WEDNESDAY IS THE EIGHTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY GERMANY'S SURRENDER TOOK EFFECT ENDING WORLD WAR II IN EUROPE.

A NEW BOOK TELLS OF THE LITTLE-KNOWN CONTRIBUTION 25 WOMEN MADE TO THE OUTCOME BY FLYING COMBAT AIRCRAFT, NOT FOR U.S.

FORCES THAT DENIED THEM THE OPPORTUNITY, BUT INSTEAD FOR BRITAIN'S AIR TRANSPORT AUXILIARY.

EARLIER, I SPOKE WITH THE AUTHOR AND ASKED HER WHAT THESE WOMEN DID.

>> THE BRITISH WERE SO DESPERATE FOR HELP IN THE WAR THAT THEY SOUGHT OUT PILOTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, EVEN PILOTS WITH INJURIES OR FROM OTHER COUNTRIES OR EVEN WOMEN, TO TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT FROM THE FACTORIES TO THE BASES BECAUSE THEY NEEDED TO HAVE A HUGE NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT MADE AVAILABLE QUICKLY.

THEY ALSO TRANSPORTED DAMAGED AIRCRAFT BACK FROM THE AIRBASES TO WHERE THEY COULD BE REPAIRED, OFTEN NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THEM UNTIL THEY WERE HIGH IN THE SKY.

JOHN: HOW DID THE AMERICAN WOMEN GET INVOLVED?

>> THEY WERE ALL PEOPLE WHO KNEW HOW TO FLY AND WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WAR.

BUT THE UNITED STATES MILITARY WOULD NOT ACCEPT WOMEN AS PILOTS.

BUT THEY HEARD THAT GREAT BRITAIN WOULD ALLOW WOMEN TO FLY, AND THEY WENT TO MONTREAL TO DO A FLIGHT TEST.

25 OF THEM PASSED.

THEY WENT ON SHIPS ACROSS THE SEA TO JOIN IN THE EFFORT.

JOHN: EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE JUST FERRYING PLANES, MOVING THEM AROUND ENGLAND, I IDOES NOT MEAN THEY DID NOT FACE DANGER.

I THINK YOU SAID NEARLY ONE IN SEVEN DIED DURING THE WAR.

>> YES, ONE IN SEVEN DIED DURING THE COURSE OF THE WAR.

THEY FREQUENTLY CRASHED FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.

ONE WAS THAT THE AIRCRAFT WERE JUST COMING OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINES SO QUICKLY THAT THEY WERE NOT PROPERLY TESTED.

THE PILOTS OFTEN GOT INTO THE AIR AND FOUND THAT A PART DID NOT WORK, THE ENGINE FAILED.

THEY WOULD HAVE TO TRY TO GLIDE DOWN AND FIND A FLAT PLACE TO LAND.

THAT DID NOT ALWAYS WORK.

THEY ALSO ENCOUNTERED THE CHANGEABLE BRITISH WEATHER.

THEY DID NOT FLY USING INSTRUMENTS.

IF THEY SUDDENLY FLEW INTO A CLOUD, THEY WOULD LOSE VISIBILITY AND CRASHED INTO A MOUNTAIN, FLY TO LOW AND HIT A CHURCH STEEPLE.

PEOPLE WOULD BE KILLED THAT WAY FREQUENTLY.

JOHN: THERE WAS A WIDE VARIETY OF PERSONALITIES IN THE GROUP.

WAS THERE ANYONE IN PARTICULAR YOU GREW FOND OF AS YOU RESEARCHED AND WROTE ABOUT THEM?

>> I WAS FOND OF ALL OF THEM.

THEY WERE ALL BIG PERSONALITIES.

THEY CAME FROM ALL ASPECTS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY.

ONE OF THEM WAS A DEBUTANTE FROM ONE OF AMERICA'S WEALTHIEST FAMILIES.

SHE WAS KNOWN AS THE FLYING SOCIALITE.

FROM THE FAMILY OF THE WESTERN UNION FORTUNE.

ANOTHER WAS AN IMPOVERISHED YOUNG WOMAN WITH AN EIGHTH GRADE EDUCATION.

SHE WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL.

WHEN SHE WENT TO ENGLAND, SHE THOUGHT SHE COULD REINVENT HERSELF AS SHE PLEASED.

SHE CAME WITH ONE RED DRESS THAT SHE RECYCLED AND KIND OF AN IMPERIOUS ATTITUDE.

THE BRITISH ASSUMED SHE WAS SOME KIND OF AMERICAN ARISTOCRAT AND SHE WOUND UP JOINING THE BRITISH ARISTOCRACY.

SOMEWHERE STOP PIRATES WHO PERFORMED IN AIRSHOWS.

ONE WAS NAMED HAZEL.

SHE CAME FROM WHAT SHE CALLED A HAT AND GLOVES CHURCHGOING FAMILY.

SHE STUDIED MUSIC IN COLLEGE.

AFTERWARDS, SHE JOINED THE GEORGIA AIRSHOW WHERE SHE PERFORMED LOOPS AND SPINS WHILE THE CROWD SCREAMED IN TERROR.

JOHN: WE SAID THE UNITED STATES HAD NOTHING LIKE THIS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR.

PUT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT IN PARTICULAR WAS CHAMPIONING A U.S.

VERSION OF THAT THAT LED TO THE WASPS.

IT WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE ATA.

>> YES.

ASPS WERE FORMED PARTLY BECAUSE THE AMERICAN OFFICIALS STUDIED THE SUCCESS OF THE FEMALE PILOTS IN BRITAIN AND DECIDED WE WILL ALLOW WOMEN TO FLY DELIVERING AIRCRAFT WITHIN THE UNITED STATES.

IT WAS A VERY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE FROM BE FREEWHEELING ATMOSPHERE IN GREAT BRITAIN.

THE PILOTS LIVED IN BARRACKS.

THEY WOULD FLY ONE OR TWO MODELS IN THE UNITED STATES.

MOST IMPORTANT, THE PILOTS IN GREAT BRITAIN WERE ADMIRED AND RESPECTED BY THE PUBLIC WHO APPRECIATED THEY HAD COME ALL THIS WAY TO HELP.

IN THE UNITED STATES, THERE WAS A LOT OF SKEPTICISM ABOUT WOMEN PILOTS.

IT WAS ENDED BY THE END OF 1944 WHEN THE WAR WAS STILL RAGING BECAUSE THE PUBLIC DID NOT LIKE THE IDEA WOMEN WERE IN COCKPITS.

JOHN: IN BRITAIN, THE FLYERS WERE TREATED AS EQUALS WITH THE FLYERS IN THE RAF.

THEY OPENED A LOT OF DOORS FOR WOMEN.

DID THEY STAY OPEN POSTWAR?

>> IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT.

U.S. AIRLINES WOULD NOT HIRE WOMEN PILOTS.

THE U.S. MILITARY WOULD NOT HIRE WOMEN PILOTS STILL.

SOME OF THEM HOWEVER DID MANAGE TO ACHIEVE A CAREER IN AVIATION BY DOING REALLY UNUSUAL THINGS.

ONE OF THEM CAME BACK AND WORKED PRACTICALLY AS A JANITOR AT A FLYING SCHOOL BUT SPENT HER TIME LEARNING TO FLY HELICOPTERS.

SHE BECAME ONLY THE SECOND WOMAN IN THE UNITED STATES CERTIFIED TO FLY A COMMERCIAL HELICOPTER.

SHE FOUNDED THE FIRST HELICOPTER CHARTER COMPANY IN ALASKA WHICH WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL.

ANOTHER ONE USED THE WAR TO DEVELOP CONTACTS WITHIN THE SOCIETY IN LONDON, EXPATRIATES, DIPLOMATS, BUSINESS PEOPLE, JOURNALISTS, SPIES, GENERALS.

AFTER THE WAR, SHE WORKED HER WAY UP AND BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.

AIRLINE, WHICH WAS PAN AM?

JOHN: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

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