History of Sorts

Mildred Elizabeth Gillars (November 29, 1900 – June 25, 1988), commonly known as “Axis Sally,” was an American broadcaster who worked for Nazi Germany during World War II. Broadcasting from Berlin for German state radio, she delivered English-language propaganda aimed at American troops and civilians. After the war she was captured in Berlin, returned to the United States, and in 1949 was convicted of treason.

During World War II, both the Allied and Axis powers used radio extensively as a propaganda tool. Much of this broadcasting targeted domestic audiences, but some programs were designed specifically for enemy soldiers and civilians. To increase credibility and psychological impact, both sides often employed native speakers to address opposing forces directly. These broadcasters attempted to spread disinformation, undermine morale, and create doubt among enemy listeners. Some became well-known wartime figures, and several were later arrested and prosecuted as traitors after the conflict ended.

Among the Americans who broadcast for Nazi Germany, none became more notorious than Mildred Gillars. Born in Maine, she worked as a stage actress and former Broadway performer before moving to Berlin in 1934. After the outbreak of war she remained in Germany and eventually found work with Radio Berlin in 1940. She soon became a prominent voice in Nazi propaganda aimed at American soldiers. Broadcasting under the name “Midge,” she hosted the program Home Sweet Home, but American servicemen gave her the infamous nickname “Axis Sally.”

Gillars’ broadcasts adopted a conversational and sympathetic tone, yet their purpose was psychological warfare. One of her common tactics was to refer to American soldiers’ wives and girlfriends and question whether they would remain faithful while the men were fighting overseas—particularly if the soldiers returned home wounded or disabled. Prior to the Allied invasion of France in 1944, she also appeared in a radio drama titled Vision of Invasion, in which she portrayed an American mother whose son dies during the invasion. The program was intended to discourage Allied troops by portraying the invasion as futile and tragic.

Despite these efforts, the propaganda often failed to have its intended effect. Many American soldiers listened to the broadcasts primarily for entertainment, finding them exaggerated or humorous. Nevertheless, the U.S. government regarded Gillars’ activities as treasonous.

At the end of the war, American authorities began searching for her. The U.S. Attorney General sent prosecutor Victor C. Woerheide to Berlin to locate and arrest Gillars. Working with Counterintelligence Corps agent Hans Wintzen, investigators followed leads that eventually pointed to a woman using the alias “Barbara Mome.” When a second-hand shop owner was found selling furniture that had belonged to Gillars, he revealed her address after interrogation. Gillars was arrested in Berlin on March 15, 1946. When taken into custody, she asked only to bring with her a photograph of Max Otto Koischwitz, a German foreign service officer with whom she had been romantically involved.

Gillars had been held by the Counterintelligence Corps at Camp King in Oberursel alongside other collaborators, including Herbert John Burgman and Donald S. Day. Although she was temporarily released from custody in December 1946, she chose to remain in detention. She was formally re-arrested on January 22, 1947, at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice, and was transported to the United States on August 21, 1948 to face trial.

She was indicted on September 10, 1948 on ten counts of treason, though only eight counts were pursued in court. Her trial began on January 25, 1949. Prosecutors relied heavily on recordings of her broadcasts that had been monitored and preserved by the Federal Communications Commission in Silver Hill, Maryland. These recordings demonstrated her active participation in propaganda efforts against the United States. Evidence was also presented showing that she had taken an oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler.

Gillars’ defense argued that her broadcasts expressed unpopular opinions but did not constitute treason. Her lawyers also claimed that she had acted under the psychological influence of Koischwitz and had not been fully responsible for her actions until after his death. On March 10, 1949, the jury convicted Gillars on a single count of treason related to the broadcast of Vision of Invasion. She was sentenced to 10 to 30 years in prison and fined $10,000. A federal appeals court upheld the sentence in 1950.

Gillars served her sentence at the Federal Reformatory for Women in Alderson, West Virginia. Although she became eligible for parole in 1959, she did not apply until 1961 and was released on June 10 of that year after serving roughly twelve years.

While imprisoned, Gillars converted to Roman Catholicism. After her release she moved to the Our Lady of Bethlehem Convent in Columbus, Ohio, where she taught German, French, and music at St. Joseph Academy. In 1973 she returned to Ohio Wesleyan University to complete her degree.

Mildred Gillars died of colon cancer at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, on June 25, 1988.

sources

Mildred Gillars (a.k.a. ‘Axis Sally’) in WWII

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_Gillars

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct4xhd

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/axis-sally-and-art-propaganda-180970327/