MECHANIZED DIVISION POTSDAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A006300610002-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 4, 2008
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: March 4, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

COUNTRY
TOPIC
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~F
East Ge
Mechanised Divis Fe'lbeil~t
EVALUATION
DATE OF COAT
SATE OBTAINS
~R~FERENGES
PAGES 4 ENCLOSURES (NO. a n~>,
REMARKS
PREPARED
4 March 1955
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1. Between 0800 and 1000 on ~ and 22 Jannars- 1955, 8 to 10 groups each of about
30 soldiers left the Oranienburg co~-centratian temp and marched toward the
training avers on I,ehnits Sae. 4a lg January, about 15 soldiers carrying
carbines, rolled shelter halwes, oanteeaw anb field bags were seen in the area
south of the installation. There was ne training activity in the installatioM
on these two dears. 1 25X1
2. In the afternoon. on 27 January and in the morning on ~ Januarsr, there was no
training nativity in the installation. Firing practice with carbines and
training om small radio sets were held in the vicinity of the installation.
A soldier serried a box at hie belt; the bex was about 15 x 15 x 15 cm and
a rod antenna about 75 om long ~~uttsd out of it. The Soldier wore a headphone
and had a microphone~i l4is hand. 0n 31 January, the installation was oocnpisd
by an astistatad 800 soldiers. i four-wheal s~rmored reconna~,8eanoe car and
a T-x/85 tank were seen in the installation on the same day.
3. At 1000 on 17 Tanuary, 12 to 15 new three-azle tank tracks each with stwo-axle
tank trailer were seen in front of the aencentr tion camp on Stalin illae. They
were escorted. by about 40 HYP soldiers who woraack-bordered blue~pauleta.
c' The trucks had a oapncity of an estimated 3,000 liters and the trailers-,rf-
an estimated 2,000 liters.
4. In January and early February, the KPP Section of the former concentration camp
was occupied by an estimated 1200 to 1,500 soldiers. On several days, six
T-34 tanks were seen near the inatallptfon. Two of them practiced driving.
Four other T-34 tanks daily trained r~th four Bl-64a in the wooded area near
Lehnits. Groups of120 to 30 Soldie2~s were dai~r observed leaving and entering
the installation.
5. Eighteen 73-mm AA guns and fe~ur AA guns of about 25-mm were seen in the barrsaks
yard during the day. Ten to 20 Soldiers practiced on each gun. 2
Nod "c
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6. From the night of 2e~J to th4,~?~,sAO~,on_of 25 J~uary, the units in
the concentration esamp8a~~a ma3or ezercise. All units left the
inatal~.ation on foot. 'ih-o field 1~itehena Pere the only vehicles observed.
The soldiers were armed with carbines, submachine guns and one machine
~gex~. ions soldiers carried portable radio seta. A radio station which was
in operation at all times was erected~in the installation. 3
7. On 22 January, a tank NEO said that four new tanks had arrived by rail on
21 Jaxruary. The tanks were not new but overhauled. They had a weight of
about 45 tons and the gone were of about 12.5 mm caliber.. The type of the
tanks was unknown to the units in.Oranienburg. 4
8. Between ~ encl.. 2~ January, an artillery unit changed its quarters in the
installation.
9. On 2 February, exercises started which were to last three weeks. Troops
were restricted to quarters for this period. The units left the installation
?be'tweet~ 0200 aa~d 0300 and r?turrted after 2 or 3 days. They were fed from
field kitchens. On 2 Febru~cy, all unite appeared to have vaostgd the
installation. The exercises were l~sld in the Borgadorf Forest between
Lehn~~a andrgsdorf: i't;nk, ~prti~lery sad infantry whits conducted firing
prac ces.. thhe afterndon c~[ 2 Fe'brus~:y, Sovie$ units Here observed
practicing in the Liebenwalde wooded area north of the 3chmachtenhagen-
Zehlendorf road. 3
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10. the entixe regiment stationed ~.n the Ruinei~berg ~o~~i
Kaserne in Potsdam iras to .hold an exercise, at :.~~ Bornsted.ter !'eld on
21 Jams At 0900 on 21 Janus, 30 trucks each occupied by'18 soldiers,
7 SBgcns each with ~ sq'.~diera, 24 ?pen four or siac-wheel arm?i~ed perssnnel
carr~ers_.each-with 6 soldiers, 3 trucks each with 2 M-1943 heavy machine
guns (Goryunov~ and 8 soldiers, and 1 radio track were assembled on Bernstedter
Fe3d. All the soldiers wore blue service color. At 1060, the regiment divided
and about 25 trucks, 3 SII-76 guns, 12 armored personnel carriers and 2 trncka wit'~i
with heavy-machine guns moved toward Bornatedt. The crews of the other trucks
occupied the trenck positi?ns~with S! gax-s emplaced on each side. '!'he armored
personnel caariar8 were emplaced behind the trenohes. 5 and 3~
11. dt 1440 on 25 January, 7 SII-76 guns, 12 three-sole armored personnel carriers
and 40 trt3eks ldit the Ruinenberg gaserne and were followed by 12 three-axle
armot~ed peraomael carriers at~od 12 trucks half an hour later. On 28 January,
there ass nQ training activity in or near the installation. It appeared
that the unit-had not yet returned. 5 ans. 6
12. At 090? ono February, l0 to 12 trucks each with 20 soldiers, 6 to 8 three-
-axl.e.8~nored personnel carriers. each with 6 to 8 soldiers axed 4 or 5 SII-76 gene
entered the kaserne; the coluaan had come from the direction of the main
rai].ro~d station. 0n .8 February, a anise carrying rifles and submachine
~ gene were seen marching to, axed cog from, ,i" r Borhstedter Feld. Abc~.it
qA to 50 trucks and 4 SII-76 guns were seen in the barracks yard. Three other
SII-76 guns were seen in open sheds. 5
13. At 1000 on 21 January, seven 37-mm AA gone were seen in the barracks yards
of the Garde du Corp$ Kaeerne. About 24 soldiers wearing red-bordered black
epaulets reoeived training on esah gun. On 4 February, a total of 12 x 37-mm
AA gene weave seen iri the barrac~s ysrds and in tl~a former riding school.
The installation was occupied by an estimated 350 soldiers. On 25 January,
only a few trucks were seen in the egg garages and B~ sheds. zt appeared
that the unit was net in the it~alirie-n. She same cbservatie~- Ras leads., on
31 January eori8 1 P'ehraa~y. ~ +-'~
14. At 0900 ?n 20 J 4 e~ '~5 tale s~oe eerier a~ad carrying
rifles ems, ~'~ gds, "# tl~ ~. 1-a~c s~ awd fo3lanred
by 4 t~et~ whiel~ treed ~ ~ ~ #t ~~"+'~f> 6ta~ne,
12 three-?a~tl.e s~ ~I~~r a~iit tdia~rs,
12 four-w~ua1 31~~4 ~t ~ eral~:~ '~ '1i$plt ~:~ 5't-~ ~' 8"~ each
oocupied by 9 seldiere, 4~ to ~ ~ e eiesotbss~t, by 18 aeldiers
wearing bins ae~3.eie eReior, atilt 3 Ali tics te3~Eh aalt+axeras left the
kaserne and wenttt~ard ~~. ' ~r eied ag~sge. 1t 1400 on
8 February, I? trucks sa~ah atfd 1qr ]:8 ~Ntil~tt'3-era wed tilv+e 4er~ric~e
color, 5 3U-76 guns and 4 trunks wig 57-amt.' gwns eni~errd tlv Ewa*. 5 awd 6
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15? almost the entire personnel of the Potsdam
post was at the Klietz troop training grounds. The regiment from the
Ruinenberg Kaserne had been in the camp at the Ferchels-Mahlitz grounds
since about 25 January sad returned to the kaserne as late as 5 Febraary.
The unit from the General Aever Kaserne left for Klietz as late- as 1 Februars-
and reined on 8 February. The aAA regiment from the Garde du Corps
Kaserne also participated in the exercises. The students of the motor
transport officer school were employed as platoon leaders. 6
16. ~t 0250 on 1ZJantxar3i, a special train consisting of 13 coaches went
from 'Berlin-Lichtenberg to Stendal via Sc2i~enhausen on the ffibe River
and returned in the evening. BetRSen Lichtenberg and Schoenhausen, the
train was occupied~by abut 800 RSfP offioers who allegedly came from
Berlin and Strausberg. They were picked up b, trucks in Schosnhauesn
and ..returned by trucks to the train in the evening. 7
17. From"26 January- to 14 Febr ~, ~e Ferohels-Mahlitz troop training grounds
woo still off limits. Sinoe 5 F~ruary, the training activity at the
grounds had"decreased considerably. Heavy weapoa firing was only occasionally
$eard during daytime. It xas determined that Soviet units participates in
the exeroisss. From 26 to~31"J: mss, mortar firing practices were held
daily. Ten, to.. 15 m?rtar~ bslenging to a Soviet unit were .em~.aoed about
1'.5 1~ east of the ~au~f:liarv ai~1.'3a7d_ Sema ~rn~8
were seen there. ;Aboat 200- eaid~~.ers froau the -hutment
~,
with the mortars, which were apparently of l~dmr~ amend
supervision of Soviet officers end RCOs. 3
18. On 2 az~d-4 Feb~arv, the bulk of the units left the troop training grounds.
About 3,500 to 2,000 soldiers and about 100 trucks werg loaded at-the
arose ~udicke r"aiiroad station on each of these days. 6
Comment. Information from the area of Corps .Nord indicated that the
8PP urii~o eonceritrated exercises at battalion level and march practices
at regimental level in snuary as did the Soviet units. Minter firing
practices by all branches of servic>.were conducted at the-post training
grouxxds and at the Ferohsls-~~hlitz ~c_.:._ w=__ `_~ ~d Jaegerbrueck training
grounds. Joint exercises with Sov3s t usaits were a18o oonductsd in the area
of Templin and dad Kosssn-l~aumbnrg in addition to exercises at Ferohels-
~1Vlahlitz training grounds and in the. area southeast of Oranienburg.
L../J/\ I
'"~~
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5?I~~, Comment. 9~here is no .doubt #hat is 3~ete u~~a were thpsrvsd. ~o~~i
. _, c~~ ,
'i~he Ruiner?rg gae~erne qt~t.~. J...q~ ; ',. .8ase~e
the reooneanoa be~#~~~T ~~~~ : be~a~i ~~ ~- seed,.
possib],y,., +~.~-o Etta o3' ~ ,=# '~ a dm_'e 1~ASerne
quarters the AltA rrgimeut ~ .` ~ ~ ,
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6.
Comment. Information on the exercises near Klietz and at the
Ferchels-Mahlitz troop, training ~-rounds was foi^e-ard.ed brev3ously.
appears a win er it
y un s of Mecz Div Potsdam: The det$haent of Soviet units as training
units for the KPP is reported for the first time.
7.~Comment. It is believed that the officers mentioned were from the
KVP Department with the B!(inistry of the Interior who witnessed 'the faxing
practices or a demonstration exercise near Klotz.
8. Comment. The Soviet units magr have been elements of the 65th Mort 25X1
Brig of the~th 1lrty Div from Rathsnow which frequently left their post
in units up to hattalion strength for one~day exercises during the period
mentioned.
by all we~ions was .conduc d
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