A Blog About Women Who Were Homefront Heroines: the WAVES of World War II
The December 1943 WAVES News Letter featured stories on the different types of training women could pursue, such as this article on training in radio operation. Women would learn how to code messages and decode enemy transmissions.
The newsletter comes from the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
This week we’re going to be featuring stories from the December, 1943, edition of the WAVES News Letter. Love the snow-clad image on the cover!
The newsletter comes from the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
WAVES in training at the Aviation Gunnery School in Pensacola, Florida, operate the simulator that operates like the twin-moutn power turret used by Navy gunners in aerial action with the enemy. The women will later serve as instructors at training centers throughout the country.
The November 1943 photograph comes from the National Archives.
WAVES in training at the Aviation Gunnery School in Pensacola, Florida, learn the operation of the projectors used in synthetic gunnery training devices (an early version of virtual reality). The women will later serve as instructors at training centers throughout the country.
The November 1943 photograph comes from the National Archives.
A bit of WAVES humor for this Thanksgiving Day. We hope you enjoy the holiday with your family and friends.
The cartoon comes from the collection of Liane Rose Galvin.
WAVES at Pensacola, Florida, instruct Naval cadets in the proper use of oxygen equipment via a low pressure chamber. The unidentified WAVE in this photo mans the observation post. She communicates with those inside the chamber using the microphone.
The photograph comes from the National Archives.
The Iowave from November 26, 1943. Top headline of the day: the impressive support for War Bonds at the Yeoman training school at Iowa State Teacher’s College in Cedar Falls.
The photograph comes from the archives of Northern Iowa University.
WAVE recruits Mary Elizabeth Crockett (left) and Mary Elizabeth Nelson (right) are leaving San Diego for boot camp at Hunter College, the Bronx, New York, in November 1943.
The photograph comes from the National Archives.
WAVE Seaman Eloise Hare of Green Bay, Wisconsin, is in training for Yeomen at NTS Stillwater, Oklahoma. She’s the subject of admiring glances from the locals. The girls standing neatly at parade rest are Carolyn Whitney, Frema Ruth Harris, and Catherin Harris, all of Stillwater.
The photograph comes from the National Archives.
WAVE Link Trainer Operator Katherine Dillon uses a radio range chart on the Link flight simulation machine at NAS St. Louis. If the pilot becomes lost on the chart, Dillon points out his mistake.
The photograph comes from the National Archives.
Hinges of History 