#women’s army corps

[bohemian-nights]

It looks promising 🤞🏽

[musingsofahistorymajor]

https://people.com/tyler-perry-the-six-triple-eight-first-look-exclusive-8701722

We finally have a trailer and a release date for the Six Triple Eight movie!! December 20, 2024 on Netflix!!

I'm so so excited for this movie! And everything I see looks so good. The hair styles, the civilian outfits, the uniforms are worn correctly and with the right insignia and hats. The clips in the trailer look so good and accurate and I'm so excited!!!

It's about time we had a WWII film focused on women. Where the women are not background characters. Where the focus is not a love story. Where the women are not props for the men's stories. Finally we have a movie about what women did during World War II that isn't about the home front or nursing! Cause they did SO MUCH during the war and it's never told.

The story of the 6888th Battalion is incredible and I'm beyond thrilled to see it told this way. Me and my fellow female WWII reenactors are going to have a watch party.

[victusinveritas]

[wiltedprayers]

need spielberg and hanks to make a miniseries about WACs and/or WAVES next. there's not enough women in these shows. why not do one about them?

[mudwerks]

Canadian Women’s Army Corps Sergeant Shirley McNeill using a foot pump 

[noneedtoamputate]

Citation: WACs performed 155 roles during WWII.

I found this while doing some research for my MotA OFC.

[bigglesworld]

Col. Oveta Culp Hobby (right), first C.O. of the Women’s Army Corps, talks with Auxiliary Margaret Peterson and Capt. Elizabeth Gilbert. Mitchel Field, NY. 1943

[usairforcehistoricsociety]

[carbone14]

Stanley Martin Lieber dit Stan Lee incorporé à l'US Army Signal Corps – 1942

[bandagesandloveletters]

Lilla Thornton (Masters of The Air OFC)

Note: A little introduction to my newest original female character for the Masters of The Air universe. Look out for all her adventures in the weeks to come. Word Count: 895 words.

Glass plasma bottles clicked against each other as they moved inside the chipped wooden crate marked "Medical Supplies". Pyramids of morphine syrettes threatened to spill with every second step heavier than the opposite. In a different setting, desperate hands would be grabbing at the morphine, like kids to a bowl of candy. It was a highly sought-after substance on the frontlines by medics, but in the ghostly quiet hallways of the on-base infirmary, no one dared to steal from what supplies graced the stockroom. 

In the middle of the infirmary's hustle and bustle lay a heavy oak desk, out of place and odd for its surroundings but very fitting for the occupier who worked upon it, hour after hour.

Thud! Rattle! Clunk! The wooden crate came to rest upon the paper-laden desk as dainty hands rifled through its contents, determined to find the item that she so urgently needed.

"Ah-ha!" the gentle rasp with a Texan accent piped up as she grasped what she was looking for in her left hand. "There you are, you little rascal."

"Still talking to the medical supplies, I see."

"You know me, Nora. If a seasick-riddled boat journey across the pond can't change my ways, it will never happen," Second Lieutenant Thornton chirped as she turned to stand before the friendly face.

Lilla Thornton was a petite girl from Fredericksburg, Texas. Although she was small in stature, she had a big personality. As head nurse, the tiny Texan often had to drum up morale as her fellow medics worked tirelessly on wounded men evacuated from the battle-damaged aircraft returning from missions into occupied Europe. It was almost like working on a production line; as soon as a patient was stable, they'd be moved to a more suitable bed within the infirmary, away from all the chaos.

A no-nonsense kind of girl, Lilla was known for throwing herself into her work, placing it on top of her list before pleasure. Her time at Thorpe Abbotts was a perfect example of this practice. As her nurses clung to the men of the 100th every Friday at the Half Moon Inn, the young Lieutenant would spend her night taking stock of supplies and rolling bandages. Even back home, she'd rather spend her weekends studying or helping her father run the family ranch than travel the hour into Austin to go drinking and galavanting with her friends.

Growing up, she had to learn and take responsibility more quickly than most girls. At the age of seven, her dear mother Tabitha passed suddenly of an unknown illness that doctors were trying to grasp a better knowledge and understanding. Lilla was the eldest of three siblings, meaning any extra time she had after her classes were finished was spent working to bring in extra money to aid the family finances.

Her father, a cripple who couldn't work, always encouraged the brunette to follow her heart, and on the 18th of August 1941, Lilla Thornton joined the Army Nurse Corps. With a passion for helping those in need and a hard-working ethic, Army life came as easy as learning to crawl as an infant.

Training started at Brooke General Hospital, San Antonio, Texas, before she was assigned to the Eighth Air Force as a breakaway unit in September of 1942. A single gold bar sat proudly upon the collar of her dress uniform and the new role of head nurse upon her shoulders.

At Kearney Army Airfield, Nebraska, Lilla made friends with a fellow nurse from Louisiana. Like Lilla, Nora was a serious person putting just as much dedication into her role as a nurse as the Texan girl did. Nora and Lilla forged a friendship that would stand the test of time.

Thrusting the two bottles of saline towards the medic, followed by some syrettes of morphine, Lilla raised an eyebrow in question at the female before her.

"This should be more than enough for now. You don't happen to have any chocolate in your magic box, Lieutenant Thornton?" Nora’s Southern drawl emphasized certain words as she asked the smaller female. 

Holding up a finger, Lilla turned and began to search through a heavy oak drawer connected to her desk before producing a foil-covered article. Chocolate had become a rare commodity, especially with all the rationing the Americans faced while living in England, and what they could get a hold of tasted far from what they were used to back home. 

"This is my last ration for this month. It better be for a good reason you’re looking for some. You owe me one, Nora."

"You got my word, Li. If you have the time, can you check on Lieutenant Payne? I think he's coming down with pneumonia."

Looking up from her clipboard at the mention of one of the navigators, Lilla nodded. It was apparent there was some kind of bug going around the base. She’d already treated a few men with similar symptoms.

"I don't have long left until I've finished my shift here, but I'll be round as soon as possible. Just make sure he's kept warm until I get there."

Returning her attention to the crate of supplies, Lilla sat down behind the desk to begin the final stock check of her shift.

[todaysdocument]

Women’s Army Corps Cpl. Barbara Fenster (left) and Cpl. Genevieve E. Guethlein secure information from German prisoner of war Pvt. Frederick Bonk, captured in Tunisia. September 7, 1943, at Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation.

Record Group 336: Records of the Office of the Chief of Transportation

Series: Photographic Albums of Prints of Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation

Image description: Inside a tent, a young man in a German uniform with “AFRIKAKORPS” on his sleeve stands to the side of a desk. Seated at the desk are two women in Women’s Army Corps uniforms, who are writing. In the background are more desks and more German prisoners of war. 

[musingsofahistorymajor]

Our first teaser for the Six Triple Eight movie was included in Netflix's 2024 upcoming releases promo!!

For those who don't know, the Six Triple Eight is about the 6888th Central Postal Battalion which was the all POC regiment of the Women's Army Corps during World War II. They served in England sorting through the massive backlog of mail that had accumulated. Receiving mail from home was such an important morale boost for the men and high morale wins wars so sorting this mail was a priority. It was a nearly impossible task that the Army predicted would take them years to accomplish but they completed the task in half the time, processing 17 million pieces of mail and sending them to soldiers awaiting news from home. They worked in cold, dirty, dark rat infested aircraft hangars with broken windows. They were so good at their work that the unit was sent to several other areas to do the same thing. The unit was active from 1945 to 1946 and consisted of 855 women under the Command of Major Charity Adams, Captains Mary F. Kearney and Bernice G. Henderson. Their nickname was “Six-Triple Eight" and their motto was “No Mail, Low Morale."

I'm so excited for this film, you have no idea. An entire movie completely focused on telling the story of women. And not just women, black women! It's so exciting! And it looks fantastic just from this short teaser. I know the historical consultant of the show personally and she knows WAC history better than anyone and it definitely shows. The uniforms are pretty perfect. The only mistake I've seen so far, which is in a behind the scenes photo, is the utility bag (their purse) is on the wrong side. But that's a nit picky complaint from me I can overlook. But even the shots are so good!! They're recreating at least one original image I can think of. Which is so cool. God I'm so excited!!!!

Here are some original images of the 6888

[californiastatelibrary]

During World War II, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (consisting of solely Black women), delivered mail in the European Theater — a way to keep up morale. These images are from a scrapbook of WAAC ephemera.

[us-air-force-2]

[higherentity]

[war-cartoons]