Women Fighting Nazis – We Need You Again!
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I find myself returning to the subject of women fighting Nazis!
I am currently reading “Women of War – The Italian Assassins, Spies, and Couriers Who Fought the Nazis” by Suzanne Cope. “The gripping, true, and untold history of the Italian anti-fascist resistance during World War II, told through the stories of four spectacularly courageous women fighters. From underground soldiers to intrepid spies, Women of War unearths the hidden history of the brave women who risked their lives to overthrow the Nazi occupation and liberate Italy. Using primary sources and brand new scholarship, historian Suzanne Cope illuminates the roles played by women while Italians struggled under dual foes: Nazi invaders and Italian fascist loyalists.”
In this book we learn the stories of four women – Carla Capponi in Rome who make bombs, Bianca Serra who delivered supplies to anti-fascist armies hidden in the Alps, Teresa Mattei in Florence who would later author Italy’s new constitution carried messages and hid bombs, and Anita Malavasi led troops across the Apennine Mountains.
The author offers a clear and concise account of the origins of modern fascism.
Mussolini invented the concept of "Fascism" to serve his own authoritarian desires. Teresa was brought up to resist this doctrine that states, in Mussolini's own words-but widely considered ghostwritten by Fascist ideologist and philosopher Giovanni Gentile, "Fascism ... believes neither in the possibility nor the utility of perpetual peace. War alone brings up to its highest tension all human energy and puts the stamp of nobility upon the peoples who have courage to meet it. Fascism conceives of the State as an absolute, in comparison with which all individuals or groups are relative, only to be conceived of in their relation to the State” A core tenet of the philosophy of Fascism was abject nationalism, with complete trust and loyalty given to Mussolini, the country's ultimate leader. It was a government in charge of all facets of life shaping the way that citizens lived in and understood the world around them.
Although Mussolini was certainly convinced wealthy land and business owners should be left to their own devices, particularly under the Fascist belief in the "immutable, beneficial, and fruitful inequality of mankind." Fruitful indeed, but only for a select few. Unlike the ideals of Communists, who believed in equal access to commodities, or Socialists, who argued that workers should be compensated according to their effort, labor, and productivity, Mussolini and his totalitarian government -the term was first used to describe his leadership-would decide who were the haves and who were the have-nots. And he worked to build his (relative) popularity with vast public projects-pouring money into buildings, transportation, and other infrastructure, making some people quite rich and impressing many others. These were often designed in the telltale rationalist" style-minimalist and chunky design, adorned with Fascist symbolism like the laurel wreath of victory, taken from ancient Roman empire iconography, or the fasces from which the party derived its name-which referred to a bundle of sticks tied together with an axe, an ancient symbol of power and authority.Mussolini loved giving bombastic speeches to large crowds -his favorite stage was a window overlooking the Piazza Venezia in Rome. They were broadcast across the country via radio, his followers dutifully cheering and chanting, Credere, Obbedire, Combattere "Believe, Obey, Fight." And Mussolini was among the first leaders to take advantage of the new media of film, popularized during the 1920s and '30s. He ordered hundreds of hours of propaganda movies that, to this day, are sometimes referenced uncritically as the only representations of life during this time, though they blurred fact with the fictional Italy that Mussolini attempted to portray. Within a decade, Mussolini had squelched all but the most co vert anti-Fascist movements. And he began indoctrinating the youth with his Fascist ideology while ignoring history that illustrated other forms of governing or resistance. Many books that were written by foreigners or offered a different worldview were banned or restricted. (p. 19-20).
Sound familiar? We are deep into a new wave of fascism taking root in America and, indeed, in a number of other countries around the world. According to Freedom House:
Global freedom faces a dire threat. Around the world, the enemies of liberal democracy—a form of self-government in which human rights are recognized and every individual is entitled to equal treatment under law—are accelerating their attacks. Authoritarian regimes have become more effective at co-opting or circumventing the norms and institutions meant to support basic liberties, and at providing aid to others who wish to do the same. In countries with long-established democracies, internal forces have exploited the shortcomings in their systems, distorting national politics to promote hatred, violence, and unbridled power. Those countries that have struggled in the space between democracy and authoritarianism, meanwhile, are increasingly tilting toward the latter. The global order is nearing a tipping point, and if democracy’s defenders do not work together to help guarantee freedom for all people, the authoritarian model will prevail.
I have been somewhat obsessed by fighting Nazis since Donald Trump entered public life in America. Here are the books I’ve read on the subject over the past few years:
“Paris 1944 – Occupation, Resistance, Liberation” by Patrick Bishop
“The Enigma Girls - How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II” by Candace Fleming
“All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days - the True Story of the American Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler” by Rebecca Donner – the book chronicles the life and brutal death of Mildred Harnack, the American leader of one of the largest underground resistance groups in Germany, written by her great-grand-niece.
“Code Name: Lise - the True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy” by Larry Loftis
“D-Day Girls, BookThe Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II” by Sarah Rose Crown
“Sisters of Auschwitz, PaperbackThe True Story of Two Jewish Sisters' Resistance in the Heart of Nazi Territory” by Roxane van Ipren
“The Light of Days - the Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos” by Judith Batalion
“A Woman of No Importance – The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II” by Sonia Purnell – “In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: ‘She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her.’ The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill’s ‘Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.’ She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and–despite her prosthetic leg–helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it.” This is my favorite story – unbelievable courage, improvisation, danger, and action against Nazis. And our heroine had a wooden leg!
“Madame Fourcade's Secret War - the Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler” by Lynne Olson The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
There are a number of recurring themes.
For one, official and lauded accounts of World War II have omitted the amazing feat of women in battle – on the front lines and under cover. Another is the quiet resolution, determination, and skill that these women called on – often with little of no help from their male comrades in arms. These women faced extraordinary danger and dilemmas and many dies defending democracy and fighting for freedom. Many also returned to domestic and professional life after the war, often with no reference or rewards for their wartime exploits.
So, we need our women to step up again and save democracy. The vote for the Democratic Nominee for President among women slipped from 57% for Biden in 2020 to 53% for Harris in 2024. Was that the margin of victory for Trump? Trump also got the majority of evangelical voters, and many point to that as a powerful edge. But Harris also lost ground with younger voters and so it is a complex civic picture.
But if history is to remain relevant, let us remember the fearless female fighters who risked everything to fight the Nazis. We all need to heed their call to courage and service.
