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SMERSH

  
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Contents    
   
Background    
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Its headquarters are said to be in Leningrad, with a sub-station in Moscow. Later though, its location is given as 13 Sretenka Ulitsa, Moscow. SMERSH is composed of 5 departments, as follows;
  • Department I: Responsible for counter-intelligence amongst Soviet organisations, both home and abroad. 
  • Department II: Operations and executions - the most feared section of SMERSH. Carries out the judgements of Department V.
  • Department III: Administration and finance. 
  • Department IV: Investigations and legal work.
  • Department V: Prosecution - passes judgement on individuals suspected guilty of treachery 
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Agents    
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At the head of SMERSH is Colonel General Grubozaboyschikov. 

Colonel Rosa Klebb was head of Department II, Operations, until she was captured by the British. In all probability, she killed herself rather than be interrogated. 

Kronsteen was head of planning for SMERSH. A master chess player, he held people with as little regard as pieces on a chess board. 

Donovan Grant - chief executioner. Born in Southern Ireland. A psychotic, he defected to the Russians when he heard the propaganda about their ruthlessness and their low consideration of life. He was eventually killed by Bond. 

SMERSH's overseas banker was Auric Goldfinger. He deposited gold in pre-arranged sites across Europe for his masters to collect. 

Buonaparte Ignace Gallia, also known as Mr. Big, was a harlem gangster, and secretly an agent of SMERSH. 

Goytchev was, until Klebb, the only SMERSH agent to have been captured by the British. He committed suicide without revealing anything other than his membership of SMERSH. 

Strelik was a notorious SMERSH terrorist, who, after its dissolution, began working for S.P.E.C.T.R.E, along with two other of his former colleagues. Strelik was shot by Emilio Largo, for insurbordination. 

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Previous Operations    
The earliest SMERSH operation we know of was the assassination of Trotsky on 22/8/1940. 
After that, in 1941 it was expanded to deal with treachery and double agents during the retreat from Hitler. It was used as an execution squad for the NKVD. 
  • On 7/8/1948, they assassinated Petchora, medical officer at the Yugoslav Embassy. 
  • Also thought to be responsible for the killings of Donovan, Harthrop-Vane, Elizabeth Dumont, Ventnor, Mace, and Savarin - all double agents.
  •  An agent of SMERSH was assigned to eliminate Le Chiffre, following his misuse of Soviet funds. Another agent was following Vesper Lynd, and presumably had orders to investigate or possibly murder her. 
  • Mr. Big had uncovered a lost treasure of gold, near a Jamaican island, and was smuggling it into America to raise funds for SMERSH.
  • Perhaps their most daring operation was their attempted destruction of James Bond. Donovan Grant was assigned to implicate Bond in a scandal, and fake his ‘suicide’.
  • Their overseas banker, Auric Goldfinger, devised a way to steal almost the entirety of America's gold supply stored in Fort Knox. To implement the plan, SMERSH secured the backing of the High Praesidium itself. Had it succeeded, the crime would not even have been traced back to Russia. 
Related Articles    
  • Ernst Stavro Blofeld Profile
  • Irma Bunt Profile
  • Emilio Largo Profile
  • Plan Omega (Thunderball)
  
Archived Media    
     
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