diff --git a/src/wscript b/src/wscript
index 22b343d0e..3c85d4d26 100644
--- a/src/wscript
+++ b/src/wscript
@@ -83,13 +83,14 @@ def configure(conf):
 
 
 def create_ns3_module(bld, name, dependencies=()):
-    module = bld.new_task_gen('cxx')
+    module = bld.new_task_gen('cxx', 'cc')
     module.name = 'ns3-' + name
     module.target = module.name
     module.add_objects = ['ns3-' + dep for dep in dependencies]
     module.module_deps = list(dependencies)
     if not module.env['ENABLE_STATIC_NS3']:
         module.env.append_value('CXXFLAGS', module.env['shlib_CXXFLAGS'])
+        module.env.append_value('CCFLAGS', module.env['shlib_CXXFLAGS'])
     elif module.env['CXX_NAME'] in ['gcc', 'icc'] and \
             os.uname()[4] == 'x86_64' and \
             module.env['ENABLE_PYTHON_BINDINGS']:
@@ -97,8 +98,10 @@ def create_ns3_module(bld, name, dependencies=()):
         # when gcc is present and only when we want python bindings
         # (it's more efficient to not use this option if we can avoid it)
         module.env.append_value('CXXFLAGS', '-mcmodel=large')
+        module.env.append_value('CCFLAGS', '-mcmodel=large')
         
     module.env.append_value('CXXDEFINES', "NS3_MODULE_COMPILATION")
+    module.env.append_value('CCDEFINES', "NS3_MODULE_COMPILATION")
     return module
 
 def create_obj(bld, *args):
diff --git a/wscript b/wscript
index 6295c6299..f9bb09b95 100644
--- a/wscript
+++ b/wscript
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ def dist_hook():
 
 def set_options(opt):
     # options provided by the modules
+    opt.tool_options('compiler_cc')
     opt.tool_options('compiler_cxx')
     opt.tool_options('cflags')
 
@@ -236,6 +237,7 @@ def configure(conf):
     conf.env['NS3_OPTIONAL_FEATURES'] = []
 
     conf.env['NS3_BUILDDIR'] = conf.blddir
+    conf.check_tool('compiler_cc')
     conf.check_tool('compiler_cxx')
     conf.check_tool('cflags')
     try:
@@ -388,6 +390,10 @@ def configure(conf):
         conf.env.append_value('CXXDEFINES', "ENABLE_GSL")
         conf.env.append_value('CCDEFINES', "ENABLE_GSL")
 
+    # for compiling C code, copy over the CXX* flags
+    conf.env.append_value('CCFLAGS', conf.env['CXXFLAGS'])
+    conf.env.append_value('CCDEFINES', conf.env['CXXDEFINES'])
+
     # append user defined flags after all our ones
     for (confvar, envvar) in [['CCFLAGS', 'CCFLAGS_EXTRA'],
                               ['CXXFLAGS', 'CXXFLAGS_EXTRA'],