MILITARY - UNDERGROUND BASE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220085-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 11, 2003
• Sequence Number: 85
• Publication Date: April 2, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220085-9
CLASSIFICATION
CENTRAL GENCY
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
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WHERE
PUBLISHED
DATE
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LANGUAGE
SOVIETS REPORTED USING UNDERGROUND BASE AT RASTENBURG
he following article from Stockholms-Tidningen was signed by
a T. Norwid, who occasionally writes for this newspaper. The article
is copyrighted by Stockholms-Tidningen.7
Hitler's large underground headqu--ters at Rastenburg (now Ketrzyn) in for-
mer East Prussia is rapidly being renovated and reconstructed by the Soviets,
accoraing to reliable reports which have reached Sweden from this isolated region.
Poles living in nearby cities who have contact with the Soviet and Polish
military forces there are convinced that the greatly intensified military activ-
ity in old East Prussia is still another sign that the USSR is preparing for war
and is building up a powerful military base at Rastenburg.
When the Germans retreated from East Prussia in 1945, the German Army head-
quarters at Rastenburg was left intact. It is claimed that the advancing Red
Army scarcely noticed any-thing special about this region where the "brain" of
the German Army was located during the war. Seen from the surface, it was only
an area of lakes and forests which covered the gigantic underground city measur-
ing 38 kilometers long and 3 to 5 kilometers wide.
This region is crossed by the railroad which runs from Kaliningrad
(Koenigsberg) to Bialystok. The underground military city is equipped with a
communications system which is completely electrified. There are three electric
power plants which function independently of each other and water tanks and a
water system supplying the underground shelters, barracks, officers' quarters,
and the lwnu?ious staff rooms.
All parts of the headquarters are connected by telephone and also by a
pneumatic dispatch tube system. There are also large military warehouses,
garages, and underground hangars, all at a depth of at least 30 meters below
the surface.
THII DOCUMENT CONTAINS INIOINATTON AIIICTING THE NATIONAL D9I1411
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CLASSIFICATION RISTR]:CTED
NAVY NSRS DISTRIBUTION
Military - Underground base
Daily newspaper
Stockholm
19 Feb 1953
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DATE DIST. .. 53
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
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It took the (.ermans o years to construct this military city, the nest camou-
fln ed underground city in the world. Hitler stayed there much of the time during
the liuseiari campaign. The headquarters had direct wire connections with Berlin,
a very poveri'tul. radio station, and a radar system. There are a number of airfields
scattered around the area which are connected with the actual headquarters by
underground passageways.
The present day USSR-Polish boundary cuts acro,c the region over the under-
ground city no that one part of it lies in Poland and the other in the USSR.
The city ..hich gave its name to the area 19astenbur7 lien in Poland.
On retreating from Fast Prussia, the Germans did not destroy the under-
ground city, but mined the whole area. The German generals were obviously so
deluded by propaganda that they entertained hopes of returning. The mining was
done in a pax-Lieularly diabolical. way, and the Sov'ictsl first. attempts to enter
the headquarters were unsuccessful, with many casualties resultln~. They de-
cided, therefore, in l.5L46, to block off the whole area and totally depopulate it.
In 11)A, , tt:rnt.gh, the Soviets in the Ln.at 'one got hold of some military
personnel, headed by Ma.,g Erich Guse, who hat prrrticipatcnd in the raining of the
headquarters. These were immediately arrested and taken to Rastenburg. With
their help, the mine clearing was accomplished in o months and by early 1951 the
headquarters was considered to be relatively free of mines. A number of instal-
lations, however, were blown up during the mine-clearln;, process.
Blare laborers furnish most of the m: inuwet? rat Raw. iiburg, and their attitude
it ace of desperation because they expect to be liquidated after the work is com-
plct.ed so that the neer,.,,-y surroundir:!e, the bas,- u ll be maintained.
Tim headquarters with the surrounding area has now r,een made into a ,ic.inr.
i'rlir;h-.i ;vier. :nil it.ary district which, on the l'olluh it do of the boundary, extends
to tortii1.1eS lying south of the Mawry Lahr: heg?on, primarily Lake Iniardwy.
The .rea which is, exclusively under US P -?cntrol cccipriuea the triangle of torri-
tnry lying lit tween ilastenburg, Grool~c,rk and Orneta.
Tire rerann.tincticn program is progressing u t. F-.. very v:,pid rate, and Soviet
contnidii'sior:5 consisting of high -ranking nilita::i p,:rsoncu?er; often visit the place.
in Woverlu?r 1152, tlarshil. itokosoer.,3lay inepert,.d ti.e ar?_a.
A,,-, ceding to reliuble witnesses., 01 typer of :'ovine and Polish troops
are rtntiored around the area; including jet fighter unite;. The underground maga-
_rcc are being eypanded and filled with ear material- IJnncrground storage tanks
for li,p;iri frir'1 arc brine; con *,nirt.ud ?Jit.h _?pessal rapidity.
The ronic r_n,i the old German t rainit:,? ar::_rs ar,+ i owd ?d .rt t 1. mil . tar veh.c1cs
and t111cks . Ti.e Polish Array engir e t ir. two new armored divi-
ne. nn1 one s.tr squadron.
,;lm the 10vlets ,:re ,io!n in the r ,.ran ,it ii , I rusoi . not known, b,it.
the of 'et nlanc?n i:', 1. i : one tl;c? frequent parrt'-Atutre
r>, there is, -1su c riitiderra,ly activity -AC v on i.h,: fatLet. aide ,?, No-
l.t::ir. ? .
That. the Sot etc lone ago decided to whili::r t.l:?:: urea the nucleus for
L..1;,:wry bar;. 11rertcd at. Western 1?,..rop . war . 1:c .iv evident from the actions
of the Soviet o::arpat.ion troops stationed there rr. 1;)b5 and Sri-all cities
.;hi -h lr.y within a radius of several loins of Mile.. ?ters from Rastedburg were
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RESTECTED
eliminated according to plan by the Soviets, especially during the first half of
1946. The principle followed was that of completely obliterating the center part
of each city, which constituted the economic basis for the bourgeois class. The
outskirts, with their residential areas, were left standing.
Not in a oing7e case did the Russians destroy the German barracks which also
were located on the outer edges of the cities. They were damaged 496% the war,
but are now being rebuilt again everywhere.
`Those portions of Poland which now adjoin the USSR on former East Prussian
territory constitute an isolated and desolate country. No heavily trafficked
lines of communication lead there and no direct roads connect it with central
Poland. The region is inaccessible to travelers and no ordinary persons are per-
mitted to go there without special passes issued by the security authorities.
Even as late as 1950 there were almost no troops in the Polish portion of
this region. From all indications, Soviet-Polish cooperation in this area is
complete and the troops of both countries are under one command. The Polish-
Approved For Release 2003/09/03 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700220085-9