The Main Directorate of State Security evolved from the Joint State Political Directorate. On February 3, 1941, the Special Sections of the GUGB-NKVD became part of the Army and Navy. The GUGB was cancelled as organization within NKVD USSR. The units that operated in GUGB were reorganized and made the core of newly made People's Commissariat of State Security or NKGB. Following the outbreak of World War II, the NKVD and NKGB were reunited, but NOT as GUGB but as totally separate directorates. On July 20, 1941 Army and Airforce counter-intelligence was returned to the NKVD as Directorate of Special Departments under Anakumov, in January 1942Navy CI followed. In April 1943 it was again transferred to the Narkomat of Defence and Narkomat of the Navy, becoming SMERSH ; at the same time, the GUGB was again separated from the NKVD as NKGB.
GUGB heads
By the end of 1937 the GUGB was the most powerful and influential organ in the NKVD structure. GUGB departments dealt with - intelligence, internal security, counter-intelligence, protection of government and secret communications. The first chief of the GUGB was Yakov Agranov, Commissar 1st rank of State Security and first deputy of People's Commissar of Internal Affairs. The next chief of the GUGB from April 15, 1937 to September 8, 1938 was komkor Mikhail Frinovsky, he was succeeded by Lavrenty Beria, then just promoted to Commissar 1st rank of State Security. When Beria became People's Commissar of Internal Affairs, Commissar 3rd rank of State Security Vsevolod Merkulov became his first deputy and the new and final head of GUGB.
Organization
Between 1934 and 1941, the Main Directorate of State Security went through several organizational changes. In January 1935, there were nine departments in the GUGB structure: ; Commissar 1st rank of State Security Yakov Agranov
By the end of 1937 the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs Nikolai Yezhov, in his order #00362 had changed the number of departments from five to twelve. ; komkor Mikhail Frinovsky
After Lavrenty Beria took over Frinovsky place as a GUGB head, in 29 of September 1938, GUGB underwent another organizational change - ; Commissar 1st rank of State Security Lavrenty Beria
The GUGB had a unique system of ranks, a blend of the position-rank system used in the Red Army and personal ranks used in the Militsiya; the rank insignia was also very distinct. Even though insignia introduced in 1937 followed the Red Army collar patch patterns, it assigned them to very different ranks for GUGB and Internal Troops/political/specialist branches, with GUGB rank placed at least one grade higher than a similar army equivalent. When GUGB and Militsiya ranks were replaced with military ranks and insignia in February 1943, Major to Sergeant ranks were aligned with Colonel to Junior Lieutenant, and Senior Major and up were replaced with various degrees of Commissar. In 1945, General Commissar Lavrentiy Beria received the rank of the Marshal of the Soviet Union, and other GUGB Commissars received ranks from Generals of the Army to Major General. ;Ranks of GUGB 1935–1943
генеральный комиссар ГБCommissioner General of State Security
комиссар ГБ 1-го рангаCommissioner 1st rank of State Security
комиссар ГБ 2-го рангаCommissioner 2nd rank of State Security
комиссар ГБ 3-го рангаCommissioner 3rd rank of State Security
старший майор ГБSenior Major of State Security
майор ГБMajor of State Security
капитан ГБCaptain of State Security
старший лейтенант ГБSenior Lieutenant of State Security
лейтенант ГБLieutenant of State Security
младший лейтенант ГБJunior Lieutenant of State Security
