Making WAVES: Navy Women of World War II (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As in his previous collections (At Ease and Men of World War II), photographic historian Bachner has raided the National Archives for the work of the Naval Aviation Photographic unit-which included outstanding photographers like Edward Steichen, Harry Bristol, Charles Steinheimer and Dwight Long-whose mission it was to "visually describe the war to the American people." In 150 photos, this group of "New Realists" depict the working lives of the first women to join the U.S. Navy, the WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service). Taking readers into the training, transportation, work and down time of these women, it's clear that their efforts-as radio operators, aviation machinists, aircraft repairmen, public information officers, meteorological technicians and others-were taken seriously not just by the women themselves, but by the all-male team that documented them. As such, their photos convey beautifully the "We Can Do It!" spirit of the time, when sacrifice and service were expected of every American. In addition, Bachner's work in the National Archives allows him to include many of the women's names, deepening the connection one immediately feels with these skillful, revealing and charismatic portraits. This collection of little-seen photographs will undoubtedly make a valuable addition to anyone's WWII library.
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Product Description

In the spirit of his successful books At Ease and Men of WWII, Evan Bachner now focuses on the women of WWII. While traditionally female secretarial and clerical jobs took an expectedly large portion of recruits, thousands of WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service) performed previously atypical duties in the aviation community—such as Judge Advocate General corps—medical professions, communications, intelligence, science, and technology.

The photography team, headed by legendary photographer Edward Steichen, captured these heroic women at work, rest, and play. All the photos are from the National Archives and most have not been previously published.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Abrams (March 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810995239
• ISBN-13: 978-0810995239
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 10.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #699,841 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pulling together, March 26, 2008

By	Robin Benson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Edward Steichen, as Director of the Navel Photographic Institute during WW2, is the one to thank for these wonderful photos. He made a wise choice in choosing photographers like Wayne Miller, Howard Liberman or Charles Jacobs to record the Home Front military effort. Like the famous Farm Security Administration photos from the Depression years the images were made for use in civilian and military newspapers, magazines, posters or anywhere that would keep the patriotic spirit alive.

The 150 plus photos are in two sections: training and military work. They all put over a positive image especially the work ones though there are no WAVES with dirty hands or uniforms despite much of the work involving heavy machinery and many of photos are clearly posed to get the best effect. The first section of volunteers going off to camp, training and relaxing put across a message of comradeship and all pulling together (and still having a good time as five shots of a snowball fight at boot camp show).

The photos (in 175dpi) are presented one to a page with generous margins and nicely the captions are either under each photo or on the opposite page. The only thing missing from this interesting book is some background about the WAVES. The author reveals a little in her short intro but I had to go to Wikipedia to learn that this Navy section was part of a much larger ladies only military effort including the WAAC/WAC, ANC, NNC, USMCWR, PHS, SPARS, ARC and WASP (the website: Blitzkrieg Baby had plenty on uniforms, insignia and general background stuff).

Making Waves is a collection of wonderful no-nonsense photos that had to work at the time but now decades later their quality is still apparent.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful History, March 12, 2008

By	Elizabeth Watkins "Beth S. Watkins" (Yakima, Washington) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just received my copy of this book a few days ago and have been through it twice. It is a wonderful tribute to the women who served their country so honorably during the time of WWII. I just wish there was a pictoral story like this for my generation of WAVES in the early 60's!