Mariya Fortus: Difference between revisions
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| birth_name = Mariya Alexandrovna Fortus |
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| allegiance = {{flag|Soviet Union}} |
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| serviceyears = 1917 - 1955 |
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| rank = [[Colonel]] |
| rank = [[Colonel]] |
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'''Mariya Alexandrovna Fortus''' (Russian: Мария Фортус; 1900–1980)<ref name=":0" /> was a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Jews|Jewish]] translator and [[intelligence officer]]. |
'''Mariya Alexandrovna Fortus''' (Russian: Мария Фортус; 1900–1980)<ref name=":0" /> was a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Jews|Jewish]] translator and [[intelligence officer]]. She participated in the [[Russian Civil War]], the [[Spanish Civil War]], and [[World War II]]. |
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== Biography == |
== Biography == |
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{{Ukraine-bio-stub}} |
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[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Lenin]] |
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Revision as of 00:13, 18 August 2023
Mariya Fortus | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Мария Фортус |
| Birth name | Mariya Alexandrovna Fortus |
| Born | 1900 Kherson, Russian Empire |
| Died | 1981 (aged 80–81) |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Years of service | 1917 - 1955 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Order of Lenin  |
Mariya Alexandrovna Fortus (Russian: Мария Фортус; 1900–1980)[1] was a Soviet Jewish translator and intelligence officer. She participated in the Russian Civil War, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II.
Biography
Fortus was born in 1900 in Kherson to the family of a rich Jewish banker. Her father abandoned the family in 1913, forcing Mariya and her sister Adelaida to work. She would work as an embroiderer while studying in a localgymnasium for boys. In 1916 she would join the Socialist Revolutionary Party, before leaving it for the Bolsheviks in 1917 with whom she participated in the Russian Civil War.[2]
Fortus married the Catalan anarchist Ramon Casanellas, who had fled to the Soviet Union as a refugee. Fortus and her husband spent time together in Spain, allowing her to develop a familiarity with the Spanish language and culture. This familiarity assisted her when she was appointed to a Soviet military delegation to Spain during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, where she served as a translator. While working in Spain, she used the false name Julia Jiménez Cárdenas. Fortus became an intelligence agent in World War II.[1] She primarily operated in the Ukrainian SSR, where she trained other intelligence officers. She was also involved in operations in the Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom of Hungary.[3] Fortus received the Order of Lenin for her service.[4]
Upon her return to the Soviet Union in 1945, Fortus continued her military service. In 1955 she retired with the rank of colonel. She wrote her memoirs and, in the late 1950s, defended a thesis in the field of sociology. She died in 1981.[2]
Portrayal in Media
The 1970 film Hail, Mary! was based on Fortus's life.[5]
References
- ^ a b Rodríguez-Espinosa, Marcos (2016-01-02). ""¡No Pasarán!": Translators under siege and ideological control in the Spanish Civil War". Perspectives. 24 (1): 22–35. doi:10.1080/0907676X.2015.1073765. ISSN 0907-676X. S2CID 147259319.
- ^ a b "Maria Fortus". www.yadvashem.org. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ Zalietok, Nataliia (2018-11-02). "British and Soviet Women in the Military Campaign of 1939-45: A Comparative Review". MCU Journal (Gender): 25. doi:10.21140/mcuj.2018si01. S2CID 187108179.
- ^ Baigorri-Jalón, Jesús (2021). "Appendix: Honors and Awards Received by Interpreters". Languages in the Crossfire: Interpreters in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-39610-2.
- ^ "Feature Film Premiered". Soviet Life. 1971-10-27. p. 27.
| International | |
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| National | |
  | This Soviet biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Ukrainian biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1900 births
- Military personnel from Kherson
- 20th-century Ukrainian Jews
- 1980 deaths
- Bolsheviks
- People of the Russian Civil War
- Women in the Spanish Civil War
- Russian people of the Spanish Civil War
- Jewish female partisans
- 20th-century translators
- Soviet translators
- Soviet women in World War II
- Soviet people stubs
- Ukrainian people stubs
- Recipients of the Order of Lenin
- Soviet colonels