Mollie's War: The Letters of a World War II WAC in Europe

by Mollie Weinstein Schaffer (Editor), Cyndee Schaffer (Editor), Jennifer G. Mathers (Editor)

The 150,000 women who served in the Women's Army Corps are now seen as the undersung heroes of the Second World War. This memoir describes the life of a WAC enlistee who would serve in England when it came under attack, France immediately after the Allied invasion, and Germany after VE Day. From her experience in basic training in Daytona Beach to the climactic moment when she saw the Statue of Liberty as her ship approached American shores upon her return home, this work provides a glimpse into the life of a woman in uniform during this crucial time in American history.

Genres: World War II, American History, Nonfiction, Memoir, History

291 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 2010

Reviews

[Mina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading about the lives of those who lived through WWII. In fact, I would have definitely joined up as a WAC/WAVE were I twenty years older. For these reasons I was interested in reading Mollie's War. I really wasn't interested in reading about her many, many, many dates! Or the fact that she was able to keep 3 beaus dangling at the same time - for months.
What saves this book is the "background notes" before many of the letter entries. That is where I learned some interesting facts.
A fast, light read. Entertaining at most.

[Ilean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as this lady had a few similar WWII experiences as my mother had. My mother was a nurse in the war. Several days after Day she along with other nurses, doctors, supplies etc. landed in Normandy. They set up medical care for all the wounded following the fighting several days behind all the way into Germany. My mom was there a year after the war ended to help nurse wounded fighting men, pows, and survivors of the Nazi camps. Mom also had a similar return to the United States after they left Europe.
It was all very interesting. But my mom didn’t mention any dating going on.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author was at the library and the program was so interesting, it made me want to read the book! And I was not disappointed. What a life these women led during this turbulent time in our country's history.

[Mollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and I am glad I read it. It didn't know very much about the Women's Army Corps, and the letters in this book painted a good picture of it. I have to admit, it was also kind of cool seeing my name (with the same spelling) in actual print!

[Karen Behrens · Rating 3 out of 5]

May 2024 Book Club

[Ivy Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had wanted to find some good reading material about the women who served in WWII. The fascination of the women who worked as codebreakers and spies has captured the world's attention; the proof being found in the numerous amount of inspired fiction that has been written in the last several years. And of course, the indispensable duty as nurses who went across seas and faced just as much danger as the men they cared for. However, I was interested in the actual military volunteer services for the Army as WACs (Women's Auxiliary Corps), the Navy as WAVEs (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) and the Air Force as WASPs (Women Air Force Service Pilots).

I was shocked at how little I was able to find about the women's military services, but Mollie's War was exactly the historical reading I've been wanting. Mollie Weinstein, a medical stenographer from Detroit Michigan, volunteered for the WACs in October of 1943. Through her carefully preserved letters to her family and friends, Mollie documents her entire war experience from basic training in Daytona Beach Florida to assisting in allied occupied Germany at the end of the war.

Journals were forbidden in the military so it was imperative that all letters sent back home were to be kept. It was the only way that the men and women overseas were able to chronicle their time in war. Mollie always desired to be a writer and she hoped that one day her letters would make an intriguing biography. While Mollie never actually finds herself in any danger, her life overseas, the people she met and history she witnessed made her time in the military remarkable.

Most of Mollie's time when she wasn't working was spent going on dates with numerous and eager soldiers. Fraternization was highly encouraged for the women in the military and some of these women were dating two to three men at a time. This was certainly the case for Mollie, who eventually finds herself caught in a fragile love triangle.

Mollie was oftentimes a prime point of contact to find family members whether in former Nazi occupied countries or who were also in the military. She never wasted any time to help anyone who needed her and she was an invaluable service to the people back at home who were desperate to know the whereabouts of their loved ones.

Mollie's War is exactly the book one may want to read if they have any interest in the life of WACs and their war service. Mollie's letters are lively, candid and always full of history that's waiting to be revealed. To see the war from a woman's POV was a eye-opening experience. Mollie may never have faced shell fire, but she saw the same destruction and depravity of Hitler's regime (this is especially personal because she's Jewish). Reading her memories that are fresh and full of life made WWII in Europe so much more real and personal.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mollie's War is a wonderful account of one remarkable woman's time spent as a WAC during WWII. That Mollie Weinstein left her comfortable home for the unknown world that awaited her in the army is amazing enough, but that she and thousands of other women were able to adapt to what were sometimes far less than ideal circumstances is a testament to the strength and resilience of not only her but of the women she served with during the war. Her lively and descriptive letters, which were censored by the army, give a wonderful picture of the fun they had living the best side of life of mainly Los Angeles, London and Paris of the 40s. But in the background was always the war and the story of hardship and suffering she experienced and witnessed in those and other war-torn parts of Europe. This is a well-told story that needed to be told. I thank Mollie for her service. I thank Mollie and her daughter, Cyndee, for the telling.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book of WAC's memoirs of WWII so much I that I ordered an autographed copy for myself. Very interesting details about life during the war in London, Normandy, Paris, and Germany.