Valeriya Borts Member of the underground organization 'Young Guard'. Date of Birth: 21.03.1927 Country: Russia

Biography of Valeria Borz

Valeria Borz was born on March 21, 1927, in the village of Novobeshovo, Starobeshevsky District, Donetsk Oblast, in a family of teachers. She attended school at the age of seven and always actively participated in her class activities, being elected class representative every year. Valeria's favorite hobbies during her school years were reading books and playing sports, particularly chess. She had many friends and was well-liked by her peers.

In 1940, the Borz family moved to Krasnodon. As soon as the war started, Valeria, an 8th-grade student at School No. 1 named after A.M. Gorky, joined her classmates in supporting the front lines by working in the fields and digging trenches. In October 1942, during the occupation, Valeria Borz joined the underground organization "Molodaya Gvardiya" (Young Guard) and actively participated in their combat activities. Together with Sergey Tyulenyin and Stepan Safonov, she delivered fonts for the underground printing house, removed a flag with a Nazi swastika from the Lenin Club, and completed assignments in preparation for the 25th anniversary of the Great October Revolution. She was accepted into the ranks of the Lenin Komsomol (Young Communist League) in the underground. Valeria Borz and Nina Ivantsova maintained communication between the underground groups in the settlements of Krasnodon and Pervomaisk and the headquarters of "Molodaya Gvardiya".

When the arrests began, Valeria Borz, along with Oleg Koshev, Sergey Tyulenyin, and the Ivantsova sisters, Nina and Olga, attempted to cross the front line. However, their attempt was unsuccessful. Valeria went into hiding with relatives in Voroshilovgrad until the arrival of Soviet troops. After the liberation of Krasnodon, Valeria Borz continued her education. She graduated from the Institute of Foreign Languages and worked as a translator and referent for Spanish and English languages at the Foreign Literature Bureau of the Military-Technical Publishing House. In 1963, Valeria Davydovna was sent to Cuba as an editor of technical literature in Spanish, and in 1971, she was sent to Poland, where she continued her service in the ranks of the Soviet Army.

Valeria Borz was also a sports enthusiast and achieved the title of Master of Sports. She started participating in physical education activities during her school years and became interested in glider sports in the post-war years. In 1957, she and her husband participated in their first official car rally competition. Since then, such competitions became a tradition in their family.

Currently, Colonel Valeria Davydovna Borz, retired, resides in Moscow. She frequently meets with schoolchildren, students, and workers, sharing her memories of the combat activities of "Molodaya Gvardiya" and her comrades in the underground.

Valeria Davydovna Borz was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" of the 1st degree. She passed away in January 1996.