"For those with no one to return to, the voice belonged to a blonde-haired and blue-eyed dream. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could sit together now in a cozy little café, with a nice glass of Rhine wine, and we gaze into each other's eyes, so deep, so warm," she cooed in an upper-crust Berliner accent. She imagined a dance as a big band launched into "I Love You Truly," the popular American song's lyrics sung in German."
"Her voice was low, sultry. " Hallo, Jungs. Hier bin ich wieder, eure Vicky mit drei Küssen." "Hello, boys. Here I am again, your Vicky With Three Kisses." Even on nights when the radio was filled with noise as Allied and Axis forces attempted to jam their enemies' broadcasts, the woman's meaning was unmistakable. She pursed her lips and sent a trio of smooches across the airwaves."
A British radio persona called Vicky With Three Kisses used seductive speech and song to create a longing fantasy for German sailors during the summer of 1944. The broadcasts combined an upper-crust Berliner accent, romantic imagery, and popular tunes translated into German to evoke memories of home and civilian life. The broadcasts reminded listeners of what they had sacrificed and seeded doubts about the Nazi cause while Allied and Axis stations tried to jam signals. A dark-haired, dark-eyed, half-Jewish actress in a London-area studio performed the role, sending kisses and wistful lines intended to manipulate morale.
Read at Smithsonian Magazine
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