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the theatre headquarters.  The second shipment, which landed in England 20 July 1943, was immediately assigned to the Eighth Air Force, and thus become the first WAC unit to serve with air forces abroad.  Both these groups were made up largely of women drawn directly from the WAC training centers.  In November of 1943 the WAC unit destined for duty with AAF units in North Africa - and, later, Italy - arrived in Africa.  This unit was drawn from WAC field units in this country, and thus included some AAF WAC personnel.

The system which the War Department had by this time established for supply of Wacs overseas called for making up each overseas shipment by drawing a portion of the required personnel from each of the three major commands - Air, Ground, and Service Forces - according to the proportion of Wacs then serving in each of the commands.  This system at least provided that all Wacs sent overseas had received practical training and experience with field units in this country, but Air Forces believed that it did not take full advantage of the training and knowledge Wacs had acquired in each command, since under it a WAC skilled in AAF administrative procedures might well be assigned to an ASF unit abroad, or a WAC skilled in ASF procedures might be sent to an AAF unit abroad.

Accordingly, Air Forces recommended to the War Department (1) in November, 1943, that Air Forces supply all Wacs destined


1. Memorandum from Commanding General, AAF, to Chief of Staff (G-1 Division), subject: Allocation of WAC Personnel for Foreign Duty Assignment with the AAF, dated 19 November 1943.  As


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