Women in War

The courage and perseverance of female combatants in World War II, Korea, Vietnamand, more recently, El Salvadorremains little known. Saywell, a Canadian TV producer, here documents the role of women in armed conflicts from World War II to the present. Twenty-two women from seven countries describe the moral, emotional and practical dilemmas they faced in combat. Among them are WW II British Air Transport Auxiliary pilots who flew without armaments or radios; self-trained French and Polish resistance fighters; Israeli infantry women who fought zealously to earn the respect of their male comrades; American nurses who lost their idealism in Vietnam; and Salvadoran guerrillas who left their families for their cause. Saywell's lucid commentary does much to clarify the fighting woman's contribution to recent history. Photos. December