An Army in Skirts

About

About the Site

Hi. You found the companion site to the book An Army in Skirts! Search the Internet about World War II and you will find hundreds of books written about the men that were in the war. Do a search on the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp (WAAC), the women who served in it and how it became a part of the United States Army Corp and you will find relatively few. Very little has been written about the women that served in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp and how it became a part of the United States Army. Currated here for you is related content that supports Frances's historical journey as she travels through the war.

We are grateful to all of the contributors who provided materials and insights that helped to make this collaboration possible. Where possible we aim to use this platform to honor all those who supported the cause of liberty, espically women veterans.

About the Author

AN ARMY IN SKIRTS, is a collection of the letters written by a young woman to her family during World War II. Edna France DeBra was born and raised in a small town in Indiana called Danville. Her father worked at the Hendricks county newspaper, The Republican, and wrote a weekly column about life in a small town. Her mother was a court reporter for the county.

Edna "Frances" had aspirations of being a famous artist and after graduating from high school moved to the big city of Chicago. She attended the American Academy of Commercial Art and worked as a commercial artist for an Ad Agency studio.

Wanting to serve her country, she quit her job as an artist and worked in Western Electric as a radio tester until she could enlist in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp. She had Basic Training at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia and Fort Meade, South Dakota.

She re-enlisted when the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp became a part of the United States Army. She served at Marianna Army Air Field in Marianna, Florida and then was shipped overseas to London, England on the Queen Mary.

While in England she lived and worked through the “Buzz-Bombs” and slept in the London subway system at night. She frequently saw Admiral Stark, the commander of the General Headquarters for American Naval Forces in Europe.

Most women in the Women Army Corp held a limited range of job assignments: 35 percent worked as stenographers and typists, 26 percent were clerks, and 22 percent were in communications work. Only 8 percent were assigned jobs considered unusual for women: mechanics, draftsmen, interpreters and weather observers.

Edna "Frances" was a three stripe sergeant and worked as a draftsman, making items such as signs for the projected plans of the location of the troops after 10 days to 20 days. This information was classified as Top-Secret.

She was transferred to Paris, France two weeks after it was liberated and worked in G-3 which was the Headquarters for Special Troops in the European Theater of Operations. This was the highest American Headquarters in the European Theater of Operations. While in Paris she attended classes at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

At the Paris headquarters she saw General James Gavin of the 82nd Airborne Division and General Benjamin Davis the first black General. She served under Brigadier General George S. Eyster. One day she even met Gertrude Stein on the banks of the Seine River.

Edna "Frances" DeBra Brown met a young man from the Mississippi delta during the war and moved from the glamour of Chicago to the small town of Cleveland, MS. Her husband-to-be courted her in Paris and proposed on an observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. She formed friendships that have lasted a life time.