Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, and even before, Resistance groups began popping up across Europe. Determined to fight for freedom and to tear down the oppressive regimes of the Axis powers, their members regularly risked their lives. The actions performed by these groups were nothing short of heroic, and one of the most notable underground operatives to risk her safety was Mildred Fish-Harnack, an American living in Germany.
Mildred Fish-Harnack’s mother was a major influence
Mildred Fish-Harnack was born on September 16, 1902, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Raised in what many would consider a modest household that struggled with money problems, she was influenced by her mother, Georgina, a staunch supporter of the women’s suffrage movement. A self-taught stenographer and typist, the elder Fish instilled in her daughter not just a sense of justice, but a passion for literature.
Fish-Harnack stoked her love for English at West Division High School, before attending George Washington University, followed by the University of Wisconsin. Throughout her post-secondary studies, she delved into the works of Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson, who inspired the direction in which she took her own writing. It was during this time that she further became an advocate for social justice.
Making the move to Germany
In 1926, Mildred Fish married German economist Arvid Harnack. The pair had met while she was attending the University of Wisconsin, and it wasn’t long before the former followed her new husband back to Germany, where he continued his studies. Fish-Harnack also further pursued her academic endeavors, enrolling in the universities of Jena and Giessen.
By the time Fish-Harnack had relocated to Germany, the country was becoming more and more indoctrinated by the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. She witnessed its rise firsthand, with many of her professors and fellow students vocal about their support for the regime.
Despite this, Fish-Harnack kept focused on her studies, eventually becoming an assistant lecturer at the University of Berlin. With a focus on English and American literature, she discussed the works of such prominent authors as Theodore Dreiser and Thomas Hardy. Her enthusiasm made her popular among her students.
Pursuing a career in literature
Mildred Fish-Harnack’s career as an author flourished upon her arrival in Germany. She wrote essays about American literature, and her poignant writing style and analysis garnered praise. She was so talented, in fact, that some even compared her to famed American novelist Thomas Wolfe.
Fish-Harnack’s work began being published in German literary magazines as she became more respected, despite her subtly using her notoriety to critique Germany’s movement toward a dictatorship. She also became interested in the Soviet Union, as, unlike in the United States, women were afford more rights. With Arvid, Fish-Harnack began hosting night meetings to discuss the USSR’s economy, relaying insights gleamed from these gatherings to her students.
Her opinions about the regime ultimately led to Fish-Harnack losing her job as a lecturer at the University of Berlin. It was just a few years after this that she and her husband became involved in what was known as the “Red Orchestra.”
Red Orchestra
The Red Orchestra was an underground Resistance group that emerged in Germany during the 1930s. With a membership made up of government officials, artists and intellectuals, it aimed to undermine the increasingly-oppressive regime through espionage and propaganda leaflets. It also helped Jewish individuals escape persecution.
Similar to other Resistance groups that operated throughout Europe during the Second World War, the Red Orchestra consisted of a network of cells. The vastness of the group meant that it eventually became infiltrated by enemy agents, but this didn’t stop members from continuing their duties, in the hopes of freeing Germany from the Führer‘s grasp.
Mildred Fish-Harnack was heavily involved in the Red Orchestra
Mildred and Arvid Fish-Harnack were active in the Red Orchestra, with their fluency in English and German being a particular asset, as this allowed the group to communicate with Allied intelligence agencies. They participated in typical underground activities, such as distributing leaflets, and even connected with Lt. Harro Schulze-Boysen, a left-wing publicist and Luftwaffe officer who secretly documented German military efforts and forwarded them to the Soviets.
Among the couple’s most notable efforts with the Red Orchestra involved them doing the same thing, filtering German military plans to the Red Army, which, if caught, would have undoubtedly led to their immediate executions. There’s also evidence Fish-Harnack aided the Red Orchestra’s efforts to help Jews flee Germany. Along with sheltering them, she secured false documents and safe passage out of the country.
Mildred Fish-Harnack was executed for her Resistance work
Mildred and Arvid Fish-Harnack’s work with the Red Orchestra led the Gestapo to arrest the pair on September 7, 1942, while vacationing on the Baltic Sea. How did the officers know they were involved? The Funkabwehr, which had decrypted messages and intercepted radio transmissions detailing the extent of their espionage.
While initially sentenced to six years imprisonment, the Führer intervened and ordered a retrial, upset about what he viewed as a lenient sentence. The second trial saw Mildred handed a death sentence, which was carried out by guillotine at Berlin’s Plötzensee Prison on February 16, 1943.
According to reports, her last words were, “Und ich habe Deutschland auch so geliebt,” which translates to, “And I, too, so loved Germany.” Despite everything she’d faced and the oppression within the country, she still loved Germany and had hoped to free its citizens from tyranny.
A legacy that continues to be honored
Despite newspapers learning about Mildred Fish-Harnack’s death upon the conclusion of World War II, the US government made a concerted effort to withhold information from the public, due to an investigation into whether her execution could be classified as a war crime. While they applauded her efforts, the case was ultimately closed, given she had been put on trial for her espionage work, making her prosecution “legally justifiable.”
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Fish-Harnack’s legacy of courage and resistance continues to inspire over 80 years after her death, with her life memorialized in many ways. In her home state of Wisconsin, schools observe Mildred Fish-Harnack Day, while a street in Berlin’s Friedrichshain neighborhood is named for her.