What interested me in the story of Unity Mitford was the idea that she was methodical in her pursuit for celebrity-status and the desire to be pit herself against her sisters that led her to become close to Hitler. Obviously, an in-depth detailed biography of Unity would bore you all to tears, but here are some pieces of information I found worth noting:
- Unity Mitford had 5 sisters who gained notoriety for various reasons, including being famous journalists, writers, Communists, and Fascists.
- Diana Mitford, the third sister and notably most beautiful of the sisters, became mistress to Sir Oswald Mosley, founder of the British Union of Fascists, and introduced her little sister, Unity to people associated with Nazi Germany.
- During the first Nuremberg rally when Nazi first came to power and Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, Unity became obsessed with Hitler. Historians equated the Nuremberg rallies to rock concerts, where everyone would be lost in the atmosphere, which is possibly what Unity felt when she met the powerful and charismatic Hitler. Unity stalked Hitler to his favourite restaurant and made eyes at him until he noticed her.
- Unity was often pit against Eva Braun, the companion and, briefly, wife of Adolf Hitler. Both women were jealous of the other and Eva was known to say that Hitler's fascination of Unity came that her middle name was Valkyrie (a Norse mythology figure who decided which soldiers would live or die at war) and that Unity was considered, by Hitler, "a perfect specimen of Aryan womanhood."
- After Eva tried to take her own life, Unity realized that only extreme acts could capture and keep the attention of Hitler. Hence, she befriended Julius Streicher, who wrote for Der Strumer, a weekly, tabloid-like, Nazi and incredibly anti-Semitic newspaper. Unity then asked Streicher to publish an article proclaiming to the world that she was a Jew hater. This shocking act from a British girl became English and German headline news and Hitler felt he had earned a faithful supporter, honouring her with a Swastika pin only rewarded to a privileged few.
- When World War II was announced, Unity could not stand the idea of England going to war against her beloved Hitler and some speculate that Unity's dreams of being by the side of Hitler was shattered. She attempted to kill herself by putting a bullet in her head with a tiny pistol. The suicide failed and she was left with a bullet in her brain that she would die from less than 9 years later because it was too dangerous to remove.
- Unity was taken back to England after the failed suicide and despite her connections with Hitler's inner circle, was never interrogated or imprisoned for treason. This was likely due to her father's connection to the British government. Modern theories about why Unity was left to peacefully live her life, without any interference from Hitler after her ordeal in Germany, was because she had given birth to Hitler's love-child and/or that she was sent to England as a spy for the Gestapo.
I enjoyed learning about the interesting life of Unity Mitford and some of her sisters as well. It definitely brings some insight into how the minds of people in that era used to think. In the modern day where many are eager to reach fame and stardom, it is easier to understand why people of the past act the way that they did.
A FUN FACT: Did you know that there is a mining town in Ontario called Swastika? It was where Unity was born and another reason why Hitler thought that Unity was sent by a higher power to be by his side.
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