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Tatiana MarkusHeroine of the Kyiv underground during the Great Patriotic War
Date of Birth: 21.09.1921
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Tatyana Markus: Hero of the Kiev Underground during World War II
Tatyana Markus was born in the city of Romny in the Poltava region into a Jewish family. A few years later, the Markus family moved to Kiev. Tanya Markus completed 9 classes at School No. 44. From 1938, she worked as a personnel secretary for the passenger service department of the Southwest Railway. In the summer of 1940, she was sent on an assignment to Kishinev, where she worked in the tram-trolleybus park. When Kishinev was captured by the Romanians, she returned to Kiev and actively participated in underground activities from the first days of the city's occupation.
She served as a liaison for the underground city committee and was a member of a sabotage and reconnaissance group. Markus repeatedly participated in sabotage acts against the Nazis, including throwing a grenade disguised as an asters bouquet into a marching column of soldiers during a parade. She was registered under the fake name Markusidze, living in a private house. A legend was created that she was the daughter of a Georgian prince executed by the Bolsheviks. Under this false name, she secured a job at an officer's mess, where she continued her sabotage activities by poisoning the food. Several officers died, but Tanya remained unsuspected.
Moreover, she personally shot an important Gestapo informant and provided the underground with information about traitors working for the Gestapo. Many officers of the German army were attracted to her beauty, and they courted her. One high-ranking officer from Berlin, who came to fight against partisans and underground fighters, could not resist her charms. He was shot by Tanya Markus in her apartment. During her activities, Tanya Markus destroyed several dozen fascist soldiers and officers. A hunt was launched to capture her.
One day, she shot a Nazi officer and left a note: "The same fate awaits all of you, fascist bastards. Tatyana Markusidze." The underground leadership ordered Tanya Markus to be evacuated from the city to join the partisans. On August 22, 1942, she was captured by the Gestapo while attempting to cross the Desna River. For five months, she endured brutal torture in the Gestapo but did not betray anyone. On January 29, 1943, she was executed.
Awards and Honors
- Medal for Partisans of the Great Patriotic War- Medal for the Defense of Kiev
- Title of Hero of Ukraine
