WAC Heroism Press Photos and Postcards Promoting Women's Enlistment in WWII Archive

Women's Army Corps; WAC

Edité par Date d'édition : 1942

Female WWII-era soldiers in photographs and real photo postcards. Archive of 6 World War II-era items highlighting women?s participation in the Allied war effort, including two original press photographs and four original color-printed comic postcards depicting women in uniform. Photos measure between approximately 9" x 7" and 10 x 8" while postcards are approximately 5.5" x 3.5". The press photographs include one Army Radiotelephoto image with original caption label dated August 22, 1944. The group documents the visual culture, gender politics, and military engagement of women soldiers in both the U.S. and French armed forces during the global conflict. The items reflect both official representations of wartime servicewomen and popular perceptions mediated through humor and satire. A photograph features a WAC marching unit labeled ?WAC NOAS 4,? the designation for the Women?s Army Corps unit attached to the Naval Operating Air Station No. 4. The women wear the standard WAC service uniform: a four-pocket belted jacket, matching skirt, and overseas cap. One woman, possibly a staff sergeant based on the chevrons visible on her left sleeve, leads the platoon bearing a guidon flag. Their tightly aligned formation and resolute expressions signal disciplined professionalism during a period when WACs were still fighting for full military recognition and equality in pay and status.A particularly striking item in this collection is a U.S. Army Radiotelephoto print with the headline ?FRENCH WACS COME HOME.? The typed caption, affixed verso, reads: ?France?Home for the first time in four years, a contingent of French ?WACs,? dressed like front-line troops, debarks from landing craft on the Riviera to join in the liberation of their homeland. These fighting women were among the large forces of French troops employed in the new invasion thrust in Southern France.? Dated 8/22/44, the image captures a moment during Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France. In the photograph, smiling uniformed French women?wearing steel helmets and slung rifles?disembark from Landing Ship Tank (LST) marked ?US 38,? carrying duffel bags through sand and debris. One of the women appears to be assisted down the gangway by fellow troops, underscoring both the physical toll and camaraderie of combat service. The caption's use of the term ?French ?WACs?? suggests a deliberate alignment with the American Women?s Army Corps (WAC), although the French women likely served in units of the Corps F?minin des Transmissions (CFT) or related branches attached to the Free French Forces under General de Gaulle. Complementing the photographs are four original color-printed comic postcards issued during the 1940s, featuring female soldiers in cartoonish styling. In ?I?M GETTING A BIG BANG OUT OF THIS ARMY LIFE,? a cartoon WAC stands between two anthropomorphized cannons, their tongues lolling out as stars burst comically around her. Another reads, ?WE?RE GIVING ?EM A BIG WAAC.? showing a uniformed woman smacking a cartoon Hitler figure with a rolling pin. The card ?MY HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED? juxtaposes a WAC in barracks against a domestic fantasy of a man at home in an apron, mopping while dinner steams behind him. These postcards, with series numbers such as ?WC-23? and ?WC-9? printed in the corner, belong to a series of morale-boosting souvenirs circulated among GIs and civilians. Minor corner wear and one crease to the Radiotelephoto image; strong tonal contrast on both photographic prints. Postcards brightly colored with light rubbing to edges; no writing on versos. Very good condition overall. N° de réf. du vendeur 21763

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : WAC Heroism Press Photos and Postcards ...
Date d'édition : 1942
Etat de la jaquette : Jaquette