Stirlitz. The story of the character Max Stirlitz

Domestic James Bond - Max Otto von Stirlitz is one of the most popular and beloved characters of the Soviet era. No other hero managed to even come close to his glory. Meanwhile, there is still no consensus on who could serve as the prototype for the famous Standartenführer, so beloved by the residents of our country (and especially its female half). The debate about who Yulian Semyonov took as a model when creating the central character of the famous epic, consisting of thirteen novels, continues to this day.

In fact, the figure of Maxim Maksimovich Isaev (in reality Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov), the elusive colonel of Soviet intelligence, is a literary cast from classified materials gleaned by the writer from the archives of the special services. Behind every line of stories about Colonel Isaev there are real people, Soviet intelligence officers who entered into a deadly confrontation with fascism. The names of most of them have already been declassified. And each one is a legend. And we must remember them.

You can speculate for a long time about the real prototype of the famous hero, but the only person who knew the truth to the end was the creator of Stirlitz himself, Yulian Semenov. At the end of the sixties, he was entrusted with an honorable mission - to write a patriotic work about the exploits of a Soviet intelligence officer. To bring the plot as close as possible to real circumstances, by order of Yuri Andropov himself, the writer was allowed to familiarize himself with the archival documents of some Soviet residents. In later interviews, Semyonov said that most of the events that happen to Stirlitz in his novels are taken from real life, but they all happened to different intelligence officers. The writer masterfully combined them into one literary biography.

In one of the episodes of the film “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” a brief description of Stirlitz is given, which states that he is the Berlin tennis champion. The only Soviet intelligence officer professionally involved in tennis and football was Alexander Korotkov, although he never managed to reach the title of champion. In addition, being both a secret agent and a champion in any sport in real life is almost impossible. In addition to the need for constant training, the athlete’s personality is under close attention of the public and intelligence services. For Korotkov, the career of a secret intelligence officer began precisely on the tennis court, where the security officers first took note of him. Later, on the recommendation of V.L. Gerson, he got a job at Lubyanka as an ordinary elevator operator. Soon Korotkov was transferred to the position of clerk in a foreign department, and later sent to individual training, which in those days every intelligence officer was required to undergo. Alexander was taught to drive a car, master various types of motor skills, and he mastered the German language perfectly. After several years of hard work, he was sent abroad. Before the war, Korotkov worked in France, heading a group created specifically to eliminate traitors. He is credited with the destruction of Agabekov and Klement. At the end of the thirties, the name Korotkov was recognized by many in a narrow circle of professional intelligence officers. On the eve of the New Year 1939, Beria summoned Alexander and several other agents to his place. However, instead of the expected congratulations, he informed them... about his dismissal. The impulsive Korotkov did not want to put up with such an outcome and decided on a desperate act - he wrote a personal letter to Beria, in which, without excuses or requests, he demanded that he be reinstated at work. Korotkov understood that such a step was tantamount to suicide, but he dared to argue in detail the groundlessness of his resignation. To everyone's surprise, after reading the letter, Beria reinstated him in his service. In 1940, Korotkov worked in Berlin as a secret agent, and in March 1941, it was perhaps he who was the first to convey information about the inevitability of a German attack on the USSR. In the early forties, Korotkov, in the conditions of the most severe counterintelligence activities of the fascists, managed to establish reliable connections with the underground group “Red Chapel”, which was engaged in undermining the Hitler regime. Using underground radio stations, this organization transmitted secret information for the USSR and allied countries.

The famous Soviet spy Kim Philby said after watching the film “Seventeen Moments of Spring”: “With such a concentrated and intense face, the real Stirlitz would not have lasted a day!” Critics have also argued that the image of Nazi Germany created in the series is more reminiscent of the USSR during the Stalinist period. For example, according to the historian Zalessky, “such a Third Reich did not exist... All the relationships between the characters, the entire spirit has nothing to do with reality. Nazi Germany was different. No worse or better, just different.”

On June 19, 1941, a scout working under the pseudonym Breitenbach informed the Soviet leadership of a German attack planned three days later. According to many sources, this agent can also be considered as one of Stirlitz’s prototypes. Under the secret name was Wilhelm Lehmann, who, like Stirlitz, was a Gestapo officer, SS Hauptsturmführer and spy for the Soviet Union. According to some sources, the initial initiative came from the German officer himself, he deliberately sought a meeting with Soviet intelligence until he was officially recruited. Lehman's desire to work for the USSR was dictated by his intransigence to the basic ideals of fascism. The good-natured and friendly person that Lehman was was called “Uncle Willy” by many at work (in the IV department of the RSHA of the Gestapo). No one, including his wife, could even imagine that this bald, good-natured fellow, suffering from renal colic and diabetes, was a Soviet agent. Before the war, he conveyed information about the timing and volume of production of self-propelled guns and armored personnel carriers, the development of new nerve agents and synthetic gasoline, the beginning of testing liquid fuel missiles, the structure and personnel of the German intelligence services, counterintelligence operations of the Gestapo and much more. Lehman sewed documents confirming the fact of the impending attack on the Soviet Union into the lining of his hat, which he then quietly replaced with the same headdress when meeting with a Soviet representative in a cafe.

In 1942, the Germans managed to declassify the brave intelligence officer. Himmler was simply shocked by this fact. The employee, who worked in the Gestapo for thirteen years, constantly supplied information to the USSR and was never even suspected of espionage. The very fact of his activities was so shameful for the SS that Lehmann’s file was completely and completely destroyed before it could reach the Fuhrer, and the intelligence officer himself was hastily shot shortly after his arrest. Even the agent’s wife did not know for a long time about the true reasons for her husband’s death. His name was included in the list of those killed for the Third Reich. Of all the Soviet intelligence officers, it was Lehmann who occupied a position similar to Stirlitz, a high-ranking SS officer, surrounded by the arbiters of Germany’s destinies and entering the very heart of the Reich.

Stirlitz hid his real marital status; according to Gestapo documents, he was single, but his wife was awaiting his return to the USSR. In fact, the Germans hired mostly married officers to work in the SS, and those who were single, as a rule, aroused unnecessary suspicion. In addition, the charter of this organization required each member to have a family and children by the age of thirty.

At the end of the nineties, a version was born that the real name of the literary character Stirlitz - Isaev - appeared thanks to the real intelligence officer Isaiah Isaevich Borovoy. Having slightly changed his name, Yulian Semenov created Maxim Maksimovich. But very little is known about Isaiah Borovoy himself, since the resident’s personal file still remains classified. The agent's relatives say that he, like Stirlitz, led Soviet military intelligence in Europe and was introduced into the upper echelons of the Third Reich command. However, Borovoy worked there even before the war, and by order of the command, he surrendered to the Americans, who transported him to the Soviet Union. Despite his enormous services to his homeland, upon his return home, instead of rewards, Borovoy was expected to be exiled to Siberia. The reason for the agent's arrest remained a secret behind seven seals. The measures to cleanse the intelligence officer from the filth of the rotten West were so cruel that before his death, Borovoy’s arms and legs were broken and his spine was damaged. His family never found out where his body was buried.

Some researchers are also inclined to believe that the prototype of Stirlitz could well have been Mikhail Mikhalkov, the brother of the famous Soviet writer, who was an illegal agent during the Great Patriotic War, supplying domestic intelligence agencies with important operational data. Being a relative of Mikhalkov, Yulian Semenov knew his life history very well, and therefore could well have partially used it in his works. In 1945, Mikhail crossed the front line during a battle and fell into the hands of his “native” military counterintelligence. He was accused of collaborating with the Germans and was imprisoned first in Lefortovo prison, and then in one of the concentration camps in the Far East. The scout was rehabilitated only in 1956.

Today, it’s even difficult for fans of Stirlitz to imagine that the legendary character could have looked completely different, for example, if Oleg Strizhenov or Archil Gomiashvili had won the casting for the movie. Nevertheless, Tikhonov perfectly coped with one of the most difficult acting tasks - to play the role of a thoughtful, silent hero. When he simply remains silent in the film, the viewer firmly believes that Stirlitz is thinking about something extremely important for the country, although, according to the actor himself, at that moment he was repeating the multiplication table in his mind. In one role, Tikhonov managed to combine the best qualities of Soviet intelligence officers: high intelligence, a subtle ability to understand human psychology, the art of controlling oneself and one’s emotions, the ability to transform, quickly analyze the situation and make decisions with lightning speed.

The prototype of the young Stirlitz may be an employee of the Cheka, Yakov Blyumkin. It is interesting that among his pseudonyms there are the names Vladimirov and Isaev. He and Stirlitz also have the same date of birth – October 8, 1900. Blumkin's biography is extremely entertaining. He was highly valued by Dzerzhinsky and Trotsky, he participated in the murder of the German ambassador Mirbach, was noted in the assassination attempt on Hetman Skoropadsky and German Field Marshal Eichhorn, “expropriated” the assets of the State Bank together with Mishka Yaponchik, was involved in the overthrow of the Persian head Kuchek Khan and created the Iranian Communist Party. One episode from Blumkin’s life almost entirely became the basis for the plot of Semenov’s book “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.” In the mid-twenties, Yakov graduated from the Academy of the General Staff of the Red Army and worked on the eastern question, traveled to China, Palestine, Mongolia, and lived in Shanghai. In the summer of 1929, Blumkin returned to the capital to report on his work, but was soon arrested for his old connections with Leon Trotsky. At the end of the same year, Blumkin was shot.

Another interesting historical fact. It is known that the Third Reich did not particularly favor smokers. Himmler personally forbade SS officers from indulging in this vice at work. However, both in the book and in the film, Stirlitz often smokes.

Anatoly Gurevich is considered another prototype of Stirlitz. He volunteered to go to war in Spain, and after returning home he received an offer to become a scout. His specialization after training at the GRU became ciphers and radio stations. Under the name Vincent Sierra, Anatoly began his work in Brussels; later he was a member of the Red Chapel and had the pseudonym Kent. In Belgium, he married the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, who transferred part of his enterprises to Gurevich. It was he who, in the fall of 1941, informed Moscow about the attack the Germans were preparing at Stalingrad and in the Caucasus. Largely thanks to this information, the Red Army gained the upper hand in these operations, and thousands of our compatriots survived. In 1941, Anatoly’s transmitter was found. The scout and his wife had to flee to France, to the city of Marseille, where they were soon arrested. Only after this did Margaret’s wife learn that her husband was a Soviet spy. A big shock for the Soviet agent was the information that his codes had been broken, and German counterintelligence had joined the radio game. Nevertheless, Gurevich managed to survive. After the war, the intelligence officer who separated from his wife returned to Russia. The Soviet command did not hesitate to sentence Anatoly - he gave him twenty years in prison under the article “treason.” In fact, he spent about twenty-five years in prison. Charges of treason were dropped only in 1991. Anatoly Gurevich died in January 2009 at the age of ninety-six.

Many historians include one of the most outstanding intelligence officers of the century, Richard Sorge, in the long list of prototypes of the popular hero. However, a detailed study of their biographies refutes this. The similarity can only be found in the fact that Sorge is recognized as the real intelligence officer No. 1 of our country, and Stirlitz is recognized as a literary and cinematic one. It can also be noted that both lived for some time in Shanghai. Sorge also warned about the beginning of the war, and Stirlitz tried to find out this date.

Regarding the character of Stirlitz, Yulian Semenov himself claimed that he chose Norman Borodin. The writer learned the adventures of the famous intelligence officer not from secret archives, but from the agent himself, that is, first-hand. His life could be a separate exciting novel; Norman had to go through a huge number of trials and dramas. The father of the future agent, Mikhail Borodin, was an ally of Lenin, a diplomat, and a Soviet intelligence officer. Since 1923, under the pseudonym “Comrade Kirill,” he worked as an adviser to the Chinese leader Sun Yat-sen. When Sun Yat-sen died after a serious illness, the power in the country instantly changed. Remaining as a favorite of the former leader of this country was extremely dangerous. Mikhail Borodin was arrested and expelled from the USSR. And his son, Norman, was secretly transported by Soviet diplomats as part of Isadora Duncan’s touring ballet troupe. A handsome black-haired sixteen-year-old boy was disguised as a woman, one of the participants in the performance.

At first, Norman felt like a foreigner in the Soviet Union. In all his sixteen years, he had been here only once, and he was born and raised in the United States. Accordingly, Borodin Jr.’s native language was English. Fulfilling his father's behests, Norman prepared to become a scout from a young age. By the age of nineteen, he was already an employee of the INO NKVD, and received his first assignment at the age of twenty-five. He was ordered to enter the United States as an illegal resident. The position of illegal intelligence officers, who in a narrow circle were called “foreign intelligence marathoners,” was extremely difficult, since they could not count on protection from the embassy in the event of any problems, even arrest. During his work in the United States, Borodin was given the operational pseudonym Granit, which best characterized his character. According to the recollections of contemporaries, the real agent, like Stirlitz, made a very pleasant impression, was tactful and had a great sense of humor, knew how to remain calm and self-possessed in any situation, nothing could force him to reveal his true feelings. However, the scout’s entire subsequent fate was like an obstacle course. Life seemed to be specially testing Borodin’s strength. After the betrayal of one of the Soviet spies, Borodin, along with a number of other agents, was recalled from the United States. And soon, according to the conclusion of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs, he was expelled from foreign intelligence. During his resignation, Borodin worked in the foreign department of Glavlit, but with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War he was again returned to intelligence. He was sent to Germany, to the very lair of the enemy - to Berlin, where Norman created a reliable, extensive network of agents. Simultaneously with his espionage activities, under the guise of an American volunteer, he worked for the Swiss Red Cross.

Popular writer Georgy Weiner said in an interview: “Norman and his family are amazing material for a novel about the birth, formation and victory of ideas and views, their further transformation, the collapse and final destruction of all ideals.”

In 1947, Norman returned to Moscow and got a job as a correspondent. Soon he, like many of his fellow front-line soldiers, became completely disillusioned with the Soviet system. In 1949, Norman wrote a letter to Stalin in which he asked the General Secretary only one question: does he know what is happening in his environment, where and why the best agents sincerely devoted to communist ideas disappear without a trace? The scout did not receive an answer, but a few days later his father was arrested. Mikhail Borodin spent two years in Lefortovo, where, under torture, he signed a confession that he was an American spy. On May 29, 1951, Borodin Sr., unable to withstand the beatings, died in prison. After his father died, Norman was arrested. In prison, Borodin, who suddenly turned from a valuable intelligence officer into an enemy of the country, also faced torture. He was kept naked in a punishment cell at a temperature just above zero degrees. After conducting an investigative process, the authorities decided to exile the intelligence officer to Karaganda.

During the Karaganda exile, the KGB leadership allowed Norman Borodin to do the work that he liked. He became a journalist for a local newspaper. Here the scout met the still unknown brothers Vayner and Yulian Semenov. The life story of Norman Borodin that Semyonov heard made a huge impression on the writer; he asked the intelligence officer for permission to use certain moments of his biography in his new novel about Stirlitz. But the most important thing was that Semenov tried to endow his hero with the same character. Two years later, the Stalinist Thaw came, the cult of the Leader was debunked, charges against Borodin were dropped, and he was finally able to return to Moscow. The intelligence officer was reinstated in the party, and he returned to work in the KGB. Subsequently, Borodin took part in the creation of the film “Seventeen Moments of Spring” under the fictitious name of S.K. Mishin, which the viewer can see in the closing credits. Andropov forbade the real names of current intelligence officers to be indicated. The artist of the painting “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” according to the stories of Borodin’s daughter, was a frequent guest in their house and consulted with his father in order to achieve the closest possible approximation of the artistic image of Stirlitz to the real intelligence officer. Norman Borodin died in 1974.

There is a legend that already in his old age, Leonid Brezhnev, who really loved the film about the famous intelligence officer, having watched it again, suddenly asked those present: “Did we reward Stirlitz?” Everyone remained silent in embarrassment. Then Brezhnev ordered to give the intelligence officer the title of Hero. As a way out of the situation, it was decided to award Tikhonov the Order of the Hero of Socialist Labor. Whether this happened in reality is unknown.

Sadly, despite the presence of a large number of experienced residents who for years supplied valuable information from the enemy camp, as well as saboteurs who carried out a number of successful operations, in real life there were no intelligence officers with such a rich biography as Stirlitz’s. Yes, it couldn’t exist. Maneuvering between possible failures, infiltrating into the very top of the Reich, and rescuing from the most difficult situations simply cannot fall to the lot of one person. In addition, we have to admit that the presence of such a person as Stirlitz in the highest echelons of the German command in real life would be impossible. If only for the simple reason that the pedigree of all Gestapo officers, by order of the Fuhrer, was checked until the mid-eighteenth century. However, Semyonov did not write his books from scratch. He studied a huge amount of historical materials. Perhaps that is why his work looks so authentic and convincing. Without a doubt, the image of Stirlitz was collected from various Soviet intelligence officers, and many of his actions described on the pages of novels were borrowed from real life. And even if not one of them was Stirlitz on his own, they were all of them together. And with recognition of services to the Motherland, the literary hero was much more fortunate than the real prototypes. Many of them were undeservedly persecuted, accused of espionage and forgotten. Brave people were recognized as heroes after they had passed away.

Information sources:
http://www.kpravda.ru/article/society/006425/
http://operkor.wordpress.com/
http://reallystory.com/post/144
http://www.centrasia.ru/newsA.php?st=1256677560

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The invincible intelligence officer Vsevolod Vladimirov (aka Maxim Isaev, aka the future Max Otto von Stirlitz) entered the literary arena in 1966 - Yulian Semenov published the first book in a series about the work of a Soviet agent. In the future, the author will give the reader another 13 volumes.

Was Stirlitz real? Fans of the “Russian” never tire of asking themselves this question. The creator of the character claimed that the image was collective, but did not deny that the biographies of some very specific people served as its formation.

Researchers believe that on the pedestal of the prototypes of Max Otto von Stirlitz should be placed a security officer, a Soviet intelligence officer who worked under the pseudonyms “Isaev” or “Max”, which echoes the name and surname of the book Maxim Maksimovich Isaev. Plus, Semenov’s first book in the chronology of the narrative, “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat,” included a case when Blyumkin, under the guise of a jeweler, found out the interaction of Russian Gokhran employees with agents from abroad.

Probably, the characterization of the hero was formed from the details of the life of Willy Lehmann, SS Hauptsturmführer and Soviet intelligence officer. It is not known exactly why the German became a “traitor” to his native country. But his further fate is unenviable - the spy, who made a fortune from fees from the treasury of the Soviet Union, was exposed and shot.

The poet’s brother, Mikhail, is also considered a prototype of the fictional character. The man was captured by the Germans, but managed to escape. He turned into an “outlaw” agent who leaked important information to the Red Army. However, at the end of the war, Soviet counterintelligence falsely accused Mikhalkov of spying for the Germans and imprisoned him for five years.

And finally, the writer borrowed elements of the biography for Stirlitz from intelligence officer Norman Borodin, with whom he was friends.

In circles interested in Semenov’s work, the assumption that the books were commissioned comes up every now and then. But writer Mikhail Lyubimov is sure that this is just speculation. Although he does not deny that Yulian Semenov had a pass to the KGB archives - the works are too realistic and historically reliable. Moreover, invented plot twists often suddenly found themselves classified as “top secret.”

Biography

The biography of intelligence officer No. 1 is presented in full view in the books of Yulian Semenov. Vsevolod Vladimirov is the son of political exiles who found themselves in Transbaikalia (his father, a teacher at St. Petersburg University, lost his place in an educational institution and at the same time the right to live in his hometown due to ideological principles). The boy was born on October 9, 1900. Five years later, smallpox took my mother’s life. The widowed father, taking his son, went into emigration to Germany. This is where Seva’s excellent knowledge of the German language comes from.

In 1917, emigrants returned to a renewed Russia. By this time, a crack had appeared in the relationship between the matured Vsevolod and his father - the young man was delighted with the changes in the political arena of his homeland and went straight to the ranks of the Cheka. Three years later, young Vladimirov, under the name Isaev, was introduced to the White Guards, who were flying the flags of Kolchak, and a little later they were entrusted with the extraction of information at the headquarters of Unger, who ruled in Mongolia.

In Moscow, Vsevolod helped the leadership of the foreign department of the Cheka, having received a serious task - to find out the circumstances of the theft of diamonds from Gokhran. The next mission was a trip to Vladivostok, again in the ranks. Together with the White Guards, the scout was evacuated to Japan, and from there to China. In general, the hero was tossed around the world; the man lived far from his native land for a third of a century.

In 1927, Soviet intelligence services create the legend of the German aristocrat Max Otto von Stirlitz, robbed in China, who seeks support and protection in the German consulate of Australia. Six years later, the hero ended up in Germany, where he joined the ranks of the Nazi party. A “double life” began: he worked for German intelligence, and at the same time found valuable information for the Soviet government. By the end of the war he had risen to the high rank of Standartenführer.

Stirlitz received his most famous assignment in 1945 - the intelligence officer was required to disrupt negotiations at the top of the German government on concluding a separate peace with the West, organized by the Reichsführer SS. For his brilliant performance of the task, Stirlitz received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But at the same time, the resident was faced with exposure - the head of the Reich secret police guessed that there was a “sent Cossack” in the ranks of the Nazis. However, he was in no hurry to expose the hero.

During the storming of Berlin, the famous intelligence officer was wounded by a Soviet soldier, and the Germans took him first to Spain and then to South America, where Stirlitz picked up the trail of the fleeing Nazis, led by Müller. Information about the criminal group and the identity of the intelligence officer reached the Soviet embassy. Vsevolod Vladimirov finally ended up in Moscow, however, in the status of a prisoner - the intelligence officer was released from prison only after he died.

The aged character in Semenov’s books went into science, writing a dissertation entitled “National Socialism, Neo-Fascism; modifications of totalitarianism." But the intelligence officer’s adventures did not end there: in 1967, Vladimirov again found himself in Berlin, where he managed to stop the theft of nuclear technology.

The hero's personal life did not work out. Leaving his homeland in the 20s, Vsevolod said goodbye to his beloved woman, Alexandra Gavrilina, who gave birth to a child a little later. The agent didn’t even know about his son; rumors reached him only in 1941, and three years later Vladimirov accidentally met the heir in Krakow. Son Alexander, under an assumed name, worked as a scout in the Red Army.

The family was never reunited - Stirlitz’s wife and son were shot by order of Stalin.

Film adaptations

The adventures of the Soviet intelligence officer, described in the books of Yulian Semenov, formed the basis of several films. The first film, directed by Boris Grigoriev based on the novel of the same name, “No Password Needed,” was shown in cinemas in the USSR in 1967. The character of the young security officer Vsevolod Vladimirov was conveyed by the actor.

Later, Uldis Dumpis also played the role of intelligence officer No. 1 (in 1980, the film based on the book “The Spanish Version” was presented by Latvian director Erik Latsis). He shared a modern look at the history of bygone years by producing the television series “Isaev” in 2009. The role of the Soviet intelligence officer has receded.

And yet the most famous in Russia and abroad is Stirlitz. Director Tatyana Lioznova, who gave the world “17 Moments of Spring,” managed to show Soviet intelligence so closely for the first time. The woman gathered Russian film stars on the set, making the film the leader in the number of actors who bore the title “People’s Artist of the USSR.”

Together with Tikhonov, they shine on the screen (SS-Gruppenführer Heinrich Müller), (Reichsleiter Martin Bormann), Mikhail Zharkovsky (SS-Obergruppenführer Ernst Kaltenbrunner), Konstantin Zheldin (SS-Obersturmbannführer Wilhelm Holthoff), (Agent Klaus), (SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Eismann).

But work on the 12-episode feature film got off to a rocky start, precisely because of the choice of actor for the lead role. They could well become Stirlitz, and even who will play in the future - the director first considered these candidates. However, the men found themselves busy in other productions.

Tikhonov finally came to the attention of the author of the series. Thanks to his appearance and excellent acting, Stirlitz turned out to be not only handsome, but restrained, sensitive and wise. In addition, Vyacheslav Vasilyevich should be thanked for the fact that the film included a touching episode of the meeting of the Soviet resident with his wife in the Elefant cafe, which the script was deprived of.

• Shtrilitz, together with and firmly settled in folk art. Soviet citizens composed a lot of jokes where the intelligence officer appears, and not all humorous stories are within the bounds of decency. There are a lot of short jokes around the world about a hero falling from a high-rise building, for example: “Stirlitz fell from the balcony of the 13th floor and miraculously caught on the balcony of the 9th. The next day the miracle swelled.”

• In various quizzes, the question often comes up about which book in “Seventeen Moments of Spring” Shtrilits used to decipher messages from the Center. Only the most attentive viewers of the film can answer it: Tikhonov’s character takes a modest volume from the 1883 edition from the shelf.
• Tatyana Lioznova devoted several years of her life to the film, and the sacrifices were not in vain. After the release of the film, viewers flooded the director with letters - in one interview she said that she received 12 bags of messages and honestly read them all.

• The filming process was supposed to start on the sites of the GDR. Lioznova was going to film scenes of Stirlitz’s stay in Berlin, as well as the episode in which the intelligence officer killed Klaus. As a result, this moment had to be filmed in a forest near Moscow, because Lev Durov was not released into the GDR for a bad joke. At the commission making the decision to issue permission to leave the USSR, the actor was asked a question about the appearance of the flag of the Soviet Union. Lev Konstantinovich joked without a second thought:

“It looks very simple: a black background, a white skull and two crossed shin bones. It's called the Jolly Roger flag. Colleagues jokingly dubbed Durov “the main bandit of the republic.”

Quotes

After the screening of each episode, the audience wrote down striking phrases from the film “17 Moments of Spring” in notebooks and then competed with each other in their knowledge of the film, inserting quotes into speech with or without relevance.

“And I’ll ask you to stay.”

“The usual propaganda hype. You don’t have to continue.”

"Stirlitz is walking along the corridor."

“Don’t faint, but we are all under Mueller’s surveillance.”

“Humanity loves other people’s secrets most of all.”

“Gabi, I’m not interested in you as a chess partner.”

“It’s just that of all the people on Earth, I love old people and children the most.”

The name Stirlitz is on everyone's lips. Who is he? Is this a fictional character or a real person? When did he live? Why are they talking about him now? You will find answers to these questions in the article.

So who is Stirlitz? This is the most famous. Any representative of the older generation in the CIS will answer without hesitation that this is a famous character in the novels of Yulian Semenov. An experienced and inveterate spy from "17 Moments of Spring", talentedly played in the movie by Vyacheslav Tikhonov. Expressions from this legendary film have long become popular and known to almost everyone. And you can find many anecdotes about the famous SS Standartenführer.

Max Otto von Stirlitz, also known as Maxim Maksimovich Isaev, appears in more than one of Semenov’s works. Gradually, they reveal his origins, interests and how young Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov becomes first Maxim Isaev, and then Stirlitz.

Spy biography

The parents of the outstanding intelligence officer met in Transbaikalia, where they were exiled for their political views. Vsevolod was born on October 8, 1900. After 5 years, his mother could not cope with consumption and died.

The young intelligence officer began working under the pseudonym Isaev already in 1920. During this period, he acted as an employee of the press service. A year later, Vladimirov worked as deputy head of the foreign department of the Cheka. Then, in 1921, he was sent to Estonia.

The underground activity of the young security officer is rapidly gaining momentum; in 1922, infiltrated into the White Guard troops, he ends up in Manchuria. For the next 30 years, he has been collecting intelligence for the benefit of the Motherland far beyond its borders.

The appearance of Stirlitz

Who is Stirlitz? This is the same young intelligence officer Maxim Isaev. In 1927, he was transferred from Europe to troubled Germany, where the Nazi Party was gaining strength. It was then that a representative of the German aristocracy, Max Otto von Stirlitz, appeared.

During World War II, Colonel Isaev works in the main department of imperial security. For his numerous and undeniable services to the Fatherland, Vsevolod Vladimirov received the title of Hero. But despite this, in 1947 Stirlitz ended up in a Soviet prison, where he played his own game.

Personal life

Unlike his literary and film colleagues, Stirlitz is extremely cold and indifferent to the opposite sex. This is not explained by the intelligence officer’s insensitivity and callousness, but by the fact that there is no free space in his heart. The spy carried his love for Alexandra Nikolaevna Gavrilina, who remained in her homeland, throughout his life. Despite the long separation, this woman answered him in kind and even gave birth to a child from him in 1923, which Maxim Maksimovich learns about only in 1941.

Unfortunately, Yulian Semenov did not foresee a happy family life for his hero; by order of Stirlitz, his son and he would be shot in 1947.

To know everything about Stirlitz, you will have to read 14 novels about this hero.

Character, interests and passions of Stirlitz

How was Stirlitz's youth? What was he really like? While in Bern with his father during emigration, young Vsevolod worked part-time at a newspaper. Largely thanks to this, the future spy acquired an interest and love for literature.

Vladimirov has all the qualities necessary for a scout. He is smart, calculating and cold-blooded. Able to quickly analyze, evaluate and navigate any situation.

Vsevolod would never have turned into Maxim Isaev, much less Stirlitz, if he had not been a good actor and psychologist. These skills helped him to so skillfully infiltrate any enemy team and create the appearance of good relations with forced colleagues.

Among alcoholic drinks, Stirlitz prefers noble cognac. Although sometimes he can afford a glass of cold light beer.

Stirlitz prototypes

There are many assumptions about who could be the prototype of this intelligence officer, famous throughout the post-Soviet space. One can only guess whose traits Semenov endowed his hero with.

What did Stirlitz look like? You see a photo of a person in the article. This is how the creator of the image saw him. It is known for certain that the author found inspiration by scrupulously studying the archives of the special services. Behind every story about Stirlitz there are real events and people hidden. Those whose names were hidden by pseudonyms and spy legends, and were declassified only many years later.

Of course, the literary hero did not do without artistic exaggerations. For example, Stirlitz is characterized not just as a good tennis player, but as the champion of Berlin in this sport. In real life, it would hardly be possible to combine intense intelligence work with constant training and competitions.

Who is Stirlitz? Film "17 moments of spring"

The famous film has become legendary over more than 40 years. The premiere of this cult film was watched by 200,000,000 people.

Today it is simply impossible to imagine Stirlitz performed by another actor. But there were candidates besides Tikhonov, who, in general, ended up being involved in the film by accident.

Archil Gomiashvili auditioned for this role, but he did not fit the criteria set by Yulian Semyonov. But I couldn’t leave my native theater for such a long time (filming lasted 3 years).

Before the auditions, Vyacheslav Tikhonov was made up and given a lush mustache. This external image of the scout shocked him. But after some modifications and the actor’s willingness to devote himself entirely to this film, due to the lack of other work, he was approved for the role.

On-screen Maxim Isaev brought the actor, in addition to national recognition, fame and love of women, also an order.

Tikhonov harmoniously complemented the picture not only with his acting, but also offered the director a scene with his wife, who initially did not exist in the script. This was prompted by a friend’s story about a meeting between his colleagues from the secret services and their wives while they were working abroad.

Some inconsistencies and facts

Stirlitz is a man full of secrets and riddles. Here are some inconsistencies and facts that are puzzling:

1. In reality, there is no surname like that of the famous intelligence officer. Although there is a similar sounding one by Stieglitz. In addition, there was a real historical character, Vice Admiral of the German Navy Ernst Stieglitz.
2. Despite his outstanding espionage skills, Maxim Isaev would hardly have been able to infiltrate such high ranks. The Nazis checked SS officers too meticulously. He would have to take the place of an existing German with an impeccable reputation for several generations, and not just provide real documents.
3. Even lower-ranking colleagues do not use the prefix “von” when addressing Stirlitz. This is allowed, but in those years it was still rare. Moreover, according to legend, Stirlitz has a noble origin.
4. In all units of the NSDAP, smoking was strictly prohibited. Police officers were not allowed to smoke during working hours. Isaev easily breaks this rule.
5. The beer hall where the intelligence officer liked to spend time - "Rough Gottlieb" is actually the "Last Resort" restaurant in Berlin.
6. And the hero’s favorite restaurant, where Stirlitz meets his wife, is not in Germany at all, but in the Czech Republic.

Who is Stirlitz? This is a man of mystery, about whom it is difficult to say anything unambiguously. Whether this person actually lived or not is difficult to answer. Everyone has their own opinion on this matter. But in any case, the image is quite interesting. Is not it?

Source: literary works of Yulian Semyonov, television film "Seventeen Moments of Spring".

Role played by: Vyacheslav Tikhonov

The image of Stirlitz gained all-Union fame from Tatyana Lioznova’s serial television film “Seventeen Moments of Spring” based on the novel of the same name, where his role was played by Vyacheslav Tikhonov. This character became the most famous image of an intelligence officer in Soviet and post-Soviet culture, comparable to James Bond in Western culture.

Biography

Contrary to popular belief, Stirlitz’s real name is not Maxim Maksimovich Isaev, as one might assume from “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” but Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov. The surname Isaev was presented by Yulian Semyonov as the operational pseudonym of Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov already in the first novel about him - “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.”

Maxim Maksimovich Isaev - Stirlitz - Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov - was born on October 8, 1900 ("Expansion-2") in Transbaikalia, where his parents were in political exile.

Parents:
The father is Russian, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Vladimirov, “a professor of law at St. Petersburg University, dismissed for freethinking and closeness to social democratic circles.” Involved in the revolutionary movement by Georgy Plekhanov.

His Ukrainian mother, Olesya Ostapovna Prokopchuk, died of consumption when her son was five years old.

The parents met and got married in exile. At the end of their exile, father and son returned to St. Petersburg, and then spent some time in exile, in Switzerland, in the cities of Zurich and Bern. Here Vsevolod Vladimirovich showed his love for literary work. In Bern he worked part-time at a newspaper. Father and son returned to their homeland in 1917. It is known that in 1911, Vladimirov Sr. and the Bolsheviks diverged. After the revolution, in 1921 - while his son was in Estonia - Vladimir Vladimirov was sent on a business trip to Eastern Siberia and there he tragically died at the hands of white bandits.

Relatives on maternal side:

Grandfather - Ostap Nikitich Prokopchuk, Ukrainian revolutionary democrat, also exiled to Transbaikal exile with his children Olesya and Taras. After exile, he returned to Ukraine, and from there to Krakow. Died in 1915.

Uncle - Taras Ostapovich Prokopchuk. In Krakow he married Wanda Kruszanska. In 1918 he was shot.

Cousin - Ganna Tarasovna Prokopchuk. Two children. Professional activity: architect. In 1941, her entire family died in fascist concentration camps (“The Third Map”). She died in the Auschwitz concentration camp.

In 1920, Vsevolod Vladimirov worked under the name of captain Maxim Maksimovich Isaev in the press service of the Kolchak government.

In May 1921, the gangs of Baron Ungern, having seized power in Mongolia, tried to strike at Soviet Russia. Vsevolod Vladimirov, under the guise of a White Guard captain, entered Ungern’s headquarters and conveyed to his command the enemy’s military-strategic plans.

In 1921, he was already in Moscow, “working for Dzerzhinsky” as an assistant to the head of the foreign department of the Cheka, Gleb Bokiy. From here Vsevolod Vladimirov is sent to Estonia (“Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat”).

In 1922, a young underground security officer, Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov, on instructions from the leadership, was evacuated with white troops from Vladivostok to Japan, and from there moved to Harbin (“No Password Needed,” “Tenderness”). Over the next 30 years, he was constantly working abroad.

Meanwhile, in his homeland, he remains with his only love for life and his son, born in 1923. The son's name was Alexander (operational pseudonym in the intelligence of the Red Army - Kolya Grishanchikov), his mother was Alexandra Nikolaevna Gavrilina ("Major Whirlwind"). Stirlitz first learned about his son in 1941 from an employee of the Soviet trade mission in Tokyo, where he went to meet Richard Sorge. In the fall of 1944, SS Standartenführer von Stirlitz accidentally meets his son in Krakow - he is here as part of a reconnaissance and sabotage group (“Major Whirlwind”).

From 1924 to 1927 Vsevolod Vladimirov lived in Shanghai.

In connection with the strengthening of the National Socialist German Workers' Party and the increasing danger of Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany in 1927, it was decided to send Maxim Maksimovich Isaev from the Far East to Europe. For this purpose, the legend was created about Max Otto von Stirlitz, a German aristocrat robbed in Shanghai and seeking protection at the German consulate in Sydney. In Australia, Stirlitz worked for some time in a hotel with a German owner associated with the NSDAP, after which he was transferred to New York.

From the party description of von Stirlitz, a member of the NSDAP since 1933, SS Standartenführer (VI Department of the RSHA): “A true Aryan. Character - Nordic, seasoned. Maintains good relationships with workmates. Fulfills his official duty impeccably. Merciless towards the enemies of the Reich. An excellent athlete: Berlin tennis champion. Single; he was not noticed in any connections that discredited him. Recognized with awards from the Fuhrer and commendations from the Reichsfuhrer SS..."

During World War II, Stirlitz was an employee of the VI department of the RSHA, which was headed by SS-Brigadeführer Walter Schellenberg. In his operational work at the RSHA he used the pseudonyms “Brunn” and “Bolzen”. In 1938 he worked in Spain (“Spanish version”), in March-April 1941 - as part of Edmund Weesenmayer’s group in Yugoslavia (“Alternative”), and in June - in Poland and in the occupied territory of Ukraine, where he communicated with Theodor Oberlander, Stepan Bandera and Andrey Melnik (“The Third Map”).

In 1943 he visited Stalingrad, where he demonstrated exceptional courage under Soviet fire.

At the end of the war, Joseph Stalin entrusted Stirlitz with a responsible task: to disrupt separate negotiations between the Germans and the West. Beginning in the summer of 1943, Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler, through his proxies, began to make contacts with representatives of Western intelligence services with the aim of concluding a separate peace. Thanks to the courage and intelligence of Stirlitz, these negotiations were disrupted (“Seventeen Moments of Spring”).

Of the Americans who conducted behind-the-scenes negotiations with the leaders of the Third Reich, Yulian Semyonov points to Allen Dulles, who headed the American headquarters in Bern, the capital of Switzerland.

The head of the IV Department of the RSHA was SS Gruppenführer Heinrich Müller, who exposed Stirlitz in April 1945, but the combination of circumstances and the chaos that occurred during the storming of Berlin thwarted Müller’s plans to use Stirlitz in the game against the command of the Red Army (“Ordered to Survive”).

Stirlitz's favorite drink is Armenian cognac, his favorite cigarettes are Karo. He drives a Horch car. Unlike James Bond, Stirlitz treats women in cold blood. When asked by prostitutes, he usually replies: “No, coffee is better.” A speech characteristic that is repeated from work to work: phrases often end with the question “No?” or “Isn’t that right?”

Before the end of the war, Stirlitz was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. After the end of World War II, unconscious Stirlitz, wounded by a Soviet soldier, is taken by the Germans to Spain, from where he ends up in South America. There he reveals a secret network of fascists who fled from Germany.

During and after World War II he worked under several pseudonyms: Bolzen, Brunn and others. As a name, he usually used variations of the name “Maxim”: Max, Massimo (“Expansion”).

In Argentina and Brazil, Stirlitz works together with the American Paul Rowman. Here they identify the conspiratorial Nazi organization "ODESSA", led by Muller, and then identify the intelligence network and capture Muller. Realizing that after Winston Churchill's Fulton speech and Hoover's witch hunt, Mueller can escape punishment for his crimes, they decide to hand him over to the Soviet government. Stirlitz goes to the Soviet embassy, ​​where he reports who he is, as well as information about Mueller's whereabouts. MGB officers arrest Stirlitz and transport him by boat to the USSR. Isaev goes to prison (“Despair”). There he meets Raoul Wallenberg and plays his own game. Meanwhile, his son and wife are shot by order of Stalin. After Beria's death, Stirlitz is released.

A month after being awarded the Golden Star, he begins working at the Institute of History on the topic “National Socialism, Neo-Fascism; modifications of totalitarianism." Having familiarized himself with the text of the dissertation, the Secretary of the Central Committee Mikhail Suslov recommended that Comrade Vladimirov be awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Science without defense, and that the manuscript be confiscated and transferred to a special depository...

One more time he would meet with his old acquaintances from the RSHA, former Nazis, in West Berlin in 1967 (“Bomb for the Chairman”). This time, aged, but not losing his grip, Isaev managed to prevent the theft of nuclear technology by a private corporation and clash with a radical sect from Southeast Asia...

Jokes

Stirlitz is a character in one of the largest cycles of Soviet jokes, usually they parody the narrator's voice, constantly commenting on Stirlitz's thoughts or the events of the film. In the series “Seventeen Moments of Spring” this was the voice of BDT actor Efim Kopelyan.

Interesting Facts

In reality there is no German surname Sti(e)rlitz; the closest similar one is Stieglitz (Goldfinch) (Carduelis carduelis), also known in Russia. Also during the Second World War, the Third Reich had Vice Admiral Ernst Schirlitz, commander of the German fleet in the Atlantic.

As an impostor, Stirlitz could not actually serve in such a high position in the SS, since the Nazi security services checked the identity of each candidate for several generations. To pass such a check, Stirlitz had to not only have genuine identification documents, but also replace the real German Max Stirlitz, who actually lived in Germany and looked like him in appearance. Although such substitutions are practiced by the intelligence services when introducing illegal agents, in reality, all sources of Soviet intelligence in the highest echelons of the Reich that are now known were recruited by Germans or anti-fascist Germans.

Stirlitz graduated from the university and specialized in quantum mechanics. This was also easy to check. Quantum mechanics was a relatively young science at that time. The scientists working on it were well known.

Stirlitz is the Berlin tennis champion. This fact is also easy to verify. This untruth would have been immediately revealed, but Stirlitz-Isaev probably became a champion, without deception. He had time for this.

Stirlitz is addressed as “Stirlitz”, not “von Stirlitz”. In principle, such treatment is allowed, especially in cases where the bearer of the surname does not have a noble title (count, baron, etc.). But in those years in Germany there was less such “democracy”; it is all the more strange to hear addresses without “von” from lower-ranking persons.

Stirlitz smokes, which is contrary to the anti-smoking policy of the Third Reich. In 1939, the NSDAP introduced a smoking ban in all its institutions, and Heinrich Himmler banned SS and police officers from smoking during working hours.

Stirlitz’s favorite beerhouse is “Rude Gottlieb.” In it, he had dinner with Pastor Schlag, relaxed with a glass of beer, after breaking away from the “tail” of Mueller’s agents. The famous Berlin restaurant “Zur letzten Instanz” (Last Resort) starred in the “role” of this beer hall.

Prototypes

It is traditionally believed that one of the prototypes of Stirlitz was the Soviet intelligence officer Richard Sorge, but there are no facts of biographical coincidences between Stirlitz and Sorge.

Another possible prototype of Stirlitz is Willy Lehmann, SS Hauptsturmführer, employee of the IV department of the RSHA (Gestapo). The German, a passionate horse racing gambler, was recruited in 1936 by Soviet intelligence, whose employee lent him money after losing, and then offered to supply secret information for a good fee (according to another version, Willy Lehman independently contacted Soviet intelligence, guided by ideological considerations). He bore the operational pseudonym "Breitenbach". At the RSHA he was involved in countering Soviet industrial espionage.

Willy Lehman failed in 1942, under circumstances close to those described by Yulian Semyonov: his radio operator Bart, an anti-fascist, during a surgical operation, under anesthesia, began to talk about codes and communications with Moscow, and the doctors signaled to the Gestapo. In December 1942, Willy Lehman was arrested and executed a few months later. The fact of the betrayal of such a high-ranking SS officer was hidden - even Willy Lehmann’s wife was told that her husband had died after being hit by a train. The story of Willy Lehmann is told in the memoirs of Walter Schellenberg, from which Yulian Semyonov apparently borrowed it.

According to the Vesti newspaper, Stirlitz's prototype was the Soviet intelligence officer Isai Isaevich Borovoy, who lived in Germany since the late 1920s and later worked in Himmler's department. In 1944 he was arrested, after Stalin's death he was the main prosecution witness in the trial of Beria.

A very likely prototype for Stirlitz could be Sergei Mikhalkov’s brother, Mikhail Mikhalkov. Yulian Semyonov was married to Ekaterina, the daughter of Natalya Petrovna Konchalovskaya from her first marriage. Here are the facts of the biography of Mikhail Mikhalkov: at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War he served in a special department of the Southwestern Front. In September 1941, he was captured, escaped and then continued to serve behind enemy lines as an illegal agent, supplying the Red Army intelligence agencies with important operational information. In 1945, during a battle in a German uniform, he crossed the front line and was detained by military counterintelligence agencies SMERSH. On charges of collaborating with German intelligence, he served five years in prison, first in the Lefortovo prison, and later in one of the camps in the Far East. In 1956 he was rehabilitated. Perhaps (and most likely) Yulian Semyonov learned part of the history of Stirlitz from the family stories of Mikhail Mikhalkov.

Film incarnations

In addition to Vyacheslav Tikhonov, who, of course, is the main “film face” of Stirlitz, this character was also played by other actors. In total, five novels starring Stirlitz or Maxim Maksimovich Isaev have been filmed. The role of Stirlitz in these films was performed by:

Rodion Nakhapetov (“No password needed,” 1967)
Vladimir Ivashov (“Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat”, 1975)
Uldis Dumpis (“Spanish version”) (in the film the hero’s name is Walter Schultz)
Vsevolod Safonov (“The Life and Death of Ferdinand Luce”)
Daniil Strakhov (“Isaev”, 2009 - television adaptation of the novels “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat”, “No Password Needed” and the story “Tenderness”).

Quotes from the film "Seventeen Moments of Spring"

Don't believe anyone who scares you about bad weather in Switzerland. It is very sunny and warm here.

Have I ever given anyone a beating? I am an old, kind man who gives up.

You don't have cognac.
- I have cognac.
- So you don't have salami.
- I have salami.
- So, you and I eat from the same trough.

And you, Stirlitz, I will ask you to stay.

In love I am Einstein!

Truly: if you smoke American cigarettes, they will say that you sold your Motherland.

Which products do you prefer - our production, or...
- Or. It may not be patriotic, but I prefer products made in America or France.

You have the wrong number, buddy. You have the wrong number.

You know too much. You will be buried with honors after a car accident.

If you get shot down (in war, as in war), you will have to destroy the letter before you unfasten the straps of your parachute.
- I won’t be able to do this, because I will be dragged along the ground. But the first thing I will do after unfastening the parachute is destroy the letter.

Little lies give rise to great mistrust.

Are you complaining about your memory?
- I take iodine.
- And I – vodka.
- Where can I get money for vodka?
- Take bribes.

He will wake up in exactly twenty minutes.

Now you can't trust anyone. Even to myself. I can.

A strange property of my physiognomy: everyone seems to have seen me somewhere.

Don't have canned fish? I'm going crazy without fish. Phosphorus, you know, is required by nerve cells.
- Which production do you prefer, ours or...
- Or. It may be unpatriotic, but I prefer products made in America or France.

Do your kidneys hurt?
- No.
- It's a pity.

Heil, Hitler!
- Come on. My ears are ringing.

A good adjutant is like a hunting dog. It is irreplaceable for hunting, and if the exterior is good, other hunters are jealous.

What two people know, a pig knows.

I will play the Karakan defense, but please don’t interfere with me.

I know your testimony! I read them and listened to them on tape. And they suited me - until this morning. And as of this morning, they stopped suiting me.

I love silent people. If it's a friend, then a friend. If it's an enemy, then it's an enemy.

I asked for new Swiss blades to be delivered to me. Where? Where... Who did the check?

I'll come now, go write me a couple of formulas.
- Swear!
- May I die.

Clarity is a form of complete fog.

And some other countries.

The television series “Seventeen Moments of Spring” based on the work of the same name, where his role was played by Vyacheslav Tikhonov, brought All-Union fame to the image of Stirlitz. This character became the most famous image of an intelligence officer in Soviet and post-Soviet culture, comparable to James Bond in Western culture.

Biography

Contrary to popular belief, Stirlitz’s real name is not Maxim Maksimovich Isaev, as may be assumed from “ Seventeen moments of spring", A...

From the party description of a member of the NSDAP from the year von Stirlitz, Standartenführer of the SS (VI department of the RSHA): “A true Aryan. Character - Nordic, seasoned. Maintains good relationships with workmates. Fulfills his official duty impeccably. Merciless towards the enemies of the Reich. Excellent Athlete: Berlin Tennis Champion. Single; he was not noticed in any connections that discredited him. Recognized with awards from the Fuhrer and commendations from the Reichsfuehrer SS..."

Works where he participates

Interesting Facts

• In reality there is no German surname Sti(e)rlitz; the closest similar one is Stieglitz, also known in Russia.
• As an impostor, Stirlitz could not actually serve in such a high position in the SS, since the Nazi security services verified the identity of each candidate for several generations. To pass such a check, Stirlitz had to not only have genuine identification documents, but also replace the real German Max Stirlitz, who actually lived in Germany and looked like him in appearance. Although such substitutions are practiced by the intelligence services when introducing illegal agents, in reality all sources of Soviet intelligence in the highest echelons of the Reich that are now known were recruited by Germans or anti-fascist Germans.
• During the auditions for the film, Tikhonov (Stirlitz) actually filmed on a luxurious 1935 Horch-853, which belonged to the famous Moscow collector A.A. Lomakov. And these films should be in the Mosfilm archives! But the start of filming itself was delayed for several months. And the owner of the car signed an agreement with another film group for the filming of the same Horch-853 in the famous Soviet action film “Velvet Season” in Sukhumi. So Stirlitz began to drive a much cheaper 1938 Mercedes-Benz 230 in the film.

Prototypes

• One of the prototypes for Stirlitz was the Soviet intelligence officer Richard Sorge.
• Another real prototype of Stirlitz is Willy Lehmann, who served in the sixth directorate of the RSHA under the leadership of Walter Schellenberg. A German, a passionate horse racing gambler, he was recruited in 1936 by Soviet intelligence, whose employee lent him money after losing, and then offered to supply secret information for a good fee (according to another version, Lehman independently contacted Soviet intelligence, guided by ideological considerations). He had the nickname "Breitenbach". At the RSHA he was involved in countering Soviet industrial espionage.
  Leman failed in the year, under circumstances close to those described by Semyonov: his radio operator Bart, an anti-fascist, during a surgical operation, under anesthesia, began to talk about codes and communications with Moscow, and the doctors signaled to the Gestapo. In December 1942, Lehmann was arrested and a few months later he was shot. The fact of the betrayal of such a high-ranking SS officer was hidden - even Lehmann’s wife was told that her husband had died after being hit by a train. Lehmann's story is told in Schellenberg's memoirs, from which Semyonov apparently borrowed it.