Facts and Stories from WWII That We Won’t Find in History Books

In a striking example of the perils faced by civilians under authoritarian regimes during wartime, a woman was sentenced to prison for the seemingly innocuous act of listening to a British radio broadcast. Attempting to rectify the situation, she had a technician over to repair the device. However, during his visit, a broadcast announced news so compelling that she felt compelled to share it with her neighbor.

The broadcast revealed that the neighbor’s son, previously believed to have died when his ship was sunk, was actually alive and held in a British POW camp. Ironically, instead of gratitude for relaying news of her son’s survival, the neighbor reported her, leading to her imprisonment.