Women's History Month: 6888th Army Battalion

Hello D-Day Patrons!

Corporal Alyce Dixon (right), of the 6888th, talks with her superior, 1945.

In honor of Women’s History Month, I would like to take some time to talk about the 6888^th Army battalion, an African-American all women’s unit dedicated to processing the backlog of mail from the troops and civil-support in Europe.

During World War II, the best way, and essentially the only way, to contact someone overseas was to send them a letter in the mail. This was the only way for soldiers to communicate back home and vise versa, so the importance of keeping soldier morale high rested on the ability of the mail services to complete their jobs in a timely fashion. That task was given to the women of the 6888^th battalion.

6888th Army Battalion

Women began taking important roles in the Armed Forces as far back as the Revolutionary War and began performing military support during the Civil War and on. However, World War II was the first war in which so many women were called to serve, but it did not come without its challenges. Even though women were active in every branch, the only branch to officially recognize women as viable support was the Navy. World War II was also unique because so many men, mostly young and middle aged, were called to serve in combat roles, leaving behind multitudes of jobs that needed to be filled by women. Congress authorized the recruitment of female officers and enlisted to do more military duties than just nursing because of the desperate need for support.

The women of the 6888^th not only had to handle being women in the Armed Forces, but they also had to withstand racial discrimination. Despite President Roosevelt’s efforts to fight intolerance in civilian defense industries, prejudice and segregation remained in the military. Through the efforts of Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of the National Council of Negro Women and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, African-American women were allowed to serve in the Women’s Army Corp.

Women of the 6888th sorting out the backlog of mail, 1945.

Those young ladies had to begin working straight away after boot camp training was completed. Once American soldiers landed in Europe on June 6, 1944, the amount of logistical problems were quickly becoming a nightmare. Sorting and mailing the troops post was low on the totem pole. Since the soldiers were moving around rapidly and were sending out letters whenever they had the chance, the amount of mail piled up so quickly they were almost immediately behind schedule. While waiting for the women in the 6888^th to arrive, seven million undelivered letters had quickly piled up; many had even been sent over a year before.

To get the job done quickly and effectively, the women used a system of information cards on all recently deployed soldiers, Army and Navy. They had six months to clear the buildup, working nearly twenty-four/seven. Not only did they have to locate the soldiers, they also had to decipher whom the letter even belonged to because many people did not address their letters properly. Through hard work and determination, they were able to process nearly 65,000 letters per workday and completed the task in just three months time, cutting the projected time in half. The Army was so impressed by them that they were then deployed to Paris, France to keep the mail moving on the front lines.

Women of the 6888th overseas, World War II, 1945.

Despite the segregation and discrimination these women were subjected to, they still completed their job flawlessly. In 2009, they were finally recognized for their hard work, sixty-four years later. Surviving members and their families came out to Arlington for the ceremony to honor those brave women in hopes to correct the past and set things right.

Take care,

Elizabeth

Women Spies of WWII: Nancy Wake

On March 25 at Noon in the Bedford Area we will have the last lecture of the winter season.  For women history’s month, we will be looking at a topic that is one of my personal favorites – women spies of World War II.  The lecture will be led by D-Day Memorial President, April Cheek-Messier.  Please feel free to join us for lunch at Noon for a wonderful discussion about several spies who were instrumental to the Allied efforts over the course of the war.  We look forward to seeing you there! 

Before the lecture, I would like to the introduce you Nancy Wake.  Wake was born in New Zealand on August 30, 1912 to Charles and Ella Wake.  Growing up she was the youngest of six children and fiercely independent.  When she was 16 years old, Wake ran away from home to work as a nurse.  After an aunt gave her some money, she set out to see the world starting with Europe.  Working as a journalist, Wake witnessed the rise of Hitler, Nazism, and anti-Semitism.  While in Vienna, she witnessed Nazi gangs randomly beating Jewish men and women in the streets.  These attacks fed her determination to work against the Nazis. 

Her time would come up soon as part of the French Resistance.  In 1939, Wake married Henri Fiocca, a wealthy French industrialist.  Their charmed life would be short lived; six months after the marriage Germany invaded France.  Shortly after the German occupation, Wake had moved from observing what was going on around her to actively participating in the Resistance.  At first, she was a courier, smuggling messages and food to the underground groups in Southern France.  Her husband helped her secure an ambulance which she used to transport refugees out of German occupied areas.  She obtained papers that allowed her to work in Vichy France and became deeply involved in moving prisoners of war and downed Allied pilots out of France to Spain. 

Wake's fake passport

Her missions put her life in constant danger.  By 1943, Wake was number 1 on the Gestapo’s most wanted list – they referred to her as the “White Mouse” because she was so good at evading capture.  The Resistance determined that Wake should leave France and go to Britain.  Escape was easier said than done.  It took six times to get across the Pyrenees, even being captured and interrogated for four days during one of the attempts.  In her escape, she had to leave behind her beloved husband.

Once in Britain, Wake became one of 39 women and 430 men in the French Section of the SOE.  She was trained in survival skills, silent killing, codes, radio operations, night parachuting, plastic explosives, rifles, pistols, and grenades.  In April 1944, Wake parachuted into central France with orders to locate and organize the bands of Maquis, establish ammunition and arms caches, and organize the Resistance in preparation for the D-Day invasion.  Wake led more than 7,000 men in guerrilla warfare against the German troops and facilities. 

 

When Paris was liberated on August 25, 2014, Wake walked her troops into Vichy to celebrate.  Once there she learned that her husband Henri had been captured, tortured, and executed when he refused to give them any information about the whereabouts of his wife.  After the war, she continued to work with the SOE. 

To learn more about her extraordinary life, be sure to join us on March 25!  

Until next time, 

Felicia 

Lunchbox Lecture: Power of Persuassion

I apologize for my "radio silence" last week, but I'm back and ready to talk about, in my opinion, one of the most interesting aspects of WWII: propaganda.  I've always been fascinated with propaganda and its power to influence and motivate people in ways both good and bad. 

Next week the National D-Day Memorial will host a presentation on propaganda's influence on the American Home Front.  

The presentation will focus on how propaganda inspired the public and evoked powerful emotions on the war.  This is an appropriate study for the month of March, Women's History Month, since during WWII, images of women were frequently used in propaganda. Some displayed women as independent, strong, and patriotic, while others illustrated the idea that the enemy posed a direct threat to women and children on the homefront. A soldier only had to look at a poster to answer the question, “what are we fighting for?”  

For your enjoyment, I've included one of my favorite propaganda pieces from the war ...

One reason why I adore this poster is because of a personal encounter I had with a WWII veteran of the submarine service.  A few years ago, while working in the old military tent that we use for field trips at the Memorial, this particular veteran and his family wandered in to look around.  After surveying the contents of the tent, he noticed this poster hanging on the wall.  

He turned to me and said, "There's something wrong with that picture."

"What's that?" I asked, believing he had a very serious concern to bring to my attention.  

He replied, "When I joined the submarine service, no girl ever hugged my neck like that."  

We both had a good chuckle at his expense. 

What is so interesting and powerful about the familiar and iconic pieces of WWII propaganda, is that they strike an emotional chord with people.  Still today, people view these images and feel encouraged, guilty, outraged, hopeful, or inspired.

The lecture will take place at noon, Wednesday, March 7th, at the Bedford Area Welcome Center.  Admission is free, but donations are always happily accepted!

I hope you enjoy!
- Megan