Margot Duhalde, the Chilean pilot who fought the Nazis in World War II

By Alexis Polo Ganzález

In the framework of its 280th anniversary, the Chilean Mint, in charge of printing money in the South American country, held the Valuable Women contest to define which historical character will be the face of the institution’s commemorative print.

The citizens chose Duhalde.

The Mint announced that Margot Duhalde, the first Chilean woman to pilot warplanes and volunteer in World War II, was chosen as the face for the commemorative print of the campaign.

More than 100,000 people participated in the initiative, which aims to highlight and recognize the important role of women in society and the country’s history.

Among the candidates were, in addition to Margot Duhalde:

• writer María Luisa Bombal;
• Chile’s first female doctor, Eloísa Díaz;
• writer Isabel Allende;
• UN Women ambassador Valentina Muñoz;
• astronomer María Teresa Ruiz;
• artist, musician, composer, and singer Violeta Parra;
• former president Michelle Bachelet (2006-2010 and 2014-2018);
• and professional soccer player Christiane Endler.

Those who passed to the contest’s final stage were Duhalde, who obtained 47% of the votes; Violeta Parra, with 30.2%; and Eloísa Díaz, 22.8%.

WHO WAS THIS WOMAN?

Margot Duhalde was born on December 12, 1920, in Río Bueno, Los Ríos Region.

She was “the daughter of a farmer businessman from the south of Chile who had nothing to do with the military aristocracy”, Isaac Gajardo, historian of the Alberto Hurtado University and Master in Education, told Sputnik, who remarked some elements regarding the pilot’s personal history.

“She was not part of the Chilean Air Force. Aviation is very marked by her family tradition. That is, pilots were the sons of pilots, and so on. This idea of the military family is still maintained even to this day,” the historian indicated.

Gajardo explained that Duhalde stood out for her daring personality.

When she turned 16, Duhalde joined the Chilean Air Club and took the pilot’s course, even though the instructors initially were reluctant to accept her because she was a woman.

He had not yet turned 18 when he graduated as a civilian pilot.

Then, she wanted to leave the country to go to Europe: she had to lie to her parents, to whom she told she was going to Canada as an instructor.

Shortly after the outbreak of World War II (1939-1945), the young woman enlisted in the Free French forces – French government in exile, under the command of General Charles De Gaulle – in England.

“On the one hand, there is the public life as a military officer and aviator working for the French forces. But on the other hand, her political vision was very marked against Nazism and Fascism.”

“And that is why she decided to fight them,” said the historian.

Despite not speaking English, she joined the British Royal Air Force (RAF) when she finished her work with the French.

There she flew numerous aircraft, from transport and training planes to bombers and fighters.

After the defeat of Nazi Germany, Duhalde was awarded the French Legion of Honor for her performance during the war. Shortly after that, she would return to her South American home.

PIONEER IN HER FIELD

Duhalde returned to Chile in early 1947, where she worked as a commercial pilot.

Soon after, she became the country’s first female air traffic controller.

She worked as a control tower chief for the Air Force, a position she held for over four decades.

In 2002, as part of International Women’s Day, she was honored by Chilean military aviation, which recognized her as the country’s first female fighter pilot.

COMMEMORATIVE BANKNOTE

Even though at one time it was believed that the banknote would circulate in the same way that pesos officially do in the country, the Mint explained that it would only have the character of a collectible document and without nominal value – it does not allow the acquisition of goods and services – “given that legally only the Central Bank has the power to print legal tender banknotes and to decide the figures or faces that are included in them”.

The commemorative print honoring the memory of Margot Duhalde will be available free of charge to the public, and 100,000 copies will be distributed throughout the country during October.

Delivery details will be announced shortly by the institution.

To date, the only banknote in circulation in the South American country with a woman’s face is the $5,000 note (approximately US$6), with the image of the Nobel Literature Prize winner Gabriela Mistral.

Gajardo pointed out that Margot Duhalde “was a woman who had strength, power, daring, and an anti-fascist and anti-Nazi political thought so strong that it led her to enlist” to fight in World War II.

With information from Sputnik

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