De las Heras Gavilan, Africa

Born April 26, 1909 in the city of Ceuta , Spanish Morocco. Father - Soilo de las Eras Jimenez, military archivist; mother - Virtudes Gavilan de Pro, housewife.

Until 1923, she studied in Madrid at the College of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, then continued her education at a convent school in the city of Melilla .

In 1933 , after the sudden death of her father, Africa began an independent life. She finally moved to Spain, worked in a textile mill in Madrid, joined the Communist Party and soon took part in the preparation of the armed uprising of the miners in Asturias. After the suppression of the uprising, Africa was illegally underground for more than a year.

Spanish Civil War

In 1936 , with the outbreak of the Civil War in Spain , Africa de las Heras went to the front and fought on the side of the Republicans, was a delegate to the Communist Party in the government of the Popular Front.

In 1937, she began working with Soviet foreign intelligence, becoming part of her Madrid residency . She performed her special tasks in various countries. Due to the flight of resident Alexander Orlov, the NKVD had to withdraw from Mexico its agent Africa de las Eras, who had been introduced to Trotsky’s secretariat in Norway to organize its liquidation . She was well acquainted with Orlov, and he could have betrayed her. At the end of 1938 she was illegally transported to the Soviet Union , where she received Soviet citizenship and began working in the textile industry .

World War II

At the beginning of World War II, she achieved a direction to the front. First she got into the special medical unit of the NKVD Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade for Special Purpose . Then she studied at the crash courses of radio operators (graduated in May 1942 ) and was sent to the Pobeditelei reconnaissance and sabotage detachment under the command of the future Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitry Nikolayevich Medvedev , who was to act on the territory occupied by the Germans . On the night of June 16, 1942, the group, which included Africa, was parachuted near the Tolstoy Les station in Western Ukraine, and for Africa, combat work began behind enemy lines.

At the end of 1944, Africa again ended up in Moscow , where she was made an offer to transfer to work in an illegal foreign intelligence unit. Since that time, special training has begun, the acquisition of the necessary skills for conducting reconnaissance from illegal positions. And again, now in peacetime, Africa found itself in intelligence work.

After the war

In January 1946, she was transferred by car from Berlin to Paris , where she soon managed to establish herself reliably, posing as a refugee, who supposedly crossed the Spanish-French border at the end of 1945. In 1947, the Center decided to send Africa for intelligence work to one of the countries of Latin America . In December 1948, she completed her business in France and left for the country of destination. ^{[ specify ]} , in which she was destined to work for twenty years.

In May 1956, she received a radiogram from the Center informing her that an “Italian comrade” was being sent to her as a resident. The scout went to the capital of a neighboring state, where a meeting of illegal intelligence agents soon took place. According to the operational biography legend worked out in Moscow, they were to become husband and wife. Without hesitation, she agreed with the proposal received from the leadership and married a previously unknown person - Valentino Marchetti (real name - Giovanni Antonio Bertoni , operational pseudonym - Marco) ^[1] . Although Patria and Marco created a married couple at the behest of Moscow to help fulfill the important intelligence tasks assigned to them, their marriage union turned out to be happy. They lived together for eight years. Marco died suddenly on September 1, 1964 . After the death of her husband, Africa continued to work actively for another three years.

In the fall of 1967, Africa de las Heras left Latin America and returned to Moscow. However, three more times she had to go on business trips to carry out important tasks.

Since 1971, Africa has been actively involved in the upbringing of the younger generation of illegal scouts, transferring their experience to them.

She retired in 1985 . However, she did not lose touch with intelligence until the last day.

She died on March 8, 1988 in Moscow, was buried in the Khovansky cemetery .

• For active participation in hostilities and in the partisan movement - she was awarded the Order of the Red Star, as well as medals "For Courage" and "Partisan of the Patriotic War" of the 1st degree.
• For the results achieved in illegal work and the initiative and perseverance shown at the same time, she was awarded the second Order of the Red Star and the second medal "For Courage".
• In March 1976, by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, she was awarded the Order of Lenin for special services, and in May 1985, she was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree.

Africa de las Heras is dedicated to a number of works of art:

• the film “Woman with the SECRET Vulture” (Production by ARTEL Studio LLC, 2010, commissioned by Channel One) with Estrella Zapatero in the title role ^[2] .
• Dmitry Medvedev 's book “It Was Near Rivne” ^[3]

• Colonel Africa
• SPANISH FROM FOREIGN EXPLORATION
• Jesús Centeno. Española con ficha en el KGB (Spanish)
• Africa de las Heras buried in Moscow at the Khovansky cemetery