The Second World War, which lasted from 1939 to 1945, was more terrible than the First World War. The First World War was fought in France, and did not have any particular villains. However, the Second World War involved conflict at the global level as almost all major nations of the world were involved. There was also heavy mobilization of men and resources in the Second World War, in comparison to the First World War. Men who participated in the wars have been glorified as War heroes, and they have been granted martyrdom. However, the contribution of women has been looked at with a paternalistic view, and forgotten quietly. Women were mostly house keepers before the start of the world wars. Their contribution changed once the wars began. Their contribution during the Second World War was more noticeable, than their participation in the First World War.
Women mostly served as replacements in the war. They worked in factories, fields, hospitals etc. Some of the women also signed up to serve in the Women's wing of the military like the Red Army. They took part in air raid, signaling, nursing the wounded, rationing etc. They also served in the Army, Navy and Air force in Germany. Women also served in combat roles in almost all nations, except for the U.S. The U.S did not allow women into the battlefield, as they felt that this idea would not go well with the public.
Apart from contributing to the war efforts, women were also war victims. Apart from their death on the battle field, they also died of malnutrition, deportation, disease and repeated massacres. Despite their many contributions, women were the eternal losers in war history. Men have always occupied the front stage and have been glorified for their many achievements. However, women and their contribution was never a matter of any interest.
It was not until 1970, when the Anglo-Saxon studies conducted on women, that the world noticed the role played by women in the world wars, and their contributions. In this document, we will talk about the role of women as housekeepers, then talk about women who were involved in combat during the wars, and finally talk about women who were victims of the wars.
There is no doubt that the weight of everyday life in war has been supported by women, even more than it is in peacetime. Whether their partner is at home or at the front, it is the women who are entrusted with child care, and among other duties, provide meals, as well as supplies, which is a key word in time of war. War also imposes time restrictions. Rationing of consumer goods takes place, with the fixing of tickets on the basis of the categories of people, and daily or monthly rations authorized for sale are made available to them.
The quantities however, keep decreasing over the years of war. Ration cards emerged in Germany in 1939, limiting the consumption of bread, sugar, fat and lye. The housewives of GB did not escape rationing either, and ticket books were set in 1940. However, it seemed that it was in occupied France that the issue of rationing and supplies, particularly of food obsessed inhabitants the most. Food products were subject to strict rationing, meaning that people were severely undernourished. As a result, a large black market emerged, particularly in the food sector, which enriched the intermediaries and sellers.
Tags: Second World War, black market, women in combat
[...] II- Women in combat Auxiliary armies and military nurses One feature of the 2 nd World is that it did not incorporate a relatively large number of women in the auxiliary services of the army. Though all these women were in military uniforms like soldiers, they never wore a gun. They worked in different departments of the army, especially as secretaries, but also as conductors, nurses and at all other positions where a woman can replace a man. Their life was regulated according to military discipline with strict schedules. [...]
[...] question about the role and place of women during the Second World War.We will first see how women were involved in the war effort on a daily basis. We will then discuss women in combat, and finally talk about women as victims of war. I-Women participating in the war effort A-Day in the Life of a woman There is no doubt that the weight of everyday life in war has been supported by women, even more than it is in peacetime. [...]
[...] There were still in Germany through a few clandestine networks of resistance such as the "white rose", which broadcasted anti-Nazi leaflets and "Red Orchestra", which was the largest intelligence network of the Second World War. It was only in recent decades that the story of the significant presence of women in the resistance was advertized. Many of them played a small role, but they risked their lives just as much. The arrest meant deportation, and besides that, martyrdom of death in most cases, whatever their role. [...]
[...] C-Women in factories During the Great War women were already heavily involved in the workplace. However, the considerable influx was greatly exceeded during the Second World War. In Germany as in Japan, leaders were reluctant to mobilize the women of their country massively in the war effort. In Germany, Albert Speer, Minister of Munitions, was one of the few leaders to lament it, but he could not convince Hitler, who was obsessed with the ideology of the housewife with children. [...]
[...] They were driven by threats of bombing and gas shipments (which will be used by any belligerent) as well as the memory of the atrocities committed by the Germans during the Great War. It displaced whole families, but they were also single women whose husbands were at the front and who formed small groups together. On the road, resourcefulness was required, as the mothers did not hesitate to milk the cows to feed their daughters. Children were often lost in the crowds, and their mothers could not find them. [...]
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