Axis Sally: The American Voice of Nazi Germany (47 page)

October 6, 1944

“And now folks, I hope that you still have your paper and pencil there…. and that you’ll cooperate with me by jotting down these medical reports…. which will give you some information as to the present physical condition of wounded American, and in some cases Canadian, fliers shot down over Germany or German-occupied territory and lucky enough to have escaped alive. Now, tonight, I have one report for Canada…. which I’ll read to you first. It’s from Toronto, Ontario… for Mrs. G. Prisupa, P-R-I-S-U-P-A, of 959 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The report is about her son Gustav Prisupa…. whose rank is that of Sergeant…. the date of birth…. the 16
^th
of August, 1922, and her Serial Number, 654758.

Now Mrs. Prisupa should you be listening I hope that you have reception there is Toronto…. your son…. got his right shoulder blade broken. He is suffering from multiple abrasions. I can’t tell you anymore tonight, but I suppose [since] you have a son in the Air Service that you’ll keep in touch with this broadcast.

Now, standby, Evansville, Indiana…. Calling Evansville, Indiana with word for Mrs. Anlie, A-N-L-I-E, of 1104 First Avenue, Evansville, Indiana, a report about her son Sergeant Robert T. Mitnet, M-I-T-N-E-T, born on the 9th of April 1918. His service number is 205322859. Now he’s got a bullet wound in the left knee joint. The doctors say that if no complications develop he’ll have to stay in hospital anywhere from 2 to 3 months. Now of course that always means getting a bullet in one of the joints and there [are] generally very unpleasant complications in afterlife, but he’ll be very happy in any case.

How many…. very badly mutilated boys have I seen and they’ve said to me…”I don’t care how I get back…. just so I get back.” You see, that’s the way they think now. What do you suppose they’ll think in later years when there are no jobs for cripples? That’s the question.

Well now, I should like to contact Santa Monica, in California. I have word there for Sylvia Edinger, E-D-I-N-G-E-R, of 938 Marco Place, Santa Monica, California – a report about her brother, Staff Sergeant Manuel Rosen, R-O-S-E-N, born on the 19
^th
of May 1911. Here is his service number 33037982T42-43. Ah…. Miss Edinger, your brother got his left leg crushed below the knee and the right leg broken below the knee. Well, that’s pretty bad if he got both of his legs so…. badly…. ah…. wounded. Of course, the left one sounds bad where the doctors say that it was crushed below the knee. Let’s hope he won’t have to lose it, but I suppose it’s quite probable. But anyway, otherwise he seems to be getting along all right, so I suppose you’ll be very happy to have got this news about him anyway.

And now, I have a message for the West. This is for Tillamook, in Oregon, T-I-L-L-A-M-O-O-K, for Mrs. Emile Schofield, S-C-H-O-F-I-EL-D, of 1008 East 6
^th
Street, Tillamook, Oregon, word about her son. Staff Sergeant Denny Schofield got a bullet in his left arm above the elbow which caused a fracture. The muscle is paralyzed. In addition, he got superficial bullet wounds and fractures. Also, his left ankle was sprained may be fractured, the doctors have taken an Xray…. ah…. pictures in the meantime and perhaps at a subsequent broadcast I’ll have more news for you.

Now—Calling Narberth, Pennsylvania, N-A-R-B-E-R-T-H, with word for W.R. O’Sullivan - 85 Windsor Avenue, Narberth, Pennsylvania about Lieutenant Walter Robert O’Sullivan - born on the 11th of April 1921, in Narberth, Pennsylvania. Here is his service number: 0805104. The right leg was fractured above the knee. The fracture was caused by a bullet. The doctors say that from 5 to 6 months hospital treatment will be necessary, so as harmless as this wound may sound, it must be pretty complicated because we hardly ever get cases where the boys have to stay in hospital for nearly half a year. So Mr. O’Sullivan, or whoever happens to be the nearest of kin, please watch out for this broadcast and I hope to have more word for you about Walter O’Sullivan.

Now, my concluding report tonight unfortunately has no exact address. It’s only New York City, New York, which you know as well as I, is most vague. It concerns Staff Sergeant Francis H. Cousins C-O-U-S-I-NS, born on the 1
^st
of June 1916 in New York. I have his service number, which should of course help in identifying him 33288676. He was hit by a bullet causing a fracture to the right leg above the knee and, unfortunately, splintered the bone. However, his chances of complete recovery are good, the doctors say. Well, folks, I see now that my time is up, but please watch out…. ah…. for this broadcast which comes to you each and every evening with the exception of Sunday. This is Midge signing off. Thank you for your attention.”

(Source: Written Transcription of Federal Communications Commission Memovox Recording #10097, Recorded at Silver Hill, Maryland, between the hours of 22:15 o’clock E.W.T., and 23:15 o’clock E.W.T. on October 6, 1944. Washington DC: John Bartlow Martin Papers, Library of Congress Manuscript Division)

1. An Unwelcome Child

¹
Evening Courier
, Camden, NJ, October 18, 1928, p. 3.

²
Ibid.

³
Ibid.

⁴
Ibid.

⁵
Evening Courier
, Camden, NJ, October 19, 1928, p. 1.

⁶
Ibid.

⁷
Ibid., p. 1

⁸
The Evening Courier
, Camden NJ, October 20, 1928, p. 1.

⁹
Ibid.

¹⁰
Ibid., p. 8.

¹¹
Ibid.

¹²
Ibid.

¹³
Ibid., p.1

¹⁴
Ibid.

¹⁵
Ibid.

¹⁶
Evening Courier
, Camden, NJ, October 21, 1928, p. 1.

¹⁷
“Companionate Tragedy Exposed as Movie Stunt,”
New York World
, op. cit., p. 24.

¹⁸
Ibid.

¹⁹
Ibid.

²⁰
Sisk v. Sisk
, Supreme Judicial Court of Maine. Portland, Maine. Docket Record #29782 #419, October Term 1907, May 31, 1907. Courtesy: Maine State Archives.

²¹
The Washington Post,
February 24, 1949, p. 4.

²²
Admissions Summary for Mildred E. Gillars, Federal Reformatory for Women at Alderson, West Virginia, October 12, 1950. College Park MD: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), p. 4.

Vincent Sisk remarried soon after the divorce and moved to Baltimore, where he worked on the railroad. As of 1930, according to that year’s U.S. Census, Sisk was still married to his second wife and was the father of five children.

²³
FBI File 61-117. Report to Director regarding Mildred Gillars birth and citizen ship, College Park, MD: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), p. 2.

²⁴
US Department of Justice Memorandum, Campbell to J. Edgar Hoover, August 17, 1948. College Park MD: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

²⁵
Star Beacon
, Ashtabula, Ohio, November 20, 1995, p. B1. Courtesy: Conneaut Public Library.

²⁶
News-Herald, Conneaut, Ohio, April 8, 1961, p. 1. Courtesy: Conneaut Public Library.

²⁷
Star Beacon
, Ashtabula, Ohio, November 20, 1995, op. cit.

²⁸
Star Beacon
, Ashtabula, Ohio, December 20, 1998. Courtesy: Conneaut Public Library.

²⁹
The Tattler
, St. Patrick’s Number, 1917, Conneaut, Ohio: Conneaut High School. Courtesy: Conneaut Public Library.

³⁰
The Tattler,
Senior Number, June 1917, Conneaut, Ohio: Conneaut High School. Courtesy: Conneaut Public Library.

³¹
Abridged transcript of
U.S. v. Gillars (Sisk)
. John Bartlow Martin Papers. Washington, DC: Library of Congress Manuscript Division, p. 18.

³²
Handwritten notes by John Bartlow Martin from interview of Edna Mae Herrick, undated (c. September 1948), John Bartlow Martin Papers, Washington DC: Library of Congress Manuscript Division.

³³
Ibid.

³⁴
Ibid.

³⁵
Ibid.

³⁶
Chronicle-Telegram
Elyria, OH, July 25, 1919, p. 30.

³⁷
Letter and outline from John Bartlow Martin to Editor,
McCall’s.
September 18, 1948. John Bartlow Martin Papers. Washington DC: Library of Congress Manuscript Division.

³⁸
John Bartlow Martin, “The Trials of Axis Sally,”
McCall’s,
p. 25.

³⁹
Admissions Summary for Mildred E. Gillars, op. cit., p. 5.

⁴⁰
Ibid.

2. In Front of the Footlights

⁴¹
Letter from Mrs. Allen C. Long (Ohio Wesleyan Magazine) to John Nelson, March 30, 1966. Delaware, Ohio: Ohio Wesleyan Historical Collection.

⁴²
Ibid.

⁴³
Ibid.

⁴⁴
Ibid.

⁴⁵
Ibid.

⁴⁶
Admissions Summary of Mildred E. Gillars, op. cit. p. 5.

⁴⁷
FBI File 61-180. FBI Interview with Richard R. Shipley, January 4, 1949. College Park MD: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), p. 2.

⁴⁸
Ibid.

⁴⁹
Mansfield News-Journal
, Mansfield, Ohio.

⁵⁰
Ibid.

⁵¹
Program of
Mrs. Dane’s Defense
, December 10, 1920, Delaware OH: Ohio Wesleyan University Historical Collection

⁵²
Abridged Transcript of
U.S. v. Gillars (Sisk)
. John Bartlow Martin Papers. Washington DC: Library of Congress Manuscript Division, p. 18.

⁵³
Ibid.

⁵⁴
Ibid., p. 19.

⁵⁵
Admissions Summary for Mildred E. Gillars, op. cit., p. 6.

⁵⁶
Ibid., p. 3.

⁵⁷
Ibid., p. 4.

⁵⁸
Letter of Mrs. Allan C. Long to John Nelson, March 30, 1966, op. cit.

⁵⁹
Abridged transcript of
U.S. v. Gillars (Sisk)
, op. cit., p. 19.

⁶⁰
Ibid. p. 20.

⁶¹
Michael Kantor and Laurence Maslon (2004)
Broadway: The American Musical.
New York: Bulfinch Press, pp. 69.

⁶²
Research notes for
The Trials of Axis Sally
, condensation of
US v. Gillars (Sisk)
trial transcript. John Bartlow Martin Papers, Washington DC: Library of Congress Manuscript Division, p. 21.

⁶³
The New York Time
s November 17, 1917

⁶⁴
IBDB (
www.ibdb.com
).