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SMERSH (Russian: СМЕРШ, acronym of SMERt' SHpionam, Russian: СМЕРть Шпионам, English: Death to Spies) were the counter-intelligence departments in the Soviet Army created in 1943.^[1] The name is phonetically similar to the Russian words "смерч" (smerch) for tornado and "смерть" (smert) for death.

[edit] History

[edit] Counter-intelligence

The main task of SMERSH was to secure the Red Army's operational rear from partisans, saboteurs, and spies; to investigate and arrest conspirators and mutineers, "traitors, deserters, spies, and criminal elements" at the combat front.

On February 3, 1941, the Special Sections (osoby otdel) of the NKVD (responsible for Military counterintelligence of the Soviet Army) became part of the Army and Navy (RKKA and RKKF, respectively). The GUGB was separated from the NKVD and renamed the People's Commissariat for State Security (NKGB), with the Counter-Intelligence (CI) sections assigned to it. Following the outbreak of World War II, the NKVD and NKGB were reunited on July 20, 1941 and CI was returned to the NKVD in January 1942.^{[citation needed]}

As the requirements of the war expanded and the Soviet armies began their conquest of previously occupied German territory, the complexities of counter-espionage, counter-insurgency, and occupation were sufficiently large to encourage Stalin to consolidate all of SMERSH under his direct control. On April 15, 1943, CI was again transferred to the People's Commissariats of Defense (NKO) and the Navy (NKF), becoming SMERSH within NKO. The full name of the head entity was Главное управление контрразведки СМЕРШ Народного комиссариата обороны СССР, or USSR People's Commissariat of Defense Chief Counterintelligence Directorate "SMERSH". The organization was headed by Viktor Abakumov, who was a subordinate of Lavrenty Beria. Therefore, SMERSH belonged to the state security apparatus rather than to the Red Army.^{[citation needed]}

As the war wound down, the need for a strategic directorate focused on counter-espionage wet operations and counter-insurgency pacification operations that answered directly to Stalin was no longer viewed as necessary.^{[citation needed]}

Thus, in March 1946 SMERSH Chief Directorate was resubordinated to the People's Commissariat of Military Forces (Наркомат Вооруженных Сил, НКВС). HKBC was latter reorganized into the Ministry of Military Forces (МВС) soon thereafter, and SMERSH was officially discontinued in May, 1946.

[edit] Other activities

SMERSH activities included "filtering" the soldiers and forced labourers recovered from captivity.

SMERSH was also actively involved in the capture of Soviet citizens who had been active in anti-communist armed groups fighting on the side of Nazi Germany such as the Russian Liberation Army, the Cossack Corps of Pyotr Krasnov, and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (see also forced repatriation).

As the war concluded, SMERSH was given the assignment of finding Adolf Hitler and, if possible, capturing him alive or recovering his body. Red Army officers and SMERSH agents found Hitler's partially burned corpse near the Führerbunker after his suicide and conducted an investigation to confirm the events of his death and identify the remains which (along with those of Eva Braun) were reportedly secretly buried at SMERSH headquarters in Magdeburg until April 1970, when they were exhumed, completely cremated, and dumped in a river.^[2][3]

[edit] Organization

                     People's Commissar of Defense                                                         |                                   |                          Chief and deputies                                    |                                   |                                   |                              Secretariat                                    |                                   |                                   |                                   |           Section 1 ----------------------------- Section 5  Counter-intelligence protection  |          Oversight of SMERSH       of central Red Army institutions  |           organs in military                                   |               districts                                           |                                   |           Section 2 ----------------------------- Section 6              Work among POWs             |            Investigations                                   |                                   |                                   |                                   |           Section 3 ----------------------------- Section 7      Counterespionage and          |           Information and     Conduct radio games           |               statistic                                   |                                   |                                   |           Section 4 ----------------------------- Section 8 Organization of Counter-                           Codes   intelligence behind                               and       front lines                              communications 

Org.References - Lubianka 2. Iz istorii otiecziestwiennoj kontrrazwiedki, W.A. Sobolewa Moskwa 1999

[edit] In popular culture

SMERSH appears as the opposition service in some of the earlier James Bond novels by the author Ian Fleming.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Russia unveils Stalin's spy service BBC report on an exhibition in Moscow marking the 60th anniversary of SMERSH's founding.
• Track down Soviet war criminals, Ukrainian group urges, By Nathan Wilson