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Rank Insignia
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Enlisted WAC Personnel
Enlisted WAC personnel wore the grade insignia
(in the same manner as prescribed for enlisted men of the Army) on both
sleeves of their overcoats, utility coats, jackets (wool field and service),
shirtwaists and additionally on WAC off-duty dresses. |
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WAC Officers
Officer's rank insignia were worn on the shoulder loops of jackets
(service and field), coats, shirtwaists and off-duty dresses. Additionally
a rank pin was worn on the left front of garrison caps. |
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Service Stripes
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Enlisted Women were authorized to wear a service stripe for each
period of 3 years Federal Service, under the same regulation as apllied
to enlisted men.
Service of enlisted women in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC)
was counted in computing the 3-year period required to establish eligibility.
Left: Sleeve of an enlisted woman's
uniform with one diagonal service stripe and three overseas stripes sewn
above. |
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Overseas Stripes
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WAC personnel could wear gold stripes on the
lower left sleeve of their service jacket.
Each stripe indicated a 6 months period
of serving overseas.
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Overseas stripes made of
gold embroidery
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Overseas stripes made of
gold colored braid
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Placement of sleeve stripes
above
the sleeve braid
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Placement of sleeve stripes
on the
wool field jacket (Ike jacket)
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Sleeve Patches
WAAC and WAC personnel could wear a sleeve
patch on their left upper sleeve of their service and field jacktes, overcoats,
utility coats, raincoats and waists to indicate the Army force to which
they were assigned. The Army was divided in three forces, the Army Service
Force, the Army Air Force and the Army Ground Force. Only very few WAACs/WACs
served with the Army Ground Forces. The patch could be that of a General
Headquarters or a special higher-level formation or command.
To make a complete and accurate survey of all
sleeve patches worn by WACs, one would have to possess all the unit assignment
and attachment orders of all WAC personnel during World War II. This would
be an impossible task. Many orders were destroyed or captured by enemy
offenses (i.e., Japanese advance in the Philippines, German counterattacks
at Anzio and the Ardennes, etc.). Furthermore, many orders were destroyed
during the war or accidentally burned during the 1973 loss of personnel
records at the St. Louis depository in postwar America. In other words,
in most cases, the required orders simply no longer exist. http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/fire-1973.html
In the following, some examples of United States
Army Sleeve Patches
General Headquarters
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Examples of some headquarters patches
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| China-Burma-India
(CBI) Headquarters: |
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The original mission
of the China-Burma-India (CBI) Headquarters was to increase the effectiveness
of U.S. assistance to China and to assist in improving the efficiency of
the Chinese Army. The design of the presented patch had been in use since
1942 but was not officially approved before November 1944. |
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| ETOUSA
(Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, United States Army): |
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The ETOUSA
prepared and carried on operations in the ETO against the Axis powers and
their allies under strategical directives of the combined U.S.-British
Chiefs of Staff. After formation of the SHAEF in February 1944 the ETOUSA
became primarily responsible for the administration and supply of
U.S. troops. The first design patch was approved in September 1943. Due
to the change of task a revised design adopting the Army Service Forces
insignia was approved in February 1944. |
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| SHAEF
(Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force): |
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The primary
mission of the SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force)
was to enter the continent of Europe and in conjunction with the other
United Nations, undertake operations aimed at Germany and the destruction
of her armed forces. |
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Air Forces
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Service Commands
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If you search for more information and more
examples of U.S. Army soulder sleeve insignia take a look at this great
homepage compiled by Dr. Howard G. Lanham: http://www.angelfire.com/md2/patches/branchI.html
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