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Mildred Harnack: An Unknown Hero

© Michelle Munro

W.C. and Georgina Fish welcomed their daughter Mildred into the world on September 6, 1902. Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, then primarily a German city, Mildred grew up surrounded by German customs and learned to speak both the English and German languages fluently. As a young girl she showed a high amount of intelligence driven by her lover of literature.

While attending the University of Wisconsin, Mildred fell in love with Arvid Harnack, a German exchange scholar majoring in economics. The two shared a love of Germany and an abhorrence of social injustice. She graduated in 1925, and a year later was named an instructor in English literature. Though her specialty was American writers, her passion was the art of translation.

In 1926 the couple wed and settled in Madison. Two years later Arvid returned to Germany. Mildred adored her husband's homeland and eagerly followed him to the University of Jena in 1929. A few years later, nazi suppression of the universities forced them to leave Jena for Berlin. There, Mildred began teaching at Humboldt University.

The Harnacks were well-known in Berlin's social and cultural life. Arvid's job as a mid-level official in the Economics Ministry enabled him to keep abreast of the country's political schemes and because of Mildred's friendship with Martha Dodd (daughter of the American ambassador the couple frequently appeared on the guest list of the American Embassy. Since their days in Wisconsin, they spoke their political views freely, but here such activity was considered rebellious.

Undeterred by the actions of the Nazi's to suppress free thought, the Harnacks began a discussion group at their home to exchange opinions on the National Socialist regime. Subjects danced around whether citizens should submit, leave the country, or fight back. Soon the discussion group evolved into the underground resistance group the Gestapo would dub "The Red Orchestra." At the outbreak of the war, the group began publishing The Inner Front, a biweekly newspaper covering progress reports, commentaries on Hitler's rule, and other information not available in the German press. They also assisted in the escape of Jews and political dissidents as well as acting as spies. They gathered intelligence on German military advances to the Eastern Front and beamed the information to Russia over transmitters. The name "Red Orchestra" came about because the transmitters were code-named after musical instruments.

The fact that the group beamed to Russia would link them for years tot he communists. It was this accusation the Nazi's used in order to try and execute members. The reason they aided the Soviets was due to a lack of opposition by the U.S. and Britain at the onset of Hitler's reign. They believed the only way to stop Hitler was to help Russia.