In Defense of the Nation

During World War II, more than 450 members of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps were assigned to a secret experiment to create a coastal gun battery of both men and women to protect the Military District of Washington. Requested by General George C. Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff, and called Battery X, the effort mixed women into the ranks of the 71st and 89th Coastal Artillery Regiments, creating the first composite units. They graduated from the Anti-aircraft Artillery Command school in January 1943 and were assigned to gun batteries, searchlight units, and regimental headquarters. They trained extensively on the 90-mm Antiaircraft Gun M1 and the 40-mm Bofors Automatic Gun M1 (AA). The experiment ended in August 1943 because women were needed in other areas of service, but it showed that Army women could serve in antiaircraft units if needed. The story of Battery X was not declassified until the 1970s, and many of their experiences remain unknown.

Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia · United States