Organization
At the end of the Second World War, American forces examining captured German intelligence sources determined that SMERSH was composed of six directorates, six departments, and three other branches. Directorates conducted operations involving agents on the “frontline” of the intelligence war whereas departments received and interpreted the information coming in from agents and enemy intercepts. SMERSH also ran three other groups; the Komendatura, which guarded and managed SMERSH installations and prisoners; the Troika, which acted as a military court and could administer punishment without defense from the accused; and the Administrative Bureau and Secretariat, which acted as the personal staff of the SMERSH commander.
Below is the organization of SMERSH based on German Intelligence:
SMERSH Stalin --- People's Commissariat of Defense (NKO) | | | | | | | | | Secretariat GUKR (SMERSH) --- Administration Bureau | | | Directorate --------------- Dept. Tech/ Staff Surveillance | Signal Surveillance | | | Directorate ----------------- Dept. Troop Surveillance | Security | | | Directorate ------------- Dept. Information Counter-intelligence | | | | Partisan Directorate-------------Dept. Censorship | | | Personnel Directorate-------------Code and Cipher Dept. | | | Investigations Directorate-------------Special Investigation Dept. | | | Troika-------------Kommendataura/Guard Unit | | Administrative Bureau and SecretariatThis Chart shows another way SMERSH may have been organized:
SMERSH People's Commissariat of Defence | | 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 Radio games | statistic | | | Section 4 ----------------------------- Section 8 Organization of Counter- Codes intelligence behind and front lines communicationsRead more about this topic: SMERSH
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