Radar Girls: a novel of WWII

While conducting research for her previous novel, The Lieutenant's Nurse, author Sara Ackerman happened upon information about the Women's Air Raid Defense (WARD), a program she had never heard about growing up in Hawaii in the 1970s and hearing stories about World War II from her parents and grandparents. It was formed by Emergency Order 9063 immediately after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The women were recruited from Hawaii and the mainland, sworn to strictest secrecy, and assigned to command centers and radar stations established on each island. They were hastily trained about radar, codes, and complicated calculations. They were taught to guide pilots as they landed aircraft on runways darkened for security purposes, or talk them through treacherous flights back from the frontlines of battle. Their code name was Rascal, while the military personnel manning the radar stations were referred to as Oscar.

The story opens on December 7, 1941, with an action-packed first chapter entitled "The Sky Falls." Daisy Wilder, is swimming near Waialua, O'ahu on that peaceful Sunday morning when the horse she borrowed, Moon, appears to have been spooked by something. Daisy was supposed to ride Ka'ena, but took Moon instead without the owner's permission, planning to return the beautiful horse before anyone noticed he was missing. But first, she needed to bring fish home for herself and her mother, Louise, who remained devastated by the tragic death of Daisy's father. But as Daisy dove, "all around her, the water hummed. She tasted fuel on her tongue." She assumes she is hearing the sounds of military training coming from the skies, but soon "a deep vibration of the water all around," planes with red circles under their wings flying directly over her, and the sound of gunfire cause Moon to rear up and run off before Daisy can get to him. She then watches as a Japanese plane chases a P-40 Warhawk, but the American pilot sends the enemy flyer to a watery grave before navigating his own plane toward the nearby airstrip. As she runs back toward their modest home to check on her mother, "a wall of planes appeared over the Wai'anae Mountains. Every single one of the planes had red circles painted on their wings or sides. A whole sky full of Japanese planes. Hundreds. And not one American plane in sight."

Twenty-three-year-old Daisy has worked for Hal Montgomery -- the same man who employed her father -- for seven years. But a few days later, with Moon still missing, is fired by Montgomery. No sooner is she out of a job than she encounters General Danielson who persuades her to join WARD by offering her $140 per month plus meals, as well as officer status and safe travel for Louise to the mainland to stay with Daisy's aunt so that Daisy will not have to worry about her for the first time in a decade. It's an opportunity that short-haired, trouser-wearing, horse-loving, outdoorsy Daisy cannot pass up. She is unlike Peg Montgomery, the beautiful, college-educated daughter of her former employer, who is also recruited by the General. And not the kind of woman that Peg's brother, the dashing Walker, a Navy pilot who was flying one of those P-40 Warhawks on that fateful morning, would find attractive.

The women meet at 'Iolani Palace, the former home of Hawaiian kings and queens and the site where Queen Liliuokalani was held hostage while the islands were overthrown. Now used to conduct secret military training, Daisy and nineteen others are informed they are about to perform "some of the most important work any woman in this nation has ever done" after an intense course of instruction. They will be using radar (radio detection and ranging) to detect aircraft and ships, with six stations mounted on O'ahu. They are introduced to each other, fitted for uniforms, and advised that they will be deemed military officers for their safety. "If captured by the enemy, they will have to treat you according to international prison of war standards." Some of the women, like Lucy, are military wives, some are married to prominent businessmen, and Fluff, along with a few others, was recruited from the University of Hawai'i. Peg and her glamorous friend with designs on Walker, Thelma, are part of the contingent, as well. Betty Yates, from Louisiana, lives in the navy yard with her husband, Chuck, a pilot. Daisy, who dropped out of school after the tenth grade and began working at the Montgomery stables, worries about her ability to pass the rigorous mandatory tests.

Ackerman weaves a compelling and entertaining story about the women's experiences in WARD. She describes their living conditions and the relationships they form, with Daisy always at the center of the tale. Peg and Thelma are the quintessential mean girls who look down on Daisy. Daisy's confidence is bolstered when she achieves the highest score on the initial standardized test. Every character was impacted by the attack on Pearl Harbor and, with a war now raging, has reason to worry about her own, as well as her loved ones' safety. Some are better than others at rising above their petty differences and forging alliances, but in order to carry out their mission, they must find a way to become a dedicated team because so much is at stake. After all, detecting and plotting movement is one thing. "Discerning between friend or foe" is another.

Ackerman grippingly portrays the intense pressure the women feel to succeed, as well as some infuriating ways that they are treated as lesser than their male counterparts despite the responsibility they shoulder. And believably illustrates the workplace abuse to which they were subjected. For instance, Daisy is among the women who excel and are moved up in the program to commence more complex work at Little Robert, the Information and Control Center for the Pacific theater. When they enter the facility, Colonel Nixon announces to the men finishing their shift, "We have a truck full of Bettys here to take over for you." And chastises Daisy when she speaks out of turn in an effort to assist as Fluffy flounders, advising her, "If you think like a man, speak like a man, and act like a man, you should do fine." Daisy is nonplussed, having learned years ago at the ranch that there were "two kinds of men: those who liked women and those who didn't. No amount of smarts or competence could change that fact." Ackerman's writing shines most brightly and the story is most engaging when she depicts the gravity of the women's circumstances in scenes such as that one.

As time passes without further battle, everyone is on high alert, painfully aware that the islands were caught off-guard the first time and another surprise attack could be imminent. The women's stress intensifies as they complete their training and commence their six-hour shifts. Additionally, Daisy begins patrolling the island on horseback and spending time with Walker. Eventually, she learns the shocking truth about how her father died and the surrounding circumstances.

Ackerman deftly ramps up the dramatic tension to an powerful, nail-biting, and realistic climax. Daisy has failed to heed Betty's wise advice -- "You don't want a pilot" -- and is pressed into duty with everything she cares about on the line. Rehearsed scenarios become real-life crises in Ackerman's skilled telling. Daisy, the unassuming Hawai'an girl that haughty Mrs. Montgomery tried to convince General Danielson was not up to the challenge of serving in WARD, learns, through her experiences, just how powerful, capable, and resilient she is. As do the women with whom she serves and cements unyielding friendships born out of shared challenges, heartbreak, and triumph during a uniquely extraordinary time in America's history.

With compassion, and evident admiration and affection for her characters, Ackerman pulls readers into their struggles and joys. She effectively transports readers to an idyllic island paradise where America's innocence was shattered on a December morning eight decades ago. Her riveting and moving story pays homage to the women whose immense contribution to the war effort has not been taught in classrooms. Ackerman says, "I hope I have done justice to these amazing women!" She has indeed.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.

Love this era and the story!