Propaganda played an important role in World War II, just as in any other war. Sometimes it had an effect that was just the opposite of its intended use. Such was the case when I first heard Axis Sally on our short wave radio. We had just returned from bombing Belgrade, when we found out that our bombardier, George Crank, from Ft. Worth, Texas had gone down, while flying with another crew. We were required to fly our first five missions with a more experienced crew.  Lt. Crank was on his third mission when he went down. 

That same night, while listening to the short wave radio, Axis Sal announced that Lt. Crank and the rest of the crew survived a crash landing and, for them, the war was over. They were German prisoners of war, would be treated well, and would, therefore, survive the war. She then added that it would be wise for us to give up because we were going to lose the war anyway. Then she played some sentimental music which was supposed to make us homesick; however, it had just the opposite effect. 

The good news, that Lt. Crank had survived and was well, did nothing but boost our morale. It was amazing, however, to hear Axis Sal tell us so many details about our base, our crews, and other pertinent information that only an enemy with spies in our area could obtain. We, of course, were in a hostile environment, where the enemy could gain this information easily. Our commanding officers reminded us of this frequently.