Women at War

World War II

Women in the WorkforceLike World War I, World War II opened many new doors for women

With men going overseas many jobs were left open

JobsAt the peak of wartime production

25,000 women worked in aircraft plants260,000 worked in munitions plants4000 worked in ship building4000 in construction800,000 did farm work

Women in UniformFor the first time women were recruited into the Armed Forces

By the end of the war almost 50,000 had enlisted

Women in UniformThe main function of women in the Armed forces was to

Free men from desk jobsWork as clerks and cooksNurses

Women were not considered suitable for battle. However, Russian women fought in combats

War EndsAfter the war women were expected to give up their jobs to their husband and brothers

Many women were bitter about this

Germany SurrendersCanadian forces freed the Netherlands and then marched into northern Germany

Hitler committed suicide at Soviet forces entered Berlin

May 5th 1945 a ceasefire was declared

May 7th 1945 Germany officially surrendered

War Crimes Like Hitler, some key Nazi leaders committed suicide

In 1946, trails of Nazi war criminals began. The tribunal heard:

240 witnesses300,000 sworn testamentsWatched Nazi propaganda filmsSaw films of the camps being liberated