Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) Trainees Play in the Snow
"Northerners tended to think that the Texas sun shines nearly 365 days a year, and even the brief fluttering of flakes on Christmas Eve hadn’t changed many minds—then came January 12, 1944.
There had been some occasional flakes over the prior weeks, and the ice and slush canceled all training flights. Because the roads were frozen and dangerous, even weekend passes into town were cancelled. Then, with icicles dangling precariously from the barracks, a major blizzard struck.
Five to seven inches of snow, blown into drifts two feet high, wouldn’t have bothered a Midwest farmer, but here in West Texas it was a rarity.
The severe conditions and cold temperatures threatened cattle and sheep on the range. The snow got the blame for the deaths of seven passengers in a nearby collision of two trains. At Avenger Field, trainees made the best of this bad situation with snowball attacks on flight instructors and occasionally on each other."
A couple of women rolled out a “snow-m’am” against a building, naming her Mae West. Trainees brought out their cameras and the two women happily snapped off winter portraits of the trainees joyfully posing with Mae. When a gas heating line broke one night, the trainees finally found a good use for those bulky winter flying suits. Coupled with layers of gym pants and long johns, the suits kept them toasty and comfortable all night long."
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