Women of WWII

Digital Breakout with a focus on women of WWII.

The mission: Women around the world are working to support the Allied forces to defeat the Nazis. Decode a secret message to take back to your commander (teacher) before time runs out. Clues can be anywhere, so pay close attention to everything you hear and see.

Before World War II, most women were homemakers. This means they stayed at home and managed the household chores like cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and taking care of their children. When the United States entered the war, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, it left many important jobs unfilled due to the large numbers of men who left to go fight in the war. Farms and factories that normally would never have hired women were now open to the idea out of desperation for workers.

To add to the problem of not having enough workers, many women had never considered getting a job and were not interested in doing so. A campaign was launched to encourage women to join the workforce and support the war effort. Posters were designed to make women want to go to work to support the country and their male family members who were gone to fight in the war.

Some women were even used as spies in an organization called the Office of Strategic Service (OSS). Brave women were trained in espionage and left the safety of America for locations in Europe behind enemy lines. Virginia Hall was one of the most famous of these spies. She had a severe limp from a childhood hunting injury, and the enemy nicknamed her the limpling lady. Other women spies included Josephine Baker, Amy Thorpe, and Eta Wrobel. Eta was from a Jewish family and was the only survivor of 11 children. She escaped a concentration camp and worked to help over 100 people escape Nazis in just one year.