ACTIVITIES OF MECHANIZED DIVISION EGGESIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A008300280011-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 3, 2008
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: October 6, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2008/11/03: CIA-RDP80-00810A008300280011-1
COUNTRY
TOPIC
CLASSIFICA SECRET
East Germany
_REP RTORTO
Activities of Mechanized Division Eggesin
EVALUATION
DATE OF CONTENT
DATE OBTAINED
REFERENCES
4
PAGES
.__
REMARKS
E PREPARED 6 October 1955
ENCLOSURES (NO. & TYPE)
located in this woods. On 18 August 1955
was believed that their destination was a de of which was
1. On 10 August 1955, 27 officer candidates of the political officers'
school in Berlin-Treptow arrived at one of the mechanized regiments
stationed at Karpin where they were to receive military training.
Eighty-two recruits were recently assigned to the 2d Mech Regt..
2. On 11 August 1955, the reconnaissance company of one of the
mechanized regiments returned from the Altwarp summer camp to
Karpin. The unit had 2 armored scout cars, 6 sidecar motorcycles
and 1 truck. On 15 August 1955, the ALA company of the same
regiment which had 2 trucks and 11 AA machine guns was entrained
at the Eggesin railroad station. The unit went for a week.to
Wustrow or Zingst where firing practices were to be held. 1
3. From 8 to 12 August 1955, the artillery units of the mechanized
regiments and component units of the artillery regiment held
record firing practices in the area of Jaegerbrueck. On 22 and
23 August 1955, the artillery battalion and the AT companies of
the 2d Mech Regt held firing. practices in the same area. They
used dummy tanks as targets..
4. In mid-August 1955, the chemical defense unit of the division
which was presumably quartered with the division headquarters
in the area of the former RAD (German Labor Service) camp in
Eggesin almost daily went toward Torgelow for field training.
The unit'leaving had 8 vehicles including of a fire engine
and two decontamination trucks.2
5. On 12 August 1955, 6 JS II tanks, 4 SU-100 tanks and about 8
SU-76 SP guns were observed travelling from Hoppenwalde to
Karpin. They entered the woods east of the installation. It
25X1
Approved For Release 2008/11/03: CIA-RDP80-00810A008300280011-1
 Approved For Release 2008/11/03: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA00830028001 1 -1
e of_
1 the exert
the b
ved at
air-raid warning company still wore the service color of their
respective former units. The watchtower near the Gumnitz
billeting office was occupied by aircraft scouts at all times.4
After receiving adequate preparatory training by exercises at
- were detrained at the Hoppenwalde railroad station where they
were picked up by KVPs who came from Karpin.3
6. In mid-August 1955, the soldiers who were reassigned to the
as a training demonstration before officers of other sta
construction in the assembly areas. The exercise was , arr
Temporary atomic defense shelters were allegedly already under
mechanized 'left in closed formation in the morning
of 28 Aug Ahibeck - Luckow - Rieth area where
exercises al level were scheduled to be held
Jointly with other units which included troops from Spechtberg
and Prenzlau. In view of the existing shortage of drivers,
the mortar regiment detached 18 drivers,and the division motor
transport unit 10 trucks with drivers to the regiment for the
period of the exercise. The ordnance and equipment of the
regiment was as specified below: The 1st and 3d Bns had 19
trucks, 1 ambulance, and 4 field kitchens each; the 2d Bn and
the reconnaissance company 12 Soviet-made three-axle armored
personnel carriers, 2 of 3 armored scout cars, and an
undetermined number of trucks; the AT company 4 Phaenomen
trucks, and four 57-mm AT guns; the mortar company 4 Phaenomen
trucks and four 120-mm mortars; the AA machine gun company
9 trucks, some mounting AA machine guns, and 2 armored personnel
carriers; the artillery battalion 15 trucks, eight 76-mm guns,
1 radio truck, 1 repair-shop truck, 1 ambulance, and 2 field
kitchens; the tank battalion 19 T-34 tanks, 2 SP guns, and 15
to 20 motor vehicles; and the technical service company 12 to
15 trucks. The topic of exercises to be held before 4 September
1955 was "preparation of an surprise attack on an unprepared
enemy". The exercise was scheduled to be subsequently repeated
under consideration of the employment of atomic weapons.
ttalion leypl--durl the preceding weeks, one of the
remained in the billeting area of t
8. The recruits of the 2d Mech Regt generally displayed a good
state of discipline. The 22 recruits who had been assigned to
the unit in August 1955, repeatedly refused, however, to
execute orders which called for physical stress which were
received during training. Occasionally,' old enlisted men who were
due to be discharged failed to appear for duty as they hoped they
would be discharged dishonorably from the KVP or detailed to
harvesting work during the days to come.
Approved For Release 2008/11/03: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA00830028001 1 -1
 Approved For Release 2008/11/03: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA00830028001 1 -1
For the duration of training at task-force level, the division
was subjected to leave cancellation. Command-post exercises at
division level were scheduled to commence on 15 September 1955?
Component units of one of the mechanized regiments stationed at
Karpin which were to participate in these exercises were ordered
to leave their billets on 17 September 1955. It was announced
that leave was also cancelled. in an effort to secure the
gathering of the crops.
10. From 22 to 25 August 1955, the status of training of 1st Lech
Regt Karpin was inspected. High-ranking officers who came from
Berlin and Pasewalk and the heads of several district
registration administrations attended this inspection.
Component units of this regiment were subsequently detached
for harvesting work. The bulk of the 3d Mech Regt Karpin also
engaged in harvesting work.
11. Starting in early September 1955, KVPs who were to be employed
as drivers were no longer to be dispatched from Karpin to
Altwarp for training, but rather to be trained at their
respective units.6
12. From 21 to 27 August,1955, the AAA unit under Rau (fnu) in
Altwarp held record firing practices in the area west of the
station which involved 37-mm AA guns and AA machine guns.
Stationary and moving ground targets were used at these
practices. In the night of 1 September 1955, the unit was
entrained at the Hoppenwalde railroad station. The shipment
included about 500 men, twenty-four 37-mm AA guns, 22 AA
machine guns, some mounted on trucks, an undetermined number
of trucks, and 4 field kitchens. The destination of the
shipment was Kuehlungsborn. As early as 17 August 1955, an
advance detachment had left for that p&.ce. Two 37-mm AA guns
and about 50 men remained behind in the area of the installatiorn.
13. On 26 August 1955, the drivers' school unit under Hecker (fnu)
numbered 300 to 350 men:, On the morning of 27 August 1955,
10 trucks of this unit left for Eggesin where an exercise was
to be held. At the same time, about 50 percent of the men
of this unit.were absent for harvesting work.
14. On 13 August 1955, the summer camp east of the Altwarp am Haff
installation was vacated. As early as 14 August 1955, it wax
reoccupied by a tank unit which numbered about 100 men and had
4 tanks.
15. In August 1955, Mechanized Division Eggesin, which was
commanded by Major General Weiss was organized into
3 mechanized regiments, 1 heavy tank regiment, 1 medium tank
regiment, 1 tank instruction battalion, 1 artillery regiment,
1 mortar regiment, 1 AAA regiment, 1 reconnaissance battalion,
1 signal battalion, 1 engineer battalion, 1 repair shop for
artillery ordnance, 1 tank repair shop, 1 motor-vehicle repair
shop, 1 motor transport school, 1 medical battalion, and 1
field bakery.? k
Approved For Release 2008/11/03: CIA-RDP80-0081OA008300280011-1
 Approved For Release 2008/11/03: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA00830028001 1 -1
16. An 8-d
Genera
chiefs of staff and supply officers of all units--of-Mechanized
Division Fggesin was allegedly scheduled for July 1955..It
was intended to hold this exercise in the Gnoien - Demmin -
Friedland area. The topic of the exercise was "she mechanized
divisions within the first echelon of the corps attacking an
enemy defending well improved positions, and employment by
the enemy of atomic weapons." 8
1. (Comment. A tent camp on the Haff near Altwarp has
been mentioned in a revious report.
See also paragraph 14 of the present
on A of the Karpin installation.
3. Co is JS II and SU-100 have been
reported tank SP regiment of the division.
Units known in Karpin include the mechanized regiments and the
5.
7.
report.
25X1
25X1
25X1
reconnaissance battalion.
25X1
Comment. The air-raid on
has been reported
is 25X1
also known as an aircraft reporting company.
Comment. SP guns in addition to tanks are reported
for the first time from the tank battalion of a mechanized
regiment of Mechanized Division Eggesin. It is believed that
the term of technical service company is identical to the
term of company for technical maintenance as used by previous
deserters.
Comment. The so-called drivers' school unit under
.Hecker (fnu) in Altwarp is possibly being reorganized into
a division motor transport unit. This belief is also supported
by the fact that this year recruits have been assigned to
this unit for the first time, while previously only trained
soldiers have been instructed in driving at this unit.
Reference is also made to paragraph 7 of the present report.
Comment. The organization of the division largely
agrees with previous information; only some headquarters
units are missing.
Comment. Other information indicates that, in July 1955,
KVP exercises which are possibly identical to the command-post
exercises mentioned in the present report have been held in
the area between Rostock and Neubrandenburg.
25X1
Approved For Release 2008/11/03: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA00830028001 1 -1
The chemical defense company of the division