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    U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve: 'They Are Marines': Uniforms and Equipment in World War II
    U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve: 'They Are Marines': Uniforms and Equipment in World War II
    U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve: 'They Are Marines': Uniforms and Equipment in World War II
    Ebook327 pages1 hour

    U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve: 'They Are Marines': Uniforms and Equipment in World War II

    By Jim Moran

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    About this ebook

    The little known story of these female reservists and the role they played in WWII, packed with photos.
     
    When US Marine Commandant Maj. Gen. Thomas Holcomb announced the formation of what became the US Marine Corps’ Women’s Reserve, legend has it, the portrait of one of his predecessors fell off the wall and crashed to the floor—in disbelief. The women were called “Lady Leathernecks,” among other nicknames—some less than flattering.
     
    This branch of the US Marines had been authorized by the US Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 30, 1942. The law allowed for the acceptance of women into the reserve as commissioned officers and at the enlisted level—effective for the duration of the war plus six months. The purpose of the law was to release officers and men for combat and to replace them with women in shore stations. The result was that between 1943 and 1945 the women of America enlisted in the thousands to “Free a Marine to Fight.”
     
    This book, the first of its kind, explores in detail the role of female Marines, or WRs as they were known at the time. It also presents a detailed study of the uniforms of the WRs supported by numerous photographs.
     
    This book has been written with the full support of the US Marine Corps Histories Division, the Women Marine Association, and surviving WR veterans.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateSep 30, 2017
    ISBN9781526710475
    U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve: 'They Are Marines': Uniforms and Equipment in World War II
    Author

    Jim Moran

    Born in 1954 in Sheffield, England, JIM MORAN lives in Yorkshire with his wife and daughter. Following a grammar school education, Jim has had a forty-year-long career as a civil engineering surveyor working on major highway and airbase construction projects, both in the UK and overseas. Jim has been a student of the history of the United States Marine Corps, massing a huge collection over the past forty years. He has assisted Hollywood productions on uniform and equipment details for Flags of our Fathers, The Pacific (HBO mini-series) and Windtalkers. Jim is an associate member of the Second Marine Division Association, US Marine Raider Association, Marine Corps Association, and US Marine Corps League as well as being the 'on-board ' historian to the US Marine Corps League, Det 1088 (UK).

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    • 5/5
      Excellent book of reference regarding the Marine Corps Women's Reserve. Well organized and fun to read. I definitely recommend to anyone wishing to know about this organization.

    Book preview

    U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve - Jim Moran

    U.S. MARINE CORPS

    WOMEN’S RESERVE

    ‘THEY ARE MARINES’

    ‘These female Marines are part of the Marine Corps Reserve,

    itself part of the United States Marine Corps, and therefore

    THEY ARE MARINES

    and will be referred to as such by all at all times.’

    Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb, Commandant, USMC

    U.S. MARINE CORPS

    WOMEN’S RESERVE

    ‘THEY ARE MARINES!’

    THE USMCWR IN WORLD WAR II

    JIM MORAN

    FOREWORD BY NANCY WILT, UNITED STATES MARINE 1970–1982

    FRONTLINE BOOKS

    An imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd

    Yorkshire - Philadelphia

    First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Frontline Books

    An imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd

    Yorkshire - Philadelphia

    Copyright © Jim Moran, 2018

    2018 Hardback ISBN 978-1-52671-045-1

    2019 Paperback ISBN 978-1-52674-905-5

    eISBN 978-1-52671-047-5

    Mobi ISBN 978-1-52671-046-8

    The right of Jim Moran to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

    A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.

    Designed and typeset by Ian Hughes, www.mousematdesign.com

    For more information on our books, please visit

    www.frontline-books.com, email info@frontline-books.com

    For a complete list of Pen & Sword titles please contact

    PEN & SWORD BOOKS LTD

    47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2AS, England

    E-mail: enquiries@pen-and-sword.co.uk

    Website: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk

    Or

    PEN AND SWORD BOOKS

    1950 Lawrence Rd, Havertown, PA 19083, USA

    E-mail: Uspen-and-sword@casematepublishers.com

    Website: www.penandswordbooks.com

    CONTENTS

    Dedication

    Acknowledgements

    Foreword by Nancy Wilt

    Introduction

    1. US Marine Corps Women’s Reserve

    Training of Women Reservists – Officer Training – Recruit Training – Clothing Instructions – Transfer to New River – Troop Trains – ‘Hometown’ Platoons – Training at Camp Lejeune – Specialist Training – Promotion from the Ranks – Reserve Officer Class

    2. Jobs and Job Assignments

    Job Classification – Promotion – Jobs in Aviation

    3. Administration and Policies

    Cooperation with the Women’s Services – Policy about Assignment and Housing – Assistants for the Women’s Reserve – Policy about Women’s Authority – Changing Policy on Marriage

    4. Specialist Units and Decorations

    The Women’s Reserve Band – Quantico’s Drill Team – Decorations Awarded to Women Marines

    5. Hawaii Duty

    Selection of Women for Overseas Duty – Advance Party – Staging Area and Arrival in Hawaii

    6. Demobilisation

    Strength at End of the War – Last Days of the Wartime Reserve

    Chronology – USMCWR

    THE UNIFORMS

    HEADWEAR

    ACCESSORIES

    APPENDIX 1. Quartermaster Photographs

    APPENDIX 2. Jobs in Which Women Marines Were Assigned During WWII

    APPENDIX 3. Buttons

    APPENDIX 4. Memo to Lillian Sandy

    APPENDIX 5. Uniforms and Accessories, MCWR – Issues and Quantities Contracted

    APPENDIX 6. Uniforms and Accessories, MCWR – Required Items

    APPENDIX 7. Uniforms and Accessories, MCWR – List of Specifications

    APPENDIX 8. Uniform Regulations 1943

    APPENDIX 9. Uniform Regulations 1945

    ‘THEY ARE MARINES’

    THE USMC WOMEN’S RESERVE IN WORLD WAR II

    In memory of

    LILLIAN SANDY MITTELSDORF

    And all the women of America who ‘freed a Marine to fight’

    SEMPER FIDELIS

    Lillian Marie Sandy (Mittelsdorf)

    Lillian enlisted into the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve in Kansas City, Missouri, on 19 November 1943 at the age of 20. She attended induction and recruit training (boot camp) at Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina, after which she was assigned to Motor Transport School (MTS) for truck driving and automotive mechanic’s training. On completion of this training, Lillian was assigned as an assistant driving instructor.

    It was whilst stationed at Lejeune that Lillian met Joe Mittelsdorf, a welding instructor at the MTS. They became good friends and would eventually marry in August of 1947. When permission was granted for Marine WRs to serve outside continental USA, Lillian volunteered for overseas duty and was assigned as Secretary in the Motor Transport Division and driver to the MTD Colonel in charge, Pearl Harbor, HI.

    Lillian was stationed at Pearl Harbor for the remainder of the war, was transferred to Marine Air Base, El Toro, CA in 1945 and was honourably discharged on 28 December 1945.

    Enlistment notification sent to Lillian’s parents

    Joe and Lillian on a rare day off at Lejeune; both are in winter service dress

    Uniform of the day at MTS was always work dungarees! WR dungarees were too lightweight for mechanic work so Lillian was issued men’s dungarees, as were all the WRs in MTS

    On a rare occasion, Lillian gets to wear her winter service uniform at Lejeune

    Lillian with her best friend at MTS Camp Lejeune – both wear women’s shirts with men’s dungaree trousers and garrison caps

    ‘Welcome to Hawaii’ – Lillian, like all the other WRs, received a lei greeting as she disembarked from the transport ship

    Lillian at last gets to wear her summer dress whites in Hawaii

    On Hawaii, summer dress whites was the uniform of the day

    Photo of Lillian carried by Joe through the Pacific (the bracelet Lillian is wearing was made for her by Joe)

    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

    Once again, as in my previous books, many people have given of their valuable time in the production of this book. In particular, I would like to thank the following:

    First and foremost, much of the detailed information on the Women’s Reserve in World War II was provided from the 1968 Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, US Marine Corps, by Lieutenant Colonel Pat Meid, USMCR. Also from Headquarters, US Marine Corps is the Quartermaster General’s History of the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, MCWR Uniforms and Accessories, September 1945. These detailed reports were supplied by Nancy Wilt of the Women Marines Association. Nancy is also keeper of the Women of the Corps Collection and has provided a great deal of her valuable time in accommodating and feeding me, my wife and daughter, and allowing me to photograph many rare WR items.

    Thanks also go to the Marine Corps Histories Division, Quantico, Virginia, and to Owen Connor, Uniforms and Heraldry Curator, National Museum of the Marine Corps. To the Alfred M. Gray Marine Corps Research Center (GRC), Quantico, VA, and, in particular, Mike Miller, for providing many of the period photographs.

    Special thanks go to Major ‘Rick’ Spooner, USMC (Ret.) for his long-lasting support for my efforts; to Captain Ned Wilt, USMC (Ret.) – long-suffering husband of Nancy – for keeping us fed, watered and entertained throughout our stay with them; to Joe and Carol Mittelsdorf for sharing their memories of their wife and mother Lillian Sandy; and to Lillian herself for sharing her times as a woman Marine in WWII (guard those streets well Marine).

    Finally, I would like to thank Mike Allen, USMC (Ret.), founder Commandant US Marine Corps League, Detachment 1088 (UK) for his help and encouragement in researching this book.

    ‘I wish you all fair winds and following seas.’

    Production was by Gavin Douse, modelling and photography by Tara Moran, David Massey and Margaret Moran.

    My thanks to all.

    Semper Fi

    Jim Moran

    FOREWORD

    A generation of Americans has grown to maturity largely unaware of the political, social and military implications of World War II – a war that, more than any other, brought all of us Americans together with a common purpose.

    American women had served with distinction in the US Marine Corps, US Navy and the US Coast Guard during World War I, and their superior service proved that women could be major assets in times of war and conflict. Women Marines in WWI held the name of United States Marine Corps Reserve Female (USMCRFs).

    At the end of the war the US military discharged their women – perhaps believing that the war ‘to end all wars’ would allow them to return to hearth and home. However, the wartime service of American women in the nation’s military, as well as in manufacturing, business, education and so on helped to ensure the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in 1920.

    In World War II, the majority of women’s services in the United States were formed, starting in mid-1942, as auxiliaries to the male services. The Marine Corps opened recruiting for women on 13 February 1943 but, unlike their sister services, they did not create an auxiliary, nor did they have a modified or catchy name, like the WAVES of the United States Navy, the WACs of the United States Army or the SPARS of the United States Coast Guard. Women who joined the Corps were United States Marines, sharing 168 years of tradition and esprit de corps with their male counterparts.

    An unknown Marine in World War II was quoted as describing the women of the United States Marine Corps Women’s Reserve (USMCWR) as ‘the smallest sorority in the biggest fraternity in the world’. That small sorority of 1940s women who volunteered, earned the title Marine and then worked in over 225 occupational fields, filling positions that allowed the critically needed manpower, planes and equipment to

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