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Australian women’s auxiliary military services disbanded after World War II Creation of Israel as a nation, war of independence fought with women combatants Partition of India–Pakistan, organization of women’s groups to handle refugee crises 1948 Women removed from combat duties in Israel Postwar Italian constitution recognizes legal and social equality of women, several former women anti-fascist partisans elected to the parliament 1949 Women gain suffrage in Chile Begum Ra’ana, First Lady of Pakistan, creates the Army Women’s National Guard, followed by the Naval Reserve for Women 1950 North Korea invades South Korea, beginning Korean War Australian Women’s Divisions of the army, navy, and air force permanently restored after manpower shortage in the Korean War Chinese women of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) serve in Korean War as medical, communications, and propaganda jobs Armies of the UN forces in the Korean War utilize women nurses, often in field hospitals and as flight nurses on routes to Japan 1951 French government organizes women’s service in the military, creating separate auxiliary branches Chinese PLA Air Force begins training women pilots 1952 Army Nursing Corps founded in Japan 1953 Danish Home Guard add a Women’s Auxiliary to the navy East German women receive civil defense training and expected to be part of factory-based “battle groups” for conflict with the west Mao’s Great Leap Forward expects women to take part in rapid industrialization projects in China 1954 Women in the Communist Vietnamese forces vital to the fall of French position at Dien Bien Phu 1955 China promotes Li Zhen, a guerrilla on the Long March, to major general in honor of her service Chronology xxiii