Richard Sorge
Fake German journalist and Soviet spy (1895–1944) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Richard Sorge (Russian: Рихард Густавович Зорге, romanized: Rikhard Gustavovich Zorge; 4 October 1895 – 7 November 1944) was a German journalist and Soviet military intelligence officer who was active before and during World War II and worked undercover as a German journalist in both Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. His codename was "Ramsay" (Рамза́й).
Richard Sorge | |
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Nickname(s) | Ramsay |
Born | 4 October 1895 Baku, Baku Governorate, Caucasus Viceroyalty, Russian Empire (now Baku, Azerbaijan) |
Died | 7 November 1944(1944-11-07) (aged 49) Sugamo Prison, Tokyo, Empire of Japan |
Allegiance | German Empire (until 1918) Russian SFSR/ Soviet Union (starting 1920) |
Service/ | Imperial German Army Soviet Army (GRU) |
Years of service | Germany 1914–1916, USSR 1920–1941 |
Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin Iron Cross, II class (for World War I campaign) |
Spouse(s) | Christiane Gerlach (1921–1929), Ekaterina Alexandrovna (1929(?)–1943) |
Relations | Gustav Wilhelm Richard Sorge (father) Friedrich Sorge (great-uncle) |
Sorge is known for his service in Japan in 1940 and 1941, when he provided information about Adolf Hitler's plan to attack the Soviet Union. Then, in mid-September 1941, he informed the Soviets that Japan would not attack the Soviet Union in the near future. A month later, Sorge was arrested in Japan for espionage.[1][2] He was tortured, forced to confess, tried and hanged in November 1944.[3] Stalin declined to intervene on his behalf with the Japanese.[3]
He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1964.[3]