All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days

All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days Plot Summary

Introduction

In the heart of Nazi Germany, an American woman named Mildred Harnack moved quietly through the shadows of Berlin, carrying secrets that could topple a regime. As Hitler's power grew, this literature professor from Wisconsin transformed into one of the most significant resistance figures of World War II, leading what would become Berlin's largest underground resistance group. Her story is one of extraordinary courage in ordinary moments—translating American literature by day while orchestrating acts of espionage by night, using her position as a university lecturer to recruit students into the resistance, and ultimately sacrificing everything in the fight against fascism. Mildred's journey reveals the power of moral conviction in the face of overwhelming evil. Though her name has been largely forgotten by history, her actions represent the highest ideals of human courage. Through her story, we witness not only the horrors of the Third Reich but also the quiet heroism of those who refused to be silenced. We see how intellectual resistance became physical resistance, how literature became a weapon, and how one woman's commitment to truth and justice created ripples that would inspire generations of freedom fighters long after her execution at Hitler's personal command.

Chapter 1: The American Scholar in Berlin: 1902-1933

Mildred Fish was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on September 16, 1902, into a family that struggled financially. Her childhood was marked by frequent moves between boardinghouses as her father worked sporadically as a butcher, insurance salesman, and horse trader. Despite these challenges, Mildred developed a passion for education that would define her life. After graduating from high school in Washington, DC, she attended the University of Wisconsin, where she pursued her master's degree and taught American literature. It was at the university where Mildred met Arvid Harnack, a German law student working on his PhD in philosophy. Unlike the boisterous American men she knew, Arvid was earnest and thoughtful, sharing her intellectual interests and passion for social justice. They married in 1926, and after Arvid returned to Germany, Mildred taught briefly at Goucher College before joining him in Berlin in 1929. The Berlin that welcomed Mildred was the vibrant capital of the Weimar Republic, a city teeming with artistic and intellectual life but also struggling with the economic devastation of the post-war years. Mildred thrived in this environment, enrolling in a PhD program and securing a position teaching American literature at the University of Berlin. She introduced her German students to contemporary American writers who depicted the struggles of the working class and poor, using literature as a bridge between cultures. As the Great Depression deepened and political extremism grew, Mildred watched with increasing alarm as the Nazi Party gained power. Her lectures moved fluidly between literature and politics, encouraging students to think critically about the troubling political developments around them. When Hitler was appointed chancellor on January 30, 1933, Mildred immediately recognized the danger, writing to her mother: "Germany is going through such very dark hours. All feel the menace but many hide their heads in the sand." By 1932, Mildred had already begun holding clandestine meetings in her apartment, gathering a small band of political activists who opposed the Nazi ideology. When she was dismissed from her university position for her political views, she found a new teaching post at the Berlin Night School for Adults, where she continued to recruit working-class Germans into what would become her resistance circle. Using literature and American protest songs like "John Brown's Body," she inspired her students to think critically about fascism and resistance, laying the groundwork for a network that would eventually challenge Hitler's regime from within.

Chapter 2: Building the Circle: Early Resistance Activities

By 1933, the Circle, as Mildred's resistance group came to be known, consisted of about a dozen members from diverse backgrounds—factory workers, writers, lawyers, and professors of various religious backgrounds. They met in cafés, during walks through the Tiergarten, or in private apartments where they would distribute themselves across sofas, chairs, and when necessary, the wood-planked floors. Their discussions lasted hours, often carrying them deep into the night as they debated the central question: What can we do against Hitler's regime? Mildred proved to be a skilled recruiter with a methodical approach to identifying potential members. She developed a technique of lending books to prospects, creating opportunities for follow-up discussions that would gradually turn political. She was careful and patient, knowing that Gestapo informers could be anywhere. One of her most devoted recruits was Karl Behrens, a former Hitler Youth member who had become disillusioned with the Storm Troopers and returned to school at the Berlin Adult Education Center where Mildred taught. Karl now worked as a locksmith at AEG, smuggling anti-Nazi newspapers into the factory. The Circle's activities were dangerous and varied. They produced and distributed leaflets criticizing Hitler's regime, leaving them in phone booths, public restrooms, parks, and train stations. They mailed them to journalists, politicians, and professors. They helped Jews escape Germany, with Mildred using her connections at the American embassy to obtain the necessary visas. They forged ration cards, identity cards, and exit papers. In this way, ordinary Germans in the resistance became thieves, forgers, and traitors to their country—a necessary transformation in the fight against fascism. As Nazi control intensified, so did the risks. The Gestapo employed spies to hunt down resistance members, and arrests were frequent. In 1934, the Night of the Long Knives—Hitler's bloody purge of political opponents—made it clear that the regime would stop at nothing to eliminate dissent. Mildred and Arvid moved to a secluded part of Wannsee, hoping to avoid surveillance, but they soon realized that a stronger strategy was needed. By 1935, Arvid had formulated a new plan. The Circle was too small and too weak to fight fascism effectively with just books and leaflets. They needed to penetrate the Nazi government and destroy it from within. Arvid secured a position at the Ministry of Economics, where he would be responsible for writing reports that his boss, Hjalmar Schacht, brought to meetings with Hitler. Meanwhile, Mildred continued to lead the Circle, expanding its reach and coordinating with other resistance groups like Tat Kreis, led by Adam Kuckhoff, and Gegner Kreis, led by Harro Schulze-Boysen.

Chapter 3: Infiltrating the Nazi Regime: A Double Life

By 1935, Mildred and Arvid had made a strategic decision to fight fascism by infiltrating the Nazi government itself. Arvid secured a position at the Ministry of Economics, gaining access to confidential information about Germany's economy and military preparations. To strengthen his cover, he joined the Deutscher Klub, an elite club frequented by Nazis and high-ranking military officers. He perfected his masquerade as a loyal servant of the Third Reich, delivering stiff-armed salutes and signing his letters "Heil Hitler" without flinching. In 1937, after much agonizing, he even joined the Nazi Party, becoming member number 4153569. Meanwhile, Mildred played her part convincingly as a Nazi wife. She had joined a Nazi teachers' union to keep her job at the Berlin Adult Education Center and strengthened her Aryan credentials by joining the Daughters of the American Revolution and assuming a leadership position in the Berlin-based chapter. At social events with Arvid's colleagues, she slipped seamlessly into the persona of an American woman loyal to the Nazi cause. Even Soviet intelligence noted how effectively she played her role, describing her in a memo as "bold, tall, blue eyes... typically German-looking... an intensely Nordic type." The double life took its toll. Mildred struggled with her identity, sometimes appearing as an American leader of a German resistance group, sometimes as the American wife of a German in the resistance, and sometimes as the American wife of a Nazi. When she visited America in 1937, friends and family found her changed—twitchy, jumpy, constantly looking over her shoulder. Her brother Bob was alarmed when she whispered that "she knew she had been followed out of Germany and was, in fact, under surveillance." Others suspected she had become a Nazi herself, not understanding the complex role she was playing. As Hitler's preparations for war accelerated, so did Mildred and Arvid's espionage activities. Arvid's position at the Ministry of Economics gave him access to Hitler's Four-Year Plan, an ambitious scheme to make Germany's economy entirely self-sufficient within four years. In a confidential memo, Hitler had revealed the true purpose: "The German army must be operational within four years. The German economy must be fit for war within four years." Arvid began supplying this intelligence to contacts who could use it to oppose Hitler's regime. The couple's apartment at Woyrschstrasse 16 became a hub of clandestine activity. They hosted meetings disguised as social gatherings, where guests—a mix of diplomats, writers, businessmen, and Nazi bureaucrats—would discuss sensitive information while appearing to engage in casual conversation. The risks were enormous, as the Gestapo had established a vast network of informers throughout Germany, and anyone suspected of opposing Hitler could be arrested, tortured, and executed.

Chapter 4: Intelligence Network: The Red Orchestra

By 1939, Mildred and Arvid's resistance network had expanded significantly, linking with other resistance circles in an interlocking chain. The Circle was now connected to Tat Kreis, led by Adam Kuckhoff, and Gegner Kreis, led by Harro Schulze-Boysen, a Luftwaffe officer with access to military intelligence. Together, these groups would form what the Gestapo would later call the "Red Orchestra" (Rote Kapelle), though the network was neither entirely "red" (Communist) nor particularly musical. The expanded network provided crucial intelligence to the Allies about Nazi military plans, including information about the impending invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Arvid, with his position at the Ministry of Economics, had access to these plans and began supplying increasingly valuable intelligence. His reports were so detailed and accurate that Soviet intelligence was impressed by his effectiveness, despite his refusal to be considered a paid agent. Meanwhile, Mildred continued to expand their resistance network, recruiting new members and coordinating with other underground groups. The group developed sophisticated methods of communication, using codes and couriers to transmit information. They disguised their meetings as birthday parties and dinner gatherings. They used the Tiergarten for private conversations, knowing that outdoor spaces were difficult to bug. And they continued to recruit new members, carefully vetting each one to ensure they were not Gestapo informants. By 1941, their network had grown to include approximately sixty members from diverse backgrounds, all united in their opposition to Hitler. As the war expanded, so did the Circle's activities. They began actively supporting Jews and other persecuted groups, providing false papers, hiding places, and escape routes. Mildred personally helped arrange visas for several Jewish scholars to escape to the United States, working through her contacts at the American embassy. One Jewish editor named Max Tau later credited Mildred with orchestrating his escape to Norway, saving his life. The intelligence they provided was remarkably accurate and valuable. They reported on German fuel reserves, aircraft production numbers, troop movements, and bombing targets. They warned about the German development of new weapons systems and documented evidence of atrocities committed by German forces in occupied territories. One report detailed how "the fuel supply which the German army now has at its disposal is only sufficient to last until February or March next year" and that "confidence in a quick German victory has evaporated." The work became increasingly dangerous as the Gestapo intensified its hunt for resistance networks. Radio transmissions were particularly risky, as German detection vans constantly patrolled Berlin searching for unauthorized signals. The strain of this double life took a tremendous toll. Mildred suffered a miscarriage and developed tuberculosis. Food was scarce, and the constant air raids made sleep impossible. Yet she persisted, driven by the conviction that their work was essential to defeating Hitler's regime.

Chapter 5: The Boy Courier: Donald Heath Jr.

In the winter of 1939, an unlikely hero joined Mildred Harnack's resistance network: eleven-year-old Donald Heath Jr., the son of an American diplomat stationed in Berlin. Don, as he was called, became a courier for Mildred, carrying messages between her apartment and the Heath residence. His youth and innocence made him the perfect messenger—who would suspect a freckle-faced American boy with a blue knapsack of being involved in espionage? Twice a week, Don visited Mildred's apartment at Woyrschstrasse 16, where they would sit side by side on a sofa with wooden armrests and discuss books she assigned him. The books varied widely—classics, potboilers, Shakespeare, and cowboy Westerns. She questioned him about the plot, the characters, the themes, encouraging him to think critically. "Tell me what you think," she would say, "not what you think you should think." These literature discussions served as cover for their real purpose: the transmission of intelligence. When their lessons were finished, Mildred would slip a piece of paper into Don's knapsack. Sometimes it looked like a reading list, sometimes like a recipe, sometimes like a letter signed "Mildred" or simply "M." Don would then take a different route home each time—Mildred made sure of it, asking him to repeat the street names and cupping his cheeks with her hands if his attention wandered. She was teaching him the tradecraft of espionage, though he wouldn't understand what espionage meant for many years. The Heath family lived at Innsbrücker Strasse 44, a six-story apartment building overlooking Schöneberg Park. The building was owned by Hela Strehl, one of Goebbels's mistresses and the director of the Deutsches Mode-Institut. Don had to be careful around her, as she was likely a Gestapo informant. Once, after a lesson with Mildred, Don ran into Hela in the hallway. She greeted him with "Heil Hitler!" Don lowered his head and said nothing, a mistake that could have had serious consequences in Nazi Germany, where even children were expected to return the salute. Outside of his courier duties, Don was just a normal boy. He had a friend named Günther Möllmann, nicknamed "Mole," and was part of a gang called the Kansas Jack Gang. He shot his air rifle in the park, collected marbles, and bought nuts from a street vendor with the few pfennigs in his pocket. But his innocent appearance concealed his crucial role in one of Berlin's most important resistance networks, carrying messages that could have led to the execution of everyone involved had they been discovered. Don's father, Donald Heath Sr., held a position at the U.S. embassy in Berlin while secretly working for what would eventually become the Central Intelligence Agency. He had recruited his son for this dangerous work, knowing that the boy's youth provided a cover that adults could not match. It was an extraordinary responsibility to place on a child, but these were extraordinary times that called for desperate measures. Young Don performed his duties faithfully, never fully comprehending the life-or-death stakes of the messages in his knapsack.

Chapter 6: Betrayal and Capture: The Final Days

The beginning of the end came in the summer of 1942. A single error led to the network's unraveling when Hans Coppi, a radio operator for the group, transmitted a message that was intercepted by German counterintelligence. The Gestapo launched a massive operation to track down the source of the transmission, and on August 31, 1942, they arrested Harro Schulze-Boysen and his wife Libertas. A wave of arrests followed as the Gestapo worked their way through the network, using torture to extract names and addresses of other members. Mildred and Arvid sensed the danger and made plans to escape to Sweden via Lithuania, but they were too late. On September 7, 1942, Arvid was arrested while on vacation in Preila, a small town on the Baltic Sea. Mildred, who was with him, was initially left free but was arrested three days later when she returned to Berlin. The couple was taken to Gestapo headquarters at Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse 8, a building that had become synonymous with terror in Nazi Germany. There, they were separated and subjected to intense interrogation. The Gestapo had compiled an album of photographs of suspected resistance members, and as they made arrests, they checked off names and faces. They called it "the Gestapo album." Arvid's photograph was among them, as was Mildred's. The interrogations were brutal. Prisoners were beaten, deprived of sleep, and subjected to psychological torture. Some broke under the pressure and revealed names of other members. Others, like Mildred, remained steadfast, revealing nothing of importance despite weeks of torture. On December 19, 1942, the first of many trials began at the Reichskriegsgericht—the Reich Court-Martial. Arvid was among those tried first. He was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death by hanging. Mildred's trial came later. She sat on a wooden chair in the back of the courtroom while high-ranking Nazi officers and a panel of five judges determined her fate. When it was her turn to testify, she approached the stand. Emaciated and suffering from tuberculosis contracted in prison, she nevertheless maintained her composure, giving answers that revealed nothing of importance about her network. Remarkably, the judges believed her limited admissions. On January 16, 1943, Mildred was sentenced to six years of hard labor in a prison camp—a relatively mild sentence considering the charges against her. But Hitler was not satisfied. Two days later, he personally overrode the verdict and ordered her execution. On February 16, 1943, Mildred was strapped to a guillotine at Plötzensee Prison and beheaded, becoming the only American woman executed on the direct orders of Adolf Hitler during World War II. Before her execution, Mildred was permitted to have a book of Goethe poems. In her cell, she translated several poems, including one from which the title of her biography would later be taken: "All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days." Harald Poelchau, a prison chaplain who was also a member of the resistance, remembered seeing Mildred bent over the book, a pencil stub in her hand. On the day of her execution, he smuggled the book out in the folds of his robe, preserving her final translations for posterity—a last act of defiance against the regime that sought to erase her.

Chapter 7: Legacy of Courage: America's Forgotten Heroine

After the war, Mildred Harnack's story was largely forgotten, particularly in the United States. The U.S. Army's Counter Intelligence Corps opened an investigation into her case, with one CIC official observing that "Mildred Harnack's actions are laudable" and noting the "rather extensive file" they had on her. However, a higher-ranking colleague later ordered them to "withdraw case from Detachment 'D' and do not continue the investigation." The reason for this suppression would not come to light for over fifty years. During the Cold War, Mildred's legacy became a political football. East Germany celebrated her as a communist hero, while West Germany and the United States were reluctant to acknowledge her contributions due to her connections with Soviet intelligence. The truth was more complex than either narrative allowed. Mildred was neither a dedicated communist nor a naive American; she was a principled woman who used whatever means available to fight a regime she recognized as evil. It wasn't until after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 that a trove of documents stashed in East German archives came to light. Several years later, Russia permitted historians access to foreign intelligence files, and in 1998, under the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act, the CIA, FBI, and U.S. Army began to release records once classified as top secret. These documents provided a more nuanced understanding of the underground resistance in Germany and Mildred's role within it. Today, Mildred Harnack is remembered as the only American woman executed on the direct orders of Adolf Hitler. In Berlin, a school bears her name, and a small memorial stone marks the site of her execution at Plötzensee. Her story serves as a powerful reminder that resistance to tyranny is possible even in the darkest times, and that ordinary individuals can demonstrate extraordinary courage when faced with moral choices. As her nephew Wolfgang once observed, Mildred "formed her free judgment afresh time and time again, and went on to express it clearly despite the fear-ridden restraint of the majority." Perhaps most remarkable was Mildred's ability to maintain her humanity in the face of overwhelming evil. In prison, while awaiting execution, she turned to poetry, translating Goethe's works with a pencil stub in her damp cell. Her final translation speaks to the enduring human spirit in the face of suffering: "All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days." This act of literary creation in her final hours reflects the same spirit that drove her resistance work—a belief in the power of words and ideas to transcend even the most brutal regimes. Mildred Harnack's legacy is one of extraordinary courage and moral clarity. At a time when many Americans in Berlin turned a blind eye to Nazi atrocities, she chose to risk her life fighting fascism. She used her position as an American and her connections at the U.S. embassy to help Jews escape Germany. She recruited Germans into the resistance, inspiring them to think critically about the Nazi regime. And she provided crucial intelligence that helped the Allies understand Hitler's war plans, potentially saving countless lives in the process.

Summary

Mildred Harnack's extraordinary journey from Wisconsin professor to anti-Nazi resistance leader exemplifies the power of moral courage in the face of overwhelming evil. Her decision to remain in Germany after Hitler's rise to power, rather than returning to the safety of America, stemmed from a profound sense of responsibility to fight against the Nazi regime's brutality and inhumanity. Through her teaching, intelligence work, and resistance activities, she demonstrated that even under the most oppressive conditions, individuals can choose to stand for truth and human dignity. Her execution at age 40 cut short a remarkable life, but her legacy as an American who gave everything in the struggle against fascism continues to resonate. The most enduring lesson from Mildred Harnack's life is that resistance to tyranny is not futile, even when the odds seem insurmountable. Her story teaches us that small acts of courage, multiplied across networks of like-minded individuals, can create meaningful opposition to authoritarian regimes. She shows us the importance of bearing witness to atrocities and preserving the truth for future generations. For anyone concerned about the fragility of democratic institutions or the rise of extremist ideologies, Mildred's life offers both a warning about how quickly a society can descend into barbarism and an inspiring example of how ordinary citizens can respond with extraordinary moral clarity and courage.

About Author

Loading...

Rebecca Donner

I was born in Canada and during childhood lived in a number of different places — Japan, Michigan, Virginia, and California. My love of books has remained the one constant in my life. All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days is my third book, a fusion of biography, WWII espionage thriller, and scholarly detective story. I interweave letters, diary entries, notes smuggled out of a Berlin prison, survivors’ testimony, and a trove of declassified intelligence documents into an epic story about an American woman who was a leader in Berlin's underground resistance to Hitler.

Read more