Manuel Noferini and Daniele Baggiani
Origins and Integration into the Fifth Army
The first WAC (Women’s Army Corps) personnel to serve with the Fifth Army landed in Naples in November 1943. Arriving from Mostaganem, Algeria, under the command of Lieutenant Cora M. Foster, the unit was designated as the 6669th WAC Headquarters Platoon. The detachment consisted of 10 switchboard operators, 7 general clerks, 16 typists, 10 stenographers, and one administrative clerk, along with cooks and personnel assigned to various other duties.
Assigned to Fifth Army Headquarters, in late January the small unit was split into two elements: a forward detachment and a rear echelon. The forward detachment would follow HQ movements throughout the Italian campaign, often operating in close proximity to the front lines. The platoon integrated seamlessly into the command structure: in an army that remained overwhelmingly male, its members proudly wore the green scarf of the major command and viewed themselves primarily as soldiers of the Fifth Army, and then as WACs.
Baptism of Fire and Mud in the Apennines
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- The camp at La Traversa (a hamlet in the municipality of Firenzuola, located on Highway 65 just past the Futa Pass)
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- WAC volunteers at La Traversa photographed in their camp for a feature published in Life magazine.
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- Christmas 1944
In October 1944, the volunteers arrived at La Traversa (a hamlet in the municipality of Firenzuola, located on Highway 65 just past the Futa Pass), the new site of Fifth Army Headquarters; they would remain there for approximately six months, precariously bivouacked in tents bogged down by mud and snow. At the end of December, in addition to the hardships of prohibitive weather conditions, they even came under air attack by the Luftwaffe, which bombed and strafed the camp, riddling the tents with holes but fortunately causing no casualties.
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- Fragment of a “Ladekopf” used during the attack on Fifth Army Headquarters and recovered near the site where the WACs were encamped. This device was used on Luftwaffe aircraft to synchronize the fuzing times of the submunitions being carried. Josephine C. Starnes’ son recalls: “one day she and a friend were walking along the main north-south road toward the mess tent when a German plane began strafing the road. To get out of the way, she and her friend Norma [likely Norma R. Reick] dove into the brush and landed in the mud of the drainage runoff from the shower tent. They looked up and saw the anti-aircraft fire putting on quite a show above them. Eventually, the German plane departed. She never knew if the GIs had shot the German down or not, but what made her angriest was that her silk stockings were ruined. She had just received them from home. The Army-issue ones were made of lisle and nylon.”
Media Impact and Decorations for Valor
The 6669th WAC Headquarters Platoon was among the most famous and photographed female units of the US Army: this was primarily due to the high degree of efficiency they demonstrated while on duty, often serving under grueling conditions and facing the same hazards as their male counterparts. However, their fame was also a result of General Clark’s forward-thinking public relations policy; he missed no opportunity to showcase his WACs to the press during guards of honor, social events (such as the Spaghetti Bowl played in Florence on January 1, 1945), or specially arranged photo sessions.
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- WAC enlisted personnel collar disc, recovered at La Traversa, in the vicinity of Fifth Army Headquarters.
The 6669th WAC Headquarters Platoon received a high number of decorations: the 83 volunteers who rotated through the platoon were awarded a total of 27 individual Bronze Stars and 54 Good Conduct Medals, in addition to the "5th Army Plaque with clasp" and the "Meritorious Service Unit Plaque" awarded at the unit level.
