MISCELLANEOUS MILITARY INFORMATION: ORGANIZATION AND TRAINING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A005300090010-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 17, 2007
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: November 1, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007/07/17: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005300090010-6
f;
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This material contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States within the mean-
ing of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C. Secs. 793
and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in
any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law.
COUNTRY Bulgaria
SUBJECT Miscellaneous Military Information:
Organization and Training
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 17 November 1954
NO. OF PAGES 2
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. As in past years., also in 1954 the Bulgarian armed forces have carried out and
are in the process of carrying out a very intense organizational, training, and
operational activity which is conducted very seriously. Particularly noteworthy
was that carried out by the military Air Force. It appears probable that the
BAF is continuously receiving new aircraft and equipment (particularly radio and
radar) from the USSR, from Czechoslovakia, and from Eastern Germany and that the
replacement of old reciprocating fighters with modern jet aircraft is far advanced.
2. Also, air installations and bases are in the process of being improved considerably.
In addition to modernizing some of the older fields, aircraft are being gradually
transferred to new fields equipped with large artificial runways and modern equip-
ment, and the old. and small airports are being abandoned or maintained as reserve
or emergency fields.
3. The task of training flight and ground crew personnel apnears to be very great in
view of the low cultural and technical. level of persons called up in Bulgaria,
most of these beinP peasants. The various DOSO (Dobrovolna Organizatsiya 7a
Sudeystvie na dbranata; Voluntary Organization for Defense Assistance) organizations
contribute a great deal to the solution of thig.problem.
4. The navy is also carrying out intense activities in all fields. This year once
again it particularly celebrated July 25, the "Day of the Soviet Fleet.tl 25X1
5. In the month of June 1954, there were observed from Varna nearly daily, firing
(night and day) exercises by coastal artillery batteries against towed targets or
targets placed at sea, as well as firing by antiaircraft artillery against sleeves
towed by aircraft. Also there were complex landing exercises, with intervention by
land and air forces and all guns of the coastal defense units.
6. In Varna a large number of students of the "Vasil Levski" Military Academy were ob-
served; they came from all services and specialties; including infantry, artillery,
engineers, air, and, something never observed previously, some with black shoulder
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boards like the artillery and engineers, with gold piping and ii. _1:0._ of the
transportation corps as used in the Soviet Army. This shows that stu'ting this
year the military academy of the Bulgarian Army has a new specialty, that of
transportation specialists. The presence of very large numbers of students at
the military academy in Varna certainly indicates that this year the summer camps
of this academy were to be located in the vicinity of Varna.
7. Larticular mention should be made of parachutist units which this year carried
out noteworthy activity simultaneously in the areas of Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara
Zagora, and Varna. Students of the "Vaptsarov't Naval Academy were also observed
in Varna.
8. This would lead to the belief that the Bulgarian parachutist regiment is composed
of at least three battalions (possibly at reduced organic strength), one located
at each of the places listed above.
9. In reviewing the military situation in Bulgaria, one has the clear impression that
Soviet interference is ever increasing and that it is stronger and more decidedly
resolute in the military field than in the political and economic fields. The
presence of Soviet officers and troops in the Dobrudzha and the inspection or
training visits which Soviet officers (particulary colonels) allegedly carried out
at the Yugoslav frontier in the second half of July, having come from Rumania (via
Calafat and Vidin), in two successive groups of 40 members each; both of these
point to an increased Soviet interference.
10. For the present transportation by railway and by highway, as well as concentrations
of troops (generally encamped) observed would indicate that exercises were carried
out in Northeast Bulgaria (central-eastern Balkans zone between Gabrovo and Kotel);
Central Bulgaria (Troyan-Teteven zone); Northwest Bulgaria (Belogradchik-Berkovitsa
zone); Southwest Bulgaria (Dragoman-R.adomir-Kyustendil Razlog-Nevrokop zone); and
Southeast Bulgaria (Elkhovo and Strandzha zone).
11. Thus, it is evident that exercises are not being carried out in one specific sector
and this would confirm the fact that the training of troops is still the chief
determining factor in their assignment to camps.
12. In late July 1954, there were numerous recalls of reservists. These recalls even
affected members of the class of 1931 who had been dismissed in the spring of 1954?
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SECRET--U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2007/07/17: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005300090010-6