Class C Uniform Female Officer

Tunic & Skirt

The WAC Class C summer/tropical officers' uniform was styled identically to the temperate climate Class A rig, except that it was made from khaki cotton.

I don't think I've ever seen an original period Class C WAC uniform, other than occasionally advertised for silly prices on eBay. However, several online suppliers, notably Warhorse and Reproductions of History, carry this combination of jacket and skirt. Soldier Of Fortune also stock some items of WAC summer uniform. My wife recently purchased a summer tunic from SOF only to discover that it was actually a What Price Glory product, which explained why the tunic was at least one size larger than marked. It was so big across the shoulders that it could have fitted a rugby fullback! My wife sent it back for exchange and happily the replacement jacket, a full size smaller, was a far more reasonable fit. Please see my comments regarding WPG's uniform sizing in the section dealing with Class A uniforms for male officers. The tunic is actually well-made and accurately styled, but we would strongly recommend ordering it in a size smaller than your usual.

Shirt	A khaki shirt is the only correct one to wear with the WAC Class C summer/tropical uniform. Most online militaria retailers carry their own version of a khaki WAC officer shirt, but we have yet to find one that is of the correct pattern and colour, and that buttons right up to the neck to accommodate a tie. The best alternative discovered so far is actually a current-issue British Army woman officer's No.2 Dress shirt. These are available from several military surplus traders via ebay. At a fraction of the cost of the supposedly authentic replica uniform shirts from the specialist reproduction uniform retailers, they are at least the right colour, are available in a wide range of collar and bust size combinations, and are quite an acceptable compromise.

Cap	The khaki WAC garrison cap is the one most often worn with the Class C summer/tropical uniform. The best supplier we have found for the summer/tropical garrison cap is Soldier Of Fortune.

Tie	The same tan tie worn with the temperate uniform is also worn with the Class C summer/tropical rig.

Belt	This was the same pattern as worn with the temperate uniform. Again, my wife's example was purchased from Seal Military as part of one of their excellent uniform package deals.

Shoes	The correct shoes to wear with the Class C summer/tropical uniform are the same standard brown shoes as worn with the Class A uniform (see webpage for details).

Shoulder Bag	The correct shoulder bag to use with the Class C summer/tropical uniform is the same as carried with the Class A uniform, as sold by Seal Military and Soldier Of Fortune.

Insignia	WAC uniform insignia was essentially the same as that of the male branches of the US Army, with the exception of the very distinctive WAC branch-of-service lapel badges. A WAC who was serving with the USAAF, Signal Corps, Engineers, or any other service corps usually wore the lapel insignia of that corps. But WACs who were assigned in administrative roles to Infantry, Artillery or Armoured units wore the Pallas Athene insignia shown at left. Soldier Of Fortune is the only supplier that we know of who stocks the WAC lapel insignia. Click on the thumbnail at left for a guide as to the correct placement of badges and insignia. Shoulder patches were sewn on the left arm only, centred on an imaginary line from the shoulder seam to the cuff, the top of the patch being 1/2 inch from the shoulder seam. The patch was usually that of the parent formation to which the WAC officer was seconded. A number of WACs were assigned to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces (SHAEF), from where General Eisenhower commanded allied forces from D-Day until the end of the war.

Accessories	The devil is in the detail, as they say! Why not add this detail, in the form of replica ID cards and other ephemera, to your carefully recreated period ensemble? Soldier Of Fortune carry a small range of such paraphernalia.