In fact, the figure of Maxim Maximovitch Isaev (in fact, Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov), the elusive Colonel of Soviet intelligence, is a literary copy of the classified materials obtained by the writer in the archives of the special services. Behind every line of stories about Colonel Isaev are real people, Soviet intelligence agents, who have entered into a deadly confrontation with fascism. The names of most of them today are already declassified. And each is a legend. And we have to remember them.
One 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 actually the creator of Stirlitz himself Julian Semenov. In the late sixties he was entrusted with an honorable mission - to write a patriotic work about the exploits of the Soviet intelligence officer. In order to make the plot as close as possible to the 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, Semenov said that most of the events that had happened to Stirlitz in his novels were taken from real life, but all of them took place with various intelligence agents. The writer masterfully combined them into one literary biography.

The famous Soviet spy Kim Philby said after watching the movie “Seventeen Moments of Spring”: “With such a focused and tense face, the real Stirlitz would not have lasted a day!”. Critics also put forward claims that the image of fascist Germany created in the series resembles the USSR of the Stalin period more. For example, according to the historian Zalessky, “such a Third Reich did not exist ... All relations between the characters, the whole spirit has nothing to do with reality. Nazi Germany was different. No worse and no better, just different. ”

In 1942, the Germans were able to declassify the brave scout. Himmler was simply shocked by this fact. An employee who had been working for the Gestapo for thirteen years constantly supplied information to the USSR and was never even suspected of espionage. The very fact of his activity was so shameful for the SS that the Lehmann case was completely and completely destroyed before it reached the Führer, and the intelligence officer was hastily shot shortly after his arrest. Even the agent's wife for a long time did not know about the true causes of the death of her spouse. His name was included in the list of those killed for the Third Reich. Of all the Soviet intelligence officers, it was Lehmann who held the position of a high-ranking SS officer similar to Stirlitz, surrounded by the arbiters of Germany and entered the heart of the Reich.
Stirlitz was hiding his present marital status; according to the documents of the Gestapo, he was single, but his wife was expecting him to return to the USSR. In fact, the Germans took predominantly married officers to work in the SS, and those who were single tended to arouse undue suspicion. In addition, in the charter of this organization, each member was instructed to start a family and children by the age of thirty.

Some researchers are also inclined to believe that Mikhail Mikhalkov, the brother of a famous Soviet writer who was an illegal agent during the period of the Great Domestic, who supplied Russian intelligence agencies with important operational data, could have been a prototype of Stirlitz. As a relative of Mikhalkov, Julian Semenov knew his life historythat is why he could partially use it in his works. In 1945, during the battle, Michael crossed the front line and fell into the hands of his “native” military counterintelligence. He was accused of collaborating with the Germans and imprisoned first in Lefortovo prison, and then in one of the concentration camps in the Far East. Rehabilitated scout only in 1956-th year.
Today it is even difficult for fans of Stirlitz to imagine that the legendary character could look very different, for example, if Oleg Strizhenov or Archil Gomiashvili won the casting in the cinema. Nevertheless, Tikhonov perfectly coped with one of the most difficult tasks of acting - to play the role of a thoughtful, silent hero. When he simply keeps silence in the film, the viewer firmly believes that Stirlitz reflects on something extremely important for the country, although, according to the actor himself, at this moment he repeated the multiplication table in his mind. In one role, Tikhonov managed to combine the best qualities of Soviet intelligence: high intelligence, subtle ability to understand human psychology, the art of controlling oneself and one's emotions, the ability to reincarnate, quickly analyze the situation and make decisions with lightning speed.

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

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

At first, in the Soviet Union, Norman felt like a foreigner. For all his sixteen years, he was here only once, and was born and raised in the United States. Accordingly, the native language for Borodin Jr. was English. Fulfilling the covenants of his father, Norman from his early fingernails was preparing to become a scout. By the age of nineteen, he was already an employee of the NKVD INO, and received his first assignment at the age of twenty-five. He was ordered to go to the United States as an illegal resident. The situation of illegal intelligence officers, which in a narrow circle was called “foreign intelligence marathoners”, was extremely difficult, since they could not count on protection from the embassy in case of any problems, even arrest. During the period of his work in the United States, Borodin was assigned an operational pseudonym Granite, which could not be better characterized his character. According to the memoirs 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-control in all situations, nothing could make him give out his true feelings. However, the entire subsequent fate of the scout was similar to an obstacle course. Life, as if specially tested Borodin for strength. After the betrayal of one of the Soviet spies, Borodin was recalled from the USA among a number of other agents. And soon, at the conclusion of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs, he was expelled from foreign intelligence. During the resignation of 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 had created a reliable extensive network of agents. Simultaneously with espionage activities under the guise of an American volunteer, he worked in the Swiss Red Cross.
Popular writer George Weiner said in an interview: "Norman and his family are amazing material for a novel about the birth, formation and victory of ideas and attitudes, their further transformation, collapse and the final destruction of all ideals."
In 1947, Norman returned to Moscow and got a job working as a correspondent. Soon he, like many of his countrymen-front-line soldiers, completely disillusioned with the Soviet system. In 1949, Norman wrote a letter to Stalin in which he voiced only one question before the Secretary General: does he know what is going on in his environment, where and why are the best agents sincerely devoted to communist ideas disappear without a trace? The intelligence officer did not receive a response, but a few days later his father was arrested. For two years, Mikhail Borodin was in Lefortovo, where, under torture, he signed a confession that he was an American spy. 29 May 1951, Borodin Sr., unable to bear the beatings, died in prison. After his father died, they arrested Norman. In prison, Borodin, who suddenly turned from a valuable intelligence officer into an enemy of the country, was also awaited torture. He was kept naked in a punishment cell at a temperature slightly above zero degrees. After conducting an investigative process, the authorities decided to send an intelligence officer to Karaganda.
During the Karaganda exile, the leadership of the KGB allowed Norman Borodin to do what he liked. He became a journalist for a local newspaper. Here the intelligence officer met with the not yet known brothers Weiners and Julian Semenov. The story of Norman Borodin’s life, heard by Semenov, made a great 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 character with the same character. Two years later, the Stalinist thaw came, the cult of the Leader was debunked, charges were dropped from Borodin, and he was finally able to return to Moscow. The scout 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 assumed name of SK. Mishin, which the viewer can see in the closing credits. Andropov forbade to indicate the real names of active intelligence officers. The artist of the painting “Seventeen Moments of Spring”, according to the stories of his daughter Borodin, was a frequent guest in their house and consulted with his father in order to achieve the maximum approximation of the artistic image of Stirlitz to a real scout. Norman Borodin died in the 1974 year.
There is a legend that already in old age, Leonid Brezhnev, who was very fond of a movie about the famous scout, once again revised it, asked those present: “Did we award Stirlitz?”. All embarrassed silent. Then Brezhnev ordered to give the scout the title of Hero. As a way out of the situation, it was decided to award Tikhonov with the Order of the Hero of Socialist Labor. Whether it 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 performed a number of successful operations, there were no scouts with such a rich biography as in real life. Yes, and could not exist. Maneuvering between possible failures, introduction to the very top of the Reich, salvation from the most complicated 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. At least for the simple reason that the pedigree of all Gestapo officers was ordered by the Fuhrer until the middle of the eighteenth century. However, Semenov 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 agents, and many of his actions described in the pages of the novels are borrowed from real life. And let not one of them was Stirlitz in itself, they were all of them together. Yes, and with the recognition of merit before the Motherland, the literary hero was more fortunate than the real prototypes. Many of them were undeservedly persecuted, accused of espionage and forgotten. Heroes of brave people recognized after their death.
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