Posted on 05/29/2011 8:38:26 PM PDT by Tea Party Reveler
AT LAST! - A BOOK ON "AXIS SALLY" THAT TELLS THE WHOLE STORY OF NAZI GERMANY'S RADIO PROPAGANDIST - MILDRED GILLARS' FAILED ACTING ASPIRATIONS LED HER TO A MICROPHONE IN WORLD WAR II BERLIN - AND ULTIMATELY TO A PRISON CELL IN THE USA - RARE GENUINE "TOPLESS" PHOTO OF "AXIS SALLY" INCLUDED IN BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS - CASEMATE PUBLISHERS DESERVES MUCH CREDIT FOR RELEASING THIS LANDMARK HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY
© 2011 MilitaryCorruption.com
When Richard Lucas of Short Hills, N.J. was a lad, he loved to listen to short-wave radio broadcasts. After he heard a recording of the "cultured" voice of Nazi propaganda queen "Axis Sally," he was hooked.
"I knew I needed to know more about her, and eventually, that interest led to my writing this book," he told MilitaryCorruption.com.
Lucas weaves a fascinating tale of a woman from Portland, Maine, whose failed theatrical aspirations on Broadway led her on a circuitous course to various countries in Europe, and finally to the city of Berlin.
"TOPLESS" PIX OF PROPAGANDA QUEEN QUITE A FIND
Mildred Gillars, born in 1900 and passed on 88 years later, wasn't exactly a babe, but she wasn't hard on the eyes, either. In fact, we don't know how they found it, but Casemate published a "topless" photo of Mildred, as she appeared as an artists' model in 1928. The photo is quite something, and a real "find" for that era.
"Axis Sally" was a certified radio star. American GI's tuned in to listen to her Park Avenue accent as well as the excellent swing records she interspersed with vile anti-Semitic propaganda, aimed primarily at President Franklin D Roosevelt.
With the Allied victory in Europe and the fall of Berlin, Gillars went into hiding, and wasn't taken into custody and put on trial until several years after the war ended.
It's interesting to note that Gillars thought of herself as a sort of "celebrity" and treated her WAC (Women Army Corps) guard as if she were a servant. In the final analysis, that sort of behavior didn't endear her to the jury, or anyone else in the courtroom. When her trial was over, Mildred was found guilty of treason and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In her final years behind bars, Gillars converted to Catholicism and spent her time teaching French and German in a Catholic academy.
CASEMATE PUBLISHERS HAS IMPRESSIVE BOOKLIST
We just recently discovered Casemate Publishers of Havertown, Pa. They have a very impressive list of military books and we urge all our readers to phone (610) 853-9131 or e-mail them at casemate@casemate publishing.com. They have some very interesting titles set to be released in the months ahead.
MCC will be reviewing more titles from their excellent list in the near future. Congratulations to them for having such a strong catalog of interesting and well-written books. They give St. Martin's press and other well-established military book publishers a run for their money.
The next WWII tome we will examine is on a famed American guerrilla leader in the Philippines. Be watching for that one.
Funny our news media would make Axis Sally and Goebles jealous at how great they are at propaganda.
Andrea Mitchell and Madcow learned from her.
Might be of interest ping
Andrea and Mancow must have studied Axis Sally intensely.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.