Sorge Richard is one of the most prominent scouts of the 20th century. His group has been operating in Japan for many years, informing the leadership of the USSR about the political situation in the world.
Early years, adolescence
Richard was born in Sabunchi (Azerbaijan) on October 4, 1896. His father was German, he worked as an engineer in an oil company. Mother is Russian, her father was a railway worker.
Later the family lived in Germany. Richard's childhood was calm, the family was quite wealthy. Sorge studied well, but did not complete secondary education, since the First World War began, and he went to the front in 1914 as a volunteer. For his merits, he was promoted in rank, awarded the Iron Cross.
In 1917, Richard was seriously wounded, he was operated on, but he became disabled, and he was discharged. While recovering, Richard communicated with the socialists, studied the works of Marx.
After discharging, Richard began to study further, graduated from the university, became a scientist in the field of state and law. Sorge also defended his dissertation in economics.
Political activity
Richard is familiar with the communist leader Thälmann, participated in the 1918 uprising, arming the population. He also led revolutionary activities in Berlin, Hamburg.
In 1924, Richard began to live in Moscow, where he was invited by the staff of the Comintern. He was an employee of the information department, a party research institute. His articles on the revolutionary movement in the USA and Germany were published in major media outlets.
Intelligence service
In 1929, Richard began cooperation with the intelligence of the Red Army, then became a resident of the Intelligence Directorate. In 1930, Sorge began work in Shanghai. He made the acquaintance of Hotsumi Ozaki, a Japanese journalist with communist views, who provided the intelligence officer with the necessary information. The scout also had acquaintances among influential people. He was able to collect information about the advisors.
Since 1933, the intelligence officer has been active in Japan, where he was able to organize a network of agents. He got a job at the embassy of foreign affairs as an employee of the German media. Richard's group operated until 1941, it was possible to learn about the German attack. Information was also received that Japan will not fight. This made it possible to transport divisions to Moscow from the east.
In 1941, Richard and other members of the group were arrested and found evidence of their activities. High-ranking friends were unable to help Sorge. He was sentenced to death on 7 November 1944.
Information about the Sorge group became available to ordinary people only in the 60s. For a long time, the country's leadership did not take into account the merits of the intelligence officer, but in 1964 he was awarded the title of Hero of the USSR (posthumously).
Personal life
Not much is known about the intelligence officer's personal life. Gerlach Christina was his first wife. The marriage lasted until 1926.
In 1933, Sorge married Ekaterina Maximova. In 1942 she was arrested and sent to the Krasnoyarsk Territory, where she died.
In Japan, Richard lived in a civil marriage with Ishii Hanako, a Japanese woman. The scout had no children.
