Barbara Lauwers

Barbara Lauwers, born in 1914 in former Czechoslovakia, was a practicing junior lawyer who moved to the United States and joined the U.S. army after her husband did so, following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Lauwers was assigned to the Office of Strategic Services.

When World War II started, Lauwers was transferred to Italy, where she became involved with Operation Sauerkraut. The goal of this operation was to attack the morale of the German army by circulating rumors, fake orders and leaflets. Lauwers was chosen to interview German prisoners and select a few to distribute the propaganda.

As the only woman on the staff, she was credited with inventing the "League of Lonely War Women campaign," which sought to demoralize German soldiers by insinuating that their wives or girlfriends were being unfaithful to them. Both of these missions were a success; however, Lauwers' most successful mission involved producing propaganda that would convince hundreds of Czech and Slovak soldiers forced into the German military to cross into Allied territory, a mission which earned Lauwers a bronze star.

When the war ended, Lauwers worked as a hat seller, a dental assistant, a broadcaster for Voice of America, and at the Library of Congress, where she met her second husband.

Caption: Unknown Author, Barbara Lauwers Receiving the Bronze Star Medal, CIA, Feb. 21, 2025