Unity Valkyrie Mitford was born on 8th August 1914, the daughter of David Bertram Ogilvy Freeman-Mitford 2nd Baron Redesdale, she had five sisters Jessica, Pamela, Diana, Nancy, Deborah, and a brother Thomas. Unity was mainly educated at home by her mother, and governesses.
In June 1933 Unity and her sister Diana joined the British Union of Fascists, founded by Oswald Mosley. In the summer of 1933 Unity and her sister Diana visited Nazi Germany, Unity decided to stay on and learn the German language. On the 31 August 1933, Unity attended the Nazi “Party Day of Victory”, she was part of the English delegation that included William Joyce [later known as Lord Haw Haw] Unity recalled “The first moment I saw him [Hitler] at the rally, I knew there was no one I would rather meet.
In 1934 Unity Mitford became friends with Ernst Hanfstaengel [close associate of Hitler] he was more of a means than an end, he introduced her to prominent Nazis. Hanfstaengel considered Unity and her sister Diana as outstanding Nordic beauties, but they were heavily made up, this conflicted with the Nazi ideal of German womanhood, he suggested reducing the make-up, adding if you want to have any chance of meeting Hitler, you will have to wipe some of that stuff off your faces.
According to Unity, she was determined to meet Hitler, she used to go to the Osteria Bavaria restaurant frequented by Hitler, sit there all day with a book and read, she placed herself so that if Hitler appeared he invariably walked by her, her whole point was to draw attention to herself, she'd talk loudly or drop her book, eventually she was noticed, a member of Hitler's party was sent over to find out who she was. On learnig that she was an admirer of the Nazis, and a member of the British Union of Fascists, Hitler invited her to join them at their table, thereafter she became one of his circle, and accompanying him to meetings and rallies.
Albert Speer, Hitler's architect and armaments minister spent time with Unity, he considered she was in love with Hitler, you could see it he said, her face brightened up , her eyes gleaming when Hitler appeared. It is said that as a member of his group, she had some influence on Hitler.
Speer also pointed out that Unity was disliked by most of Hitler's inner circle, they thought it amazing that a non-German would be included, and could listen to details of party politics and far-ranging policy. Speer did not think Hitler was all that interested in Unity's political views, more that his admiration for the British was confirmed in her. Another member of the inner-circle did not believe that Hitler had a physical relationship with Unity
Unity was a very close friend of Julius Streicher, who founded the virulently anti-semitic newspaper Der Sturmer, Unity was an obsessive Jew-hater, agreeing with Streicher, when he said “ Jews should be made to eat grass”
Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe part of the inner circle, despite suspected Jewish ancestry, was of the opinion that Unit Mitford was used by Hitler to communicate with the British establishment, she suggested that in 1938, their were problems concerning Hitler's demands regarding Sudetenland, Hitler sent for Unity, telling her that in view of the gravity of the situation, he wanted her to leave Germany, thought it seemed a gesture prompted by concern for Unity's well-being, his real purpose was that on her return to England she would naturally talk about the gravity of the situation, with people of influence.
Unity Mitford had told a friend she would commit suicide if Britain declared war on Germany, on the 3 September 1939 the day Britain and France declared war on Germany, Unity shot herself in the head with her pistol, she was unconscious for two months, German surgeons saved her life, but were unable to to extract the bullet from her brain. Hitler was very shocked, and felt he had some responsibility for her action, on his instructions Unity was moved to Switzerland, and from there she returned to England on 3 January 1940, her mental and physical powers were impaired, and she led a protected life with her mother. Unity Mitford never fully recovered and she died on 28 May 1948 at a hospital in Oban Scotland.
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