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'''SMERSH''' (''SMERt' SHpionam''), a transliteration of the Russian СМЕРШ (СМЕРть Шпионам, "Death to Spies"), was the Main Counter-Intelligence Directorate of the of the People's Commissariat of Defense (GUKR) of the [[Soviet Union]] during 1943-46. Established on April 14, 1943, the organization was named by [[Stalin]] personally. SMERSH was the successor of the Special Departments (''Osobyye Otdeli'', or O.O.) of the [[Cheka]]/[[NKVD]], which had been responsible for counter-intelligence since 1918.<ref>Robert Stephan, "[http://www.jstor.org/stable/260812 Smersh: Soviet Military Counter-Intelligence during the Second World War]," ''Journal of Contemporary History,'' Vol. 22, No. 4, Intelligence Services during the Second World War: Part 2 (October 1987), pp. 585-613</ref> (It was "Special Bureau Number 1" (''Spetsburo''), the Ninth Section (Section for Terror and Diversion) of the Second Main Directorate of the OGPU, that was responsible for the assassination of [[Trotsky]] in 1940.)<ref>Peter Deriabin and Frank Gibney, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=MykiAAAAMAAJ The secret world]'' (Doubleday, 1959), p. 187</ref> SMERSH was headed by Deputy Commissar for Defense V.S. Abakumov, former chief of the O.O.

'''SMERSH''' (''SMERt' SHpionam''), a transliteration of the Russian СМЕРШ (СМЕРть Шпионам, "Death to Spies"), was the Main Counter-Intelligence Directorate of the People's Commissariat of Defense (GUKR) of the [[Soviet Union]] during 1943-46. Established on April 14, 1943, the organization was named by [[Stalin]] personally. SMERSH was the successor of the Special Departments (''Osobyye Otdeli'', or O.O.) of the [[Cheka]]/[[NKVD]], which had been responsible for counter-intelligence since 1918.<ref>Robert Stephan, "[http://www.jstor.org/stable/260812 Smersh: Soviet Military Counter-Intelligence during the Second World War]," ''Journal of Contemporary History,'' Vol. 22, No. 4, Intelligence Services during the Second World War: Part 2 (October 1987), pp. 585-613</ref> (It was "Special Bureau Number 1" (''Spetsburo''), the Ninth Section (Section for Terror and Diversion) of the Second Main Directorate of the OGPU, that was responsible for the assassination of [[Trotsky]] in 1940.)<ref>Peter Deriabin and Frank Gibney, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=MykiAAAAMAAJ The secret world]'' (Doubleday, 1959), p. 187</ref> SMERSH was headed by Deputy Commissar for Defense V.S. Abakumov, former chief of the O.O.

SMERSH acted as a watchdog on the loyalty of Soviet military forces, maintaining a network of informers within the Soviet Army, Navy, and Air Force. It is estimated that some 12% of Soviet military personnel were agents or informers.<ref>Ian Dear, Michael Richard and Daniell Foot, eds., ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=qC0OgOHAHVkC The Oxford companion to World War II]'' (Oxford University Press, 2001) ISBN 0198604467, p. 792</ref> SMERSH was also responsible for shooting defecting soldiers and arresting those who escaped from German captivity. SMERSH conducted investigations of military and civilian personnel suspected of anti-Soviet activities, and tried suspects before tribunals composed of three SMERSH officers.<ref>Norman Polmar and Thomas B. Allen, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=9QoDpq88MCgC Spy book: the encyclopedia of espionage]'' (Random House, 1998) ISBN 0375702490, p. 518</ref>

SMERSH acted as a watchdog on the loyalty of Soviet military forces, maintaining a network of informers within the Soviet Army, Navy, and Air Force. It is estimated that some 12% of Soviet military personnel were agents or informers.<ref>Ian Dear, Michael Richard and Daniell Foot, eds., ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=qC0OgOHAHVkC The Oxford companion to World War II]'' (Oxford University Press, 2001) ISBN 0198604467, p. 792</ref> SMERSH was also responsible for shooting defecting soldiers and arresting those who escaped from German captivity. SMERSH conducted investigations of military and civilian personnel suspected of anti-Soviet activities, and tried suspects before tribunals composed of three SMERSH officers.<ref>Norman Polmar and Thomas B. Allen, ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=9QoDpq88MCgC Spy book: the encyclopedia of espionage]'' (Random House, 1998) ISBN 0375702490, p. 518</ref>