Sisters in Resistance

How a German Spy, a Banker's Wife, and Mussolini's Daughter Outwitted the Nazis

By: Tilar J. Mazzeo

Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan

Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

In a tale as twisted as any spy thriller, discover how three women delivered critical evidence of Axis war crimes to Allied forces during World War II: “Mazzeo is a fascinating storyteller” (New York Journal of Books).

In 1944, news of secret diaries kept by Italy's Foreign Minister, Galeazzo Ciano, had permeated public consciousness. What wasn't reported, however, was how three women—a Fascist's daughter, a German spy, and an American socialite—risked their lives to ensure the diaries would reach the Allies, who would later use them as evidence against the Nazis at Nuremberg.

In 1944, Benito Mussolini's daughter, Edda, gave Hitler and her father an ultimatum: release her husband, Galeazzo Ciano, from prison, or risk her leaking her husband's journals to the press. To avoid the peril of exposing Nazi lies, Hitler and Mussolini hunted for the diaries for months, determined to destroy them.

Hilde Beetz, a German spy, was deployed to seduce Ciano to learn the diaries' location and take them from Edda. As the seducer became the seduced, Hilde converted to a double agent, joining forces with Edda to save Ciano from execution. When this failed, Edda fled to Switzerland with Hilde’s daring assistance to keep Ciano's final wish: to see the diaries published for use by the Allies. When American spymaster Allen Dulles learned of Edda's escape, he sent in socialite Frances De Chollet, an “accidental” spy, telling her to find Edda, gain her trust, and, crucially, hand the diaries over to the Americans. Together, they succeeded in preserving one of the most important documents of WWII.

Drawing from in‑depth research and first-person interviews with people who witnessed these events, Mazzeo gives listeners a riveting look into this little‑known moment in history and shows how, without Edda, Hilde, and Frances's involvement, certain convictions at Nuremberg would never have been possible.

©2022 Tilar J. Mazzeo (P)2022 Grand Central Publishing

Fascinating WW2 account of women in resistance

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about this prior to listening to this audio account. I’m 1/4 Italian and absolutely love all things Italian. As an international relations major and world history enthusiast I found this book very intriguing. I was very interested to hear of the little acknowledged womens’ participation in the war effort exposing war criminals.

Made me even more proud of my heritage

Just when I thought I had read every spy/suspense book about WWII, I came upon this gem. The 3 women went above and beyond to safeguard important documents, essential to the post war trial at Nuremberg. Lisa Flanagan does justice to Mazzeo's masterpiece. Once started, couldn't stop listening.....may even listen again! Congratulations for writing and telling a compulsive story of survival, love, and commitment to justice.

A Forgotten Moral Choice That Made History

Frequently when I read something about WWII, I learn something new or something that's less remembered. When I saw this audiobook and learned what it was about, I knew this would be something like that.

Italy's pre-WWII history and its involvement in the war isn't as well taught as Germany's, so many of the characters mentioned here were new to me. I never heard of Galeazzo or Edda Ciano before this, nor did I know they were members of Mussolini's family and active participants in the regime. Nor did I realize how active things were in Switzerland during the war, with both Germany and the Allies using their spy networks quite extensively. And that the OSS drew in American expatriates like Frances De Chollet are also quite interesting, especially since their deeds are less recorded though the work they did was crucial.

Mazzeo also made it clear that while the actions of the main two women of this story were heroic, they also made some poor choices and were morally questionable at times. Hilde Beetz is the best and most important example of that: a Nazi spy who only turned double agent when her feelings for Galeazzo Ciano conflicted with her mission. At times, Mazzeo notes it wasn't clear who she was loyal to, much like her colleague and fellow double-agent Father Guido Pancino. Edda Ciano's loyalties were also more personal: she cared about her family and own image over others. Early on, we hear she is an ardent fascist and active supporter of Nazi Germany and the war. Only when she was double crossed by the Nazis twice did she realize the lie of it, though she still believed in fascism to the end. And Galeazzo too, who profited from his connection to Mussolini and the fascist government, was not entirely unblameable either.

But Edda, Hilde and Frances's actions were crucial in the postwar period when it came to bringing to light the actions of men like Ribbentrop and how far the Nazis had gone during the occupation of Europe. Without Edda's courage, the diaries would not have left Italy when she fled to Switzerland. Without Frances's help, they would not have made it to the United States when Edda finally agreed to hand them over to the OSS. And without Hilde's secret work saving copies of the most important papers when she accidentally uncovered them to save herself, we wouldn't have records of them. Mazzeo writes that the papers Hilda made secret transcriptions of were among the most used at the Nuremburg trials to bring down Nazi war criminals. That this is not known due to men wanting to be the stars, even over seventy years later, still says a lot about how WWII is depicted.

Lisa Flanagan's narration was spot on. I speak no Italian, but I presume her pronunciations were correct. She also had the right voice for reading: it kept you interested, but also could be emotional when needed.

I highly recommend this audiobook for everyone, whether you're into history or not!

Wowsa

This is an important and well told story.

I was not familiar with this subject/diaries prior to the book, but from my post understanding - it’s well researched.

Excellent

Thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend. Sometimes spell bounding attention getting. Felt much authenticity throughout