Richard Sorge: The Life and Legacy of the German Journalist Who Became the Soviet Union’s Most Effective Spy during World War II
Written by Charles River Editors
Narrated by Ryan Durham
3/5
()
About this audiobook
Spies are a feature of countless works of fiction in which they often discover secrets on which the fate of nations hang in the balance. Reality is generally rather more mundane, as spies often gather low-level intelligence that only makes sense when it is examined by analysts and compared to information from other sources. Espionage provides clues to what the enemy is planning, but on its own, it rarely changes the course of a war. Moreover, real spies are generally anonymous, not the bold, swashbuckling action heroes depicted in fiction. Spies must hide in plain sight, and that is best achieved by being as innocuous as possible.
However, there are exceptions. Occasionally, a spy will be so successful that they are able to place themselves in a position where they have access to information at the highest levels, secrets that really can change the course of world events. Sometimes, these spies may even be as handsome, charming, charismatic, and bold as their fictional counterparts.
One such spy was a man named Richard Sorge. Experiencing the horrors of World War I at first-hand turned Sorge into an ardent communist, after which he worked as a spy for the USSR in Germany, China, and Japan before and during World War II. He obtained vital military and political secrets and maintained his cover for over nine years despite frantic searches for the spy who was leaking information to Russia. His effortless charm meant that he didn’t need to steal secrets: people told him willingly, including the many women that he seduced.
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Project MK-Ultra: The History of the CIA’s Controversial Human Experimentation Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legends of the West: Deadwood, South Dakota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky: The Lives and Legacies of the Gangsters Who Reformed Organized Crime in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMysteries of the South: Ghosts, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in Dixie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mossad: The History and Legacy of Israel’s National Intelligence Agency Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Life and Legacy of the Father of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America's Most Famous Murder Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung: The Pioneering Lives and Works of History’s Most Influential Psychologists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Battle of Hamburger Hill: The History and Legacy of One of the Vietnam War's Most Controversial Battles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mysterious Midwest: Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in America's Heartland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denisovans: The History of the Extinct Archaic Humans Who Spread Across Asia during the Paleolithic Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Richard Sorge
Related audiobooks
The Spectre of War: International Communism and the Origins of World War II Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Getting Russia Right: 1st Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShadow State: Murder, Mayhem, and Russia's Remaking of the West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tormented Alliance: American Servicemen and the Occupation of China, 1941-1949 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Finland Survived Stalin: From Winter War to Cold War, 1939-1950 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The End of World War II in Europe: The History of the Final Campaigns that Led to Nazi Germany’s Surrender Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife Under Nazi Occupation: The Struggle to Survive During World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForging the Anglo-American Alliance: The British and American Armies, 1917-1941 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battle of Kapetron: The History and Legacy of the First Major Battle Between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuk Turks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Great Patriotic War: The History of the Fighting Between the Soviets and Germans during World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMikhail Gorbachev: The Life and Legacy of the Soviet Union’s Last Leader Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGeorgy Zhukov: The Life and Legacy of the Soviet Union’s Greatest General during World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMeddling in the Ballot Box: The Causes and Effects of Partisan Electoral Interventions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Summer of 1940: The History of the Months that Decided the Fate of Europe in World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gettysburg Campaign: The History and Legacy of the Civil War’s Most Famous Campaign Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVietnam: A War Lost and Won Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Revenants of the German Empire: Colonial Germans, Imperialism, and the League of Nations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCHURCHILL: "Cometh the hour, cometh the man..." Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Tale of Two Systems: A View of Ordinary Life in Communist USSR and “The West” - the United States of America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Zelensky Effect Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5German and Allied Air Forces in World War I: The History and Legacy of the Rivals in the Sky during the Great War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVichy France: The History of Nazi Germany's Occupation of France during World War II Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Macat Analysis of John W. Dower’s War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Secession and State Creation: What Everyone Needs to Know Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrance in World War II: The History of Nazi Germany’s Conquest of France and Its Liberation By the Allies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Early History of Montenegro: The History of the Region from Antiquity to Autonomy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOperation Mockingbird: The Controversial History of the CIA’s Efforts to Manipulate American Media Outlets Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Wars & Military For You
Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/577 Days of February: Living and Dying in Ukraine, Told by the Nation’s Own Journalists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Five Rings Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Diary of Anne Frank Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of September 11, 2001 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Kingdom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kill Anything That Moves Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Korean War: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When I Come Home Again: 'A page-turning literary gem' THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF 2020 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shortest History of Israel and Palestine: From Zionism to Intifadas and the Struggle for Peace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Saved: A War Reporter's Mission to Make It Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On Palestine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Watchmaker's Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy, and a Quest to Honor America's First Black Generals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unbroken Bonds of Battle: A Modern Warriors Book of Heroism, Patriotism, and Friendship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Richard Sorge
1 rating0 reviews