Axis Sally: The American Voice of Nazi Germany (45 page)

HOME SWEET HOME

October 14, 1943

“Don’t forget kids, that Midge is just ticked to death to be at the microphone every night with her gang over in French North Africa. I’d just like to know if you could count on the fingers of one hand the Jewish boys who are fighting along with you. I doubt it very much. Well, think it over, gang, and don’t forget how many times I have pointed out it’s a Jewish war with good honest-to-God American Gentile blood being shed for it. Do you want to be on that side of the fence? Well, I don’t kids. Do think it over, will you?”

(Source: Transcript of Shortwave Broadcast “Home Sweet Home,”
October 14, 1943, FBI HQ Axis Sally files. College Park MD: NARA.)

HOME SWEET HOME

November 26, 1943

“Well, boys, I guess all of you have felt the same about some girl. Well, you’ve parted now, and you may dislike my repeating this to you, but it’s the truth, especially if you boys get all mutilated and do not return in one piece. I think then you’ll have a pretty tough time with your girl. Any girl likes to have her man in one piece, so I think in any case, you’ve got a pretty hard future ahead of you.”

(Source:
Berlin Calling
by John Carver Edwards. New York: Praeger, 1991, p. 91)

MEDICAL REPORTS

February 26, 1944

“And now folks, please standby for some medical reports giving you some information as to the present condition of wounded American fliers, shot down over Germany or German-occupied territory. I regret very much to have to inform two families in America at the beginning of this broadcast that I have two death messages. I regret also that I was unable to broadcast them sooner. In both cases, there was no home address given. The first concerns Sergeant Gene H. Munson, M-U-N-SO-N. I have no service number, no personal details about Sgt. Munson whatever, and I can only beg all of my American listeners to be good enough to see what they can do about getting this word… to the nearest of kin of Mr. Gene H. Munson, M-U-N-S-O-N. He had received injuries—had been shot as a matter of fact in the left knee and the right lower leg. He was admitted to hospital on New Year’s Eve, the 31st of December 1943, and died on the 2nd of January 1944, as a result of a malignant embolie.

And now, my second death message concerns Pilot George E. Jones. I fortunately have his service number – that may help somewhat in identifying him – it is 13022168T43. Mr. Jones was brought to hospital on the 26th of November 1943. His left upper leg had been completely crushed; he had received severe injuries to the right leg and his left hand was also totally crushed. He died on the 27th of November, 1943 and this report was made out by the doctors and went through on the 28th of November. Of course, you know that… ah… among flyers the pilot is the last one to bail out and so, of course, naturally the machine can be in… a terrible state by the time he gets his parachute on and is ready to make what in this case was a fatal jump. I’m sorry, very sorry that I haven’t the address of his parents and I do hope that they’ll get the news soon, although perhaps it’s better for them if the news is somewhat delayed.

Well folks, that’s what comes of this war of course… they’re coming in by the hundreds, these American boys, who day after day are flying over Germany in their terror raids trying to extinguish a whole race, killing ruthlessly helpless women and children. I ask you American women if you brought your boys up to be murderers? - Have you? - Because that’s what they are becoming. And, of course, if I have these death messages for you that’s… a quite necessary. I mean in general, I get only those reports which concern boys who are lying in hospital at the moment but sometimes some of these messages creep in and then, of course, I read them to you.

Well, I must continue with this broadcast now, and get in touch with Middletown, New York. Calling Mrs. A.N. Kernochan, her name is spelled K-E-R-N-O-C-H-A-N, Rural Delivery #3, in Middletown NY. I have some word for her about her son, John D. Kernochan whose rank is that of Second Lieutenant. He was born on the 19
^th
of September 1921, in Saranac Lake, New York. His service number is 0464657. Mrs. Kernochan, your son had a fracture of the right ankle and his left ankles were sprained. Well, you see, he was very lucky, as a matter of fact, most of these boys have some kind of injuries to their legs you see because, of course, bailing out and making a parachute landing is a very strenuous affair and….in most cases, they injure their legs, when touching the
(unintelligible)
.

I should now like to get in touch with Milwaukee, in Wisconsin. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have word concerning Louis C. Koch, spelled K-O-C-H. He was born also in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where his folks seem to be living today at 1327 W. Harrison Avenue, Harrison, H-A-RR-I-S-O-N, and his date of birth was 29
^th
of April, 1923. Now, I have two reports here concerning his condition. The first, from the 19
^th
of December, states that he had a crushing fracture of the right arm, which was so bad that the doctors had to amputate part of the arm. His condition was unchanged at that moment, and a month later on the 29
^th
… of December the doctors stated the wound was healing well and that the patient was doing quite nicely.

Well folks, that’s the end of this little broadcast I’m afraid and tune in every night with the exception of Sunday. This is Midge signing off and wishing you all good night.”

(Source: Written Transcription of Federal Communications Commission Memovox Recording #07684, Recorded at Silver Hill, Maryland, between the hours of 23:00 o’clock E.W.T., and 00:00 o’clock E.W.T. on February 26, 1944. Washington DC: John Bartlow Martin Papers, Library of Congress Manuscript Division)

MEDICAL REPORTS

1944

“Here is word now for Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania. Johnsonburg… The report is about Lieutenant William H. Kupole or Lupole, L-U-P-O-L-E; I believe it is, born on the 14
^th
of February 1922 in Johnsburg, Pennsylvania. Well, that was a nice little Valentine for his mother at that time. And how little did she ever dream that she’d be asked to sacrifice him for Roosevelt and his Jewish cohorts. Well, he’s going to remember the American Government for the rest of his life, for his right leg had to be amputated below the knee, and the ankle bone in his left leg was broken. The left leg already has been placed in a walking cast and the patient is doing exercises with an artificial limb fitted to the right leg. Now, his mother lives at 235 West Center Street in Johns…. Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania. Well, Mrs. Lupole, you’ve seen nothing of this war. You only read Jewish propaganda in your newspaper. But if you’ve been listening to this broadcast then you know that for many weeks I went from war hospital to war hospital, from one prisoner of war camp to another prison-of-war camp in France and I saw your boys, saw the pitiful state of untold thousands of them. Ah yes… only that is to say thousands, I talk of.

There are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of them, scattered all over Europe, asked to sacrifice their youth, asked to sacrifice their future, because when they get back they will be in no state to take up a job of any consequence. And you people are so short-sighted. You know so little about politics, about history, about what is going on in Europe, about the great role which Germany is playing in the future of the Western Continent. Well, if you folks want to fight to aid and abet, the decline of the West… well, you are certainly taking the right action. Germany has vision. Germany has culture. Germany has supplied all of Europe, to say nothing of America and other western countries with culture. I ask you Americans, ‘What have you done for posterity? Can you answer me? Here are the three things for which you people are known all over the world: money, jazz and Hollywood. Compare your three contributions with the contributions of Germany to the world throughout the ages… And so you want to sacrifice your sons to try to destroy that great country, Germany. Folks, it’s a responsibility which you should have never taken on your shoulders. It’s the blackest page in the world’s history. America should hang her head in shame. Think it over America, will you? This is Midge signing off, so goodnight everybody…”

(Source: Appellate Brief, United States v. Mildred E. Gillars (Sisk), December 1949, US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Washington DC: National Archives)

MEDICAL REPORTS

1944

“The first town on my list tonight is Greenville, Alabama. I have word for Mr. H.E. Jernigan Sr. about his son, Second Lieutenant Henry E. Jernigan, J-E-R-N-I-G-A-N, who was born on the 24
^th
of June 1922. His service number I should like to give you, for assistance of identification, 0710286T43-44. Now, Mr. Jernigan, your son Henry got his left leg broken above the knee. He also is suffering from flesh wounds on the left leg above the knee and has also had a general collapse and considerable loss of blood. The doctor states that hospital treatment will be necessary for a period of somewhere around 3 or 4 months. So it seems that the case is rather serious because it seldom happens that one has to stay so long in hospital.

Well, after all you American parents wanted it, didn’t you? And so day after day your boys have to pile through showers of flak…. thousands and thousands of feet up in the air…. sometimes the ship explodes… they’re burned alive in the airplane…. or they bail out…. and only break their legs and arms and so on. Well, you seem to think you’ve got a grudge against Germany…. you prefer perhaps the Jews? You’d like to crony around with them? You prefer Communism. You prefer Bolshevism. Well, that’s no America for me, I must say, and I’d rather die for Germany than live one hundred years on milk and honey in the Jewish America of today.”