It’s been widely noted by historians of the Second World War that the victors in that conflict — the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union —mobilized women far more quickly than the losers: Germany, Japan and Italy. In light of last week’s speeches to the brass at Quantico, this might be worth some review.
There were still a number of women when I was growing up, like the mother of a boyhood friend who’d worked a “Rosie the Riveter” job in a factory during the war. Tens of thousands of American women filled industrial jobs, and others joined the WACs, the WAVEs, and the WASPs to fill non-combative roles in the military.
In the UK and especially the USSR, women were drawn more directly into combat. British women in anti-aircraft units performed all the functions except actually firing the guns. There were no such niceties in the USSR. The first unit to fire back at the Germans in the Battle of Stalingrad consisted almost entirely of teenage girls. German soldiers gave the name “Night Witches” to the women pilots who would cut the engines of their biplanes just before gliding over their targets to give them a swooshing sound before they dropped their bombs.
In contrast, Nazi propaganda preached the themes of “Kinder, Küche, Kirche” — children, kitchen, church — and didn’t begin employing women in factories until late in the war. In Japan and Italy, deep-rooted cultural traditions also kept women off assembly lines and the battle front.
Interestingly, the role of women in the Russian military has fallen since World War II, while it has increased considerably in the U.S. Women now make up 16 percent of the U.S. Armed Forces. They are less than 5 percent and are restricted to non-combat roles in the Russian military. Which, if you’ll remember, was supposed to knock off Ukraine in a few days. Ukraine, which has held off the Russian onslaught for three and a half years, has lifted most restrictions on combat roles for women and stepped up their recruitment.
In his speech last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth briefly acknowledged the impact of women troops and called their officers and NCOs “the absolute best in the world,” but he made it very clear that the “warrior ethos” he often talks about is really a guy thing, a return to “the highest male standard only.”
“But when it comes to any job that requires physical power to perform in combat, those physical standards must be high and gender-neutral. If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result. So be it,” Hegseth told the generals and admirals who had been summoned from around the world to hear him.
It was what Hegseth had to say about men, not women, that should really raise concern. Repeatedly, he spoke about what it looks like to be a man, not what it means to be a man.
“That’s why today, at my direction, the era of unprofessional appearance is over,” he said. “No more fat generals or “beardos.” It’s a bad look.”
He seemed more concerned with words than the acts they’re describing:
“Of course, you can’t do, like, nasty bullying and hazing. We’re talking about words like bullying and hazing and toxic. They’ve been weaponized and bastardized inside our formations, undercutting commanders and NCOs.”
Appearances matter, it’s true. Hegseth resigned from the D.C. National Guard after being pulled from the detail for President Joe Biden’s inauguration. A fellow guardsman reported him for a suspicious tattoo. Tattoos weren’t mentioned in last week’s speech, however.
Hegseth promised a speech next month on various reforms and initiatives he’s leading, and another on “the threats we face in our hemisphere and in deterring China.” But he wanted to talk about people and culture first, so he convened this unprecedented gathering.
“I’ve never walked into a room so silent before,” said President Donald Trump, who followed Hegseth. No wonder. Not only would it have been inappropriate to cheer anyway, but they’d just been told, some after flying halfway around the world with no idea why they’d been summoned, that the era of unprofessional appearance was over.
Mr Baxter, you are correct about women’s roles in WWII. Women made up about 75% of the codebreakers at Bletchley Park outside of London. Over 7000 women worked there and contributed to cracking the “Enigma” code.
I’ve seen a number of women working on ICE raids.
It seems absurd to me to engage in warfare but only use half your brain power and half your fighting power. Recipe for defeat indeed.