"Switchboard Soldiers, " by Jennifer Chiaverini

 "Switchboard Soldiers, " by Jennifer Chiaverini

In June 1917, General John Pershing arrived in France to establish American forces in Europe. He immediately found himself unable to communicate with troops in the field. Pershing needed telephone operators who could swiftly and accurately connect multiple calls, speak fluent French and English, remain steady under fire, and be utterly discreet, since the calls often conveyed classified information.

At the time, nearly all well-trained American telephone operators were women—but women were not permitted to enlist, or even to vote in most states. Nevertheless, the U.S. Army Signal Corps promptly began recruiting them.

More than 7,600 women responded, including Grace Banker of New Jersey, a switchboard instructor with AT&T and an alumna of Barnard College; Marie Miossec, a Frenchwoman and aspiring opera singer; and Valerie DeSmedt, a twenty-year-old Pacific Telephone operator from Los Angeles, determined to strike a blow for her native Belgium.

They were among the first women sworn into the U.S. Army under the Articles of War. The male soldiers they had replaced had needed one minute to connect each call. The switchboard soldiers could do it in ten seconds.

Deployed throughout France, including near the front lines, the operators endured hardships and risked death or injury from gunfire, bombardments, and the Spanish Flu. Not all of them would survive.

The women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps served with honor and played an essential role in achieving the Allied victory. Their story has never been the focus of a novel…until now. 

I must admit I didn't know anything about the U.S. Army Signal Corps role in World War 1 and how the women took over the switchboards in France for the Americans.  The book was so interesting and very detailed.

What they went through and how hard they worked was so very inspiring.  They were the pioneers in their field, as they were the first women in the army, other than the nurses of the Red Cross.  However, they did not earn the same benefits as the regular army men as they were classed as civilian contractors despite the fact they took the same risks as the men.

Like any women trying to break into a man's field of work, they had to work twice as hard to prove themselves capable of doing it as good if not better than the men.

I will say I had a difficult time getting immersed into the book at the beginning, as it delves into each women's background story to begin with.  I found that a bit tedious and drawn out at times.  BUT, once you got past those first few chapters it got very interesting.

Stars out of 5 : 4.5  If you like historical novels, women orientated novels and enjoy Jennifer Chiaverini's work then this is the book for you.  Well worth the read; and you may learn something new, I know I did.

These reviews are my own and I purchased the book for my own enjoyment.