Description
Researched Soviet Order of the Red Banner #130548
Awarded to Guards Lt. Colonel Petr Fedorovich Kudryavtsev (Петр Федорович Кудрявцев)
Head of the ‘SMERSH’ counter intelligence department, Kazan military district
Made of solid silver and enamels. Measures 45.42 mm in height, 37.49 mm in width and it weighs 24.3 gram without its suspension. The serial number and curved mint mark are located at the 6 o’clock position of its reverse.
This Order of the Red Banner is in excellent condition with much gold plating present. The details are crisp and the enamel is problem free apart from two minor superficial flakes, barely noticeable with the naked eye. Both sides show a medium dark patina and its connection ring has not been cut.
The translation of the research can be found below:
More info on Lt. Colonel Kudryavtsev can be found here
Also in the picture gallery are the scans of the citations of his other awards in the following order: Medal for Bravery, Order of the Red Star and Order of the Patriotic War second class
SMERSH (Russian: СМЕРШ) was an umbrella organization for three independent counter-intelligence agencies in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially announced only on 14 April 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin. The main reason for its creation was to subvert the attempts by German forces to infiltrate the Red Army on the Eastern Front.
The official statute of SMERSH listed the following tasks to be performed by the organisation: counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism, preventing any other activity of foreign intelligence in the Red Army; fighting “anti-Soviet elements” in the Red Army; protection of the front lines against penetration by spies and “anti-Soviet elements”; investigating traitors, deserters and self-harm in the Red Army; and checking military and civil personnel returning from captivity.
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