Global InformationMerlinettes information
| Women's Signal Corps | |
|---|---|
| Corps Féminin des Transmissions | |
 Merlinettes during Operation Dragoon, the landing in Provence, August 1944 | |
| Active | 1942–45 |
| Country |  France |
| Allegiance |  Free France |
| Branch | Signal Corps |
| Size | 1,095 (April 1944) |
| Nickname(s) | Merlinettes |
| Engagements |
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| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Colonel Merlin |
Merlinettes was the colloquial name given to the women of the Corps Féminin des Transmissions (CFT, "Women's Signal Corps") of the French army during World War II.
The Merlinettes took part in most campaigns of the Liberation of France, from the landing in Provence to the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine as well as the Italian campaign. Their nickname was derived from Colonel Merlin, the creator of the corps who formed the unit in French Algeria during the winter of 1942.
In April 1944 about 1,095 women were serving in the Corps reaching a peak by the end of the war of over 2,000. They are considered the first female soldiers of the French army.