Also a journalist, she lives in New York.
Q: What inspired you to write Spitfires, and how did you find the women you focused on in the book?
A: The first American women to fly military aircraft were almost completely forgotten to history. My mother was one of the few who happened to remember them.
I told her a few years ago that I wanted to write about people who had done something extraordinary but weren’t well known. “You should write about the American women who flew in England during World War II,” she said without hesitation.
My mother had been a young child at the time, and she still recalled the impact of seeing a newsreel or magazine article about the aviators, she couldn’t remember which. “I thought they were so noble and glamorous,” my mother said. “I wished I could do what they did.”
At first, I thought she might have been mistaken, because I couldn’t find anything about them. But eventually I learned that while the United States military would not allow women to fly, the British were desperate enough for help that they would accept foreigners and even women to pilot aircraft back and forth from the front lines.
It was one of the most dangerous jobs of the war. With little training, the pilots flew up to 147 different models of the latest planes in perilous conditions. The aircraft included new, untested models fresh from factories and battle-damaged wrecks returned for repair. One in seven pilots performing this work died in crashes. Those who survived often had to make spectacular saves.
When I learned that 25 American women signed on in 1942, I started to track them down. A few had left papers in museums and archives. But since none of them were well-known after the war, I had to find their children and nieces and nephews to learn more. They crawled into attics to share diaries and letters that had never been seen before outside their families. These were full of intimate detail.
Unlike British women pilots, who mostly came from upper-crust backgrounds, the Americans were a cross-section -- crop dusters, debutantes, college girls, and stunt pilots. It soon became apparent they were a daring bunch. I chose several to serve as the main characters, in part based on how much material was available and in part to show the variety of their experiences.
Q: What do you think these pilots’ experiences say about the role of women in World War II?
A: It was telling that these women had to leave their own country in order to serve. U.S. institutions were unwilling to let women perform in the most challenging capacities. But Great Britain, fighting for its existence, was much more open to placing women in demanding and responsible positions.
These pilots loved to fly, and throughout the war, they tried to gain as much experience as possible so they could continue to pursue their passion when peace returned. They knew they would have to become some of the best pilots in the world in order to have a chance at an ongoing career.
When the war ended, the U.S. military and airlines still would not hire women pilots. Those who succeeded had to be resourceful to find whatever opportunities they could.
Q: The writer Jonathan Eig said of the book, “As intimate and enthralling as a novel, this book is whip-smart, deeply researched, and beautifully written.” What do you think of that description, and did you learn anything that especially surprised you in the course of your research?
A: I admire Jonathan Eig’s work, so obviously I am grateful and flattered! My goal was that the story of the Spitfires would be true to history but read like a novel. Thanks to the insight I was able to gain into the women’s lives and emotions, I was fortunate to be able to portray this history in narrative form, following each woman’s progress through the drama of the war.
I was surprised by how much these women in the 1940s, by performing important work in the crucible of that war, were able to live like women ahead of their time. They were brave and ambitious in the air. And on the ground, they reinvented themselves as they pleased, carrying on in their private lives the way women aspire to today, with independence and verve.
Q: What do you see as these women’s legacies today?
A: Since they were largely overlooked after the war, much of their legacy has been lost. I hope to restore it by telling their story now.
These pioneering pilots were the first American women to fly the most advanced fighters and bombers. They risked their lives every day. Yet despite their example, it took decades for other women to win the chance to achieve what the Spitfires did in the 1940s.
When some of the pilots held a reunion 30 years after the war, one of them said, “We were the thin edge of the wedge.” I think any women or men trying to break into a field where they are not welcome should be inspired that the Spitfires were bold enough to blaze the trails they did.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: As a writer of nonfiction, I don’t get to make anything up! To create a great book, the real-life story has to have vivid characters, a compelling plot, and an important place in history. I was lucky that Spitfires had it all. I’m looking into a new subject, but it will be hard to match this story.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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