Below I have listed reference material
about the USMCWR that might be useful for all who want to get more information.
Many of these sources I have used for the background information presented
on this website. This list is not meant to be a complete arrangement. I'm
still searching for more and I would be very happy about everyone who can
recommend further interesting material.
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Official Sources
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.
United States Marine Corps Women's
Reserve, MCP 117944, 10-28-43 50M.
.
Women of America by the U.S. Marines Corps
produced by Milwaukee Advertising Club
.
Be A Marine ... Free a Marine to fight, U.S.
Marine Corps Women's Reserve, MCP 110340, 1-25-43 100M.
.
Personal Facts, MCPB 115471, 8-27-43 200M.
So Proudly We Serve, MCPB 120646 1-18-44
100M. |
.. |
Many different recruiting
brochures were distributed to encourage women to join the Marines Women's
Reserve during WWII.
These official brochures give much information
about purposes of the Women Marines, requirements for joining, payment
etc.
The content of some recruitment
brochures are represented online here:
Women
Veterans Historical Collection |
| . |
|
|
Application forms consisting
of:
Application for Marines Corps Women's Reserve
(NMC
51 A&1)
Report of Physical Examination (NMC 54
A&1)
Information concerning the Aptitude Test
(NMC 55a A&1)
General Information |
|
These application forms give detailed
information about how to join the Marines Corps Women's Reserve. They contain
several questions about the applicant, her personal data, vocational experience,
physical health, etc. Especially interesting is the information about
the aptitude tests which presents several examples of the kind of questions
that would be asked. |
.
Articles, Magazines, Books
.
 Meet
Molly Marine by PFC Barbara E. Bristol, MCWR, Obrana Press (1945) |
. |
Cartoon about the Women
Marines. Main character Molly caricatures many experiences of the daily
life of female Marines. Funny and interesting to read. |
| . |
|
|
 Ladies
in Uniform
by Margaret Sprague,
Acwell Press (1943) |
. |
A complete guide to
the women's services in the Armed Forces of the United States (WAC, WAFS,
Waves, Marines Reserve, Spars). Detailed information about their purposes,
recruiting requirements, payment, uniforms etc. with the intention to encourage
more women to become ladies in uniform. |
| . |
|
|
 Life
Magazine,
March 27, 1944 |
|
This issue contains an article
about Women Marines. It shows examples of the various jobs women performed
and includes an overview of uniforms. |
| . |
|
|
.
 |
.. |
A Guide to US Navy Insignia including U.S.
Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard by Thomas Penfield, Whitman Publishing
Company (1944) |
|
|
Navy, Marine and Coast
Guard insignia presented in over 300 colored illustrations. Additionally,
short uniform description (including the women's organizations WAVES, Spars,
NNC, Marine Corps Women's Reserve) |
.
.
.
History Books
.
 Free
A Marine To Fight: Women Marines in World War II by Colonel Mary V.
Stremlow, U.S. Marines Corps Reserve (Ret), Marine Corps Historical Center
(1994) |
.. |
Detailed history of
women Marines in World War II with many excellent wartime black and white
pictures.
The book is published online
here:
http://www.nps.gov/wapa/indepth/extContent/usmc
/pcn-190-003129-00/index.htm |
| . |
|
|
| Marine Corps Women's
Reserve in World War II by Lieutenant Colonel Pat Meid, USMCR, (1962,
revised 1968) |
|
Very detailed history of women
Marines during WWII with all information derived from official records
and appropriate published and manuscript sources.
The book is published online
here:
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate
/usmchist/women.txt |
| . |
|
|
| Women Marines: The World War II Era by
Peter A Soderbergh, ISBN-13: 9780275941314 (1992) |
|
Study about the interesting recollections
of 146 Women Reservists who served in the US Marine Corps during World
War II who were surveyed by Peter Soderbergh. |
| . |
|
|
 In
Defense of a Nation - Servicewomen in World War II by Major General
Jeanne M. Holm, USAF
(Ret.), Vandamere Press, ISBN 0-918339-43-X
(1998) |
|
This book contains
excellent overviews of several WWII women's organization (like WAVES, SPARS,
WAC, ANC, NNC, WASP, Women Marines) illustrated with nice black and white
photographs. |
| . |
|
|
 USMC
Uniforms & Equipment 1941-1945 by Bruno Alberti, Histoire and Collections,
ISBN-10: 2915239991 (2007) |
|
This uniform reference book contains
original B&W period photos as well as modern color photographs. A thirteen
page chapter about the USMCWR is included. |
| . |
|
|
 Dressed
for Duty. America's Women in Uniform 1898-1973 (Volume One) by Jill
Halcomb Smith, R. James Bender Publishing, ISBN 0-912138-85-8 (2004) |
|
The two volumes about
women's organizations of the last century cover all military branches and
especially give interesting details about several mostly forgotten civilian
organizations.
They contain many original photographs and
some color pictures of uniform items.
The chapter about the Women
Marines is in Volume 1. |
| . |
|
|
 World
War II Allied Women’s Services by Martin Brayley, Osprey Publishing,
ISBN 1-84176-053-06 (2001) |
. |
Short overview about
allied women's services of WWII (from the USA: WAAC/WAC, WAVES, Marines
Reserve, Spars). It contains colored drawings of different uniforms in
addition to black and white photos. The chapter about women Marines is
very short. |
.
Memoirs and Novels
.
 A
Few Good Women: Memoirs of a World War II Marine by Inga Fredriksen
Ferris
ISBN 1401049818 (2002) |
.. |
The memoirs of Inga
Fredriksen Ferris give an interesting and detailed insight in her
daily life as women Marine during World War II. |
| . |
|
|
 Women
Marine: A Memoir of a Woman who joined the U.S. Marine Corps in World War
II to "Free a Marine to Fight" by Theresa Karas Yianilos
ISBN 0-962114-24-x (1994) |
|
Autobiographical story of a young
girl who joined the USMCWR in 1943 and who experienced what it really meant
to "free a Marine to fight". Including many interesting historical background
information and a list of Marine Corps Language, Slang and Navy words. |
.
.
.
 Free
a Man to Fight! Women Soldiers of Word War II by Mindy Pomper &
RYS Productions (1999) |
. |
Great video that features
rare archival footage interwoven with intimate interviews of women who
served in the military during WWII. It includes several interviews with
former members of the Marines Women's Reserve.
Unfortuntaley, the documentary contains a
few mistakes. More information about these inaccuracies can be found here |
| . |
. |
. |
 Women
At War - from the home front to the front lines by 'V for Victory',
Atlas Video Inc. (1991) |
. |
This documentary
consists mainly of original newsreel stories to detail the vital contributions
made by women during World War II, going from the factories to the battlefields.
Covers WAC, Army Nurses, WAVES, Marines Women's Reserve, Navy Nurses, Cadet
Nurses, etc. |
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.
.
Women
Marines Association
|
|
Website of the female Marines
veterans association.
Nice uniform pictures and additional information
about the Women Marines can be found on the internet page of
Edith Macias Vann, member of the Women Marines
Association.
http://members.tripod.com/womenmarines
/uniforms_2.htm |
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World
War II Timeline
|
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This website about World War II
has an interesting article about the first women Marines overseas. |
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Women Veterans
Historical Collection
|
. |
The Women Veterans Historical
Collection documents the female experience in the Armed Forces through
letters, papers, photographs, published materials, uniforms, medals and
oral histories. Impressive and most informative website! |
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[ I. Development
] [ II. Facts about the USMCWR ] [
III. Uniforms ] [ IV. Sources ]
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