This is a superb piece. Unlike you I am a fan of war films (and indeed all genres, as is par for the course for any true cineaste), but I think war films are sometimes better if they leave out women entirely rather than assign the kinds of cliched roles you discuss here. For instance, there is no need for female characters in a film like The Great Escape, and cutting to shots of tearful wives in England anxiously waiting for the safe return of their spouses would have been foolish and detracted from the drama. A wider point: I really don't mind if films are all male or all female, depending on the story being told. Ultimately, I'm just interested in good films, well told. :)

At the same time, there are many stories about women in war that haven't been told and really should be told. For example, I once wrote a draft of an (as yet unproduced) screenplay that's been through a few other screenwriters since me, about the role the "Canary Girls" played in dangerous munitions factories during World War I. I'd love to see more stories like that on the big screen.

I must confess I've been rather dismayed by the prudish attitude some have displayed towards the nudity in Oppenheimer. Like you, I didn't think it was gratuitous. The scenes were frank, grown-up, and emotionally resonant. I have noticed the objections seem to come from the US rather than the UK (where I live) and there is a bit of a cultural difference there, perhaps. At any rate, I discuss this (and other objections to Oppenheimer) in this piece, if you're interested. :)

https://fanfare.pub/why-i-disregard-oppenheimer-whataboutism-51ecbf714549