Mildred Gillars
Mildred Gillars, later known infamously as "Axis Sally," was an American woman who became a radio propagandist for Nazi Germany during World War II. Her life and actions remain one of the more controversial and dramatic examples of treason in American history, blending personal ambition, ideological manipulation, and the dark intricacies of wartime psychology.
Mildred was born on November 29, 1900, in Portland, Maine. After her parents divorced, her mother remarried, and the family relocated to Ohio. She later attended Ohio Wesleyan University, where she studied dramatic arts, but she never completed her degree. Driven by dreams of becoming an actress, she traveled extensively in her early adult years, living in various parts of the United States and eventually moving abroad.
In 1929, she left for Europe, first settling in France before moving to Germany in 1934. Her relocation was driven more by a desire to pursue an artistic career than by political ideology, and she worked for a time as an English teacher and did some acting. Eventually, she found a position at the German State Radio in Berlin, where she initially hosted programs aimed at English-speaking audiences. These early broadcasts were largely apolitical, focused on culture and music.
However, when the war broke out and Nazi propaganda efforts intensified, Gillars’ role at the station changed dramatically. Under the direction of Joseph Goebbels’ Ministry of Propaganda, she became the voice of English-language psychological warfare against American troops. Her broadcasts were designed to undermine morale, instill homesickness, and spread fear and doubt among Allied soldiers. Using a soft, soothing voice, she frequently mocked the United States government, claimed infidelity among soldiers’ wives and girlfriends, and painted a picture of hopelessness and inevitable defeat. These broadcasts earned her the nickname “Axis Sally” among American troops.
While she claimed after the war that she was coerced into her role, evidence showed she had actively participated in developing scripts and content for her shows. One of her most infamous programs, “Home Sweet Home,” was particularly manipulative, mixing sentimental music with demoralizing commentary. In one particularly egregious episode, she portrayed the fictional story of an American soldier whose mother was dying at home while he was stranded in Europe, unable to return—a message clearly intended to foster guilt and emotional vulnerability.
As the war neared its end and the Nazi regime collapsed, Gillars remained in Germany. She was captured in 1946 by American authorities and extradited to the United States to face charges of treason. Her trial began in 1949 in Washington, D.C. The prosecution presented recordings of her broadcasts as evidence, and testimony highlighted her deep involvement in the propaganda efforts. She was convicted on one count of treason and sentenced to ten to thirty years in prison.
Gillars served her sentence at the Federal Reformatory for Women in Alderson, West Virginia. She was paroled in 1961 after serving about twelve years. After her release, she lived quietly, eventually converting to Catholicism and teaching at a convent school in Columbus, Ohio. She spent her final years in relative obscurity and died in 1988 at the age of 87.
Her story remains a sobering reminder of how ordinary individuals can become instruments of propaganda in times of war, and how personal choices can lead to profound consequences in the context of global conflict.
