How much women’s history has been accidentally ‘lost’?

I remember growing up with the message that women never fought in wars.  I was taught that!  And the more I learn about history, the more I realise it was an utter flat out lie.

Amazing story of Soviet Russia’s three regiments of women fighter pilots, dive bombers and night bombers, the “Night Witches”…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8329676.stm

who flew more than 3,000 missions along the ‘eastern front’ in WW2 and were not provided with parachutes – so if they were shot down, they all died.

Thanks to catdancerz for the link 🙂

Even Britain had its “Spitfire Women” of the Air Transport Auxiliary, flying the planes that took vital supplies between Britain’s airfields.  They may have been non-combatant, but they died just the same.  So why was I never taught about any of this?  Why was I specifically taught that heroism was only for the boys?  (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.  I know why.)

I boggle, again.