More than 150,000 women served in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II. They filled critical roles ranging from clerical work and communications to intelligence, mechanics and logistics.
Q: I’m looking for records of my aunt’s service in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. Does the National Archives have these?
A: The answer is a big “maybe,” according to the National Archives. You can start your research and get some basic information by searching the World War II Army Enlistment Records, online in the Archives’ Access to Archival Databases. The index is also available on FamilySearch. These records include some 141,000 Women’s Army Corps (WAC) enlistees. But even if you find your aunt listed, her service record may not have survived a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. The blaze destroyed about 80 percent of the records for personnel discharged between Nov. 1, 1912, and Jan. 1, 1960.
But the NPRC may have a “B” registry file for your aunt—auxiliary sources used to reconstruct her military service record.
Answer contributed by David A. Frxyell
A version of this article appeared in the January/February 2015 issue of Family Tree Magazine. Last updated: June 2026
Further Resources for Researching WAC Servicemembers
Local newspapers are particularly valuable, as they often published articles about enlistments, training graduations, promotions and homecomings. Find local newspapers on websites like Newspapers.com, NewspaperArchive and OldNews.
Unit records can provide insight into a servicemember’s daily life and Fold3 has a free database of unit histories available in the “US, Women’s Army Corps (WAC), 1942–1978” collection.
The Library of Congress has several large collections of material related to WAC and the women who served in the American Women Manuscript Collection. Many women were also interviewed as part of its Veterans History Project.
Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America has many collections related to women servicemembers in the WAC. Check out their many research guides here.
Researchers should also look for records created after their service ended, including applications for military grave markers and membership records from veterans’ organizations.
Also check out the US Army Women’s Museum and its digital collections.
Contributed by Katharine Korte Andrew, June 2026.
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