Women and the French Army during the World Wars, 1914}}}1940 [Hardcover]

How did women contribute to the French Army in the World Wars? Drawing on myriad sources, historian Andrew Orr examines the roles and value of the many French women who have been overlooked by historiansthose who worked as civilians supporting the military. During the First World War, most officers expected that the end of the war would see a return to prewar conditions, so they tolerated women in supporting roles. But soon after the November 1918 armistice, the French Army fired more than half its female employees. Demobilization created unexpected administrative demands that led to the next rehiring of many women. The armys female workforce grew slowly and unevenly until 1938 when preparations for war led to another hiring wave; however, officers resisted all efforts to allow women to enlist as soldiers and alternately opposed and ignored proposals to recognize them as long-term employees. Orrs work offers a critical look at the indispensable wartime roles filled by women behind the lines.

Andrew Orr is assistant professor of history at Kansas State University and a member of its Security Studies Program. He earned his PhD from the University of Notre Dame and his work focuses on French military and political history from 1870 to 1945. Orr lives in Manhattan, Kansas.

Recommended.Orr has successfully made the leap into what we have needed for decades: a truly modern and mainstream study of the complex interplay of women and the military in modern society that also takes into account the complex interplay of race and class.

Introduction
1. Weapons of Total War, 1914-1918
2. The Failure of the Demobilization Purge, 1919-1923
3. The 1927 and 1928 Army Laws
4. War Clouds, 1929-1938
5. She remained at her post until the very end: Women and Second World War
Conclusion
Selected Bibliography

This is a fascinating study of intended and unintended consequences, wellresearched, well-written, and a pleasure to read.  

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