FORTIFICATIONS ALONG THE SOUTHER HUNGARIAN BORDER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-01036R000200040074-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 4, 2011
• Sequence Number: 74
• Publication Date: May 3, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/04: CIA-RDP81-01036R000200040074-8
U.S. Officials Only
SSCUT
25X1
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY HWary
SUBJECT Portifications Along the Southern Hungarian Border
1 DOCUMENT C000 AINS IN RNATION AFFECTIN? HE NATIONAL DENS
OF THE UNITED STATES. WITHIN THE NEANINS OF TITLE IS. SECTIONS 70
AND 704. OF THE U.S. CODE. AS AMENORD. ITS TRANSMISSION ON REYE.
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO 00 RECEIPT ST AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON 11
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
DATE D I STR.3 MA y 1954
NO. OF PAGES 4
- 25X1
NO. OF ENCLS.
SUPP. TO
REPORT NO.
no 11111,2`10-scale fertilisations sarried out in the sourso of 1953 hleg the southern
*nyariaa border, tors st*Mad .by'tho .fall of 1952. At this, ti , in
sn , the "ferheadq~rtirstifisa-
t s Eatst*y _ of ' Detente k%& been set up,
tioss uns Os..tteeM of the
1broft ,tree*ta Skis ss*itteo- seieda" ali parepsarritis>~r mMSr soviet
f on
?
y survey- ._. the seheduled
sirens ant a4 ceatrel. These parepa'atiias fro sistard asslal of
sit "p, `saved shipping > ii-i a1 ",the 'spot, "as Ito.o as of 'sahitallag, Industrial and
shipping prebleaiiis ; alas the orgoduatien of >?anpwer needed.
1. Military Organisatisas Bled for luilding tha Portitieation Liao.
1. The whole arm s boduled to be fortified has been divided into thre, rain
?setioas according to silitary ta~iportaaaise.
a. ]prom the Naetilian border doss to the Maraaga oomlty triangle,, (the river
Drava section).
b. The &arasya Country triangle between ii 'i6s and Moines.
s. Part of the border east of the Danube, a rather wide open space.
2. lack of the `s'tove $ Saw was rsssiga d to sm6 ' ?portifieation Comm "s with
quartots at Lenti, kiss and ssepd, rssjest vely. All organisations
to york on these
sal; liuil4i~ aifiitary e>i? .rs~1T -itrj aa#
fortificatioyis,' arty -iiodsp i~r it-Nds t oz CaliiIllss~ Alto-
getker, olvsa' battaitsals, dif . >iali s "at " each of tlie' abote" h aidt?asrters,
are Ilso*4i b7 the psrtifieation OsmmM. These battalions consist of
the following personnel:
U.S. Officials Only
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I A I 1
Lni7.i[WAi In Id, 1 nee Liam . .-J.- W
QNL..Y sad oh. > oAr if msd.1 [[iw o.if If= -$smas .
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a. The ooseminder of the battalion, one engineer officer, and the staff of the
-' battalion.
b. sist eo C S eaeh?lsosipo sd b0 uss. These companies con-
. The privates are mostly
reservists of the englaver-corps.
a. Several so-$allod 'hilitirt labor units' are divided whherever.and whenever
needed "'oW ? bdtirlions during the peri-Od of contraction. The.. mili-
tary libior se genies consist of a small official 'stiff and of '*reliable
s these are all draftees who for reasons of their 'erittn -are re-
eleeient x
garded as u*eliable Wake, priests, _ and bolass-strangers" 1. :and are not
assioid to the fititXag Tories. -these pe' e -spend the tiros of their salt=
pulsory military servile doing hard labor mter-tho ant . severe conditions.
d. One mechanised unit together with all machinery needed, bulldozers, baggers,
sanest Mixers, generators, eta.
e. One truck unit with 20 heavy trucks.
3. All those units work on sjtsisliaed sonstrstici at speoially assigned sections
of 'the fortification . 'Duri~' " s l regular infantry units
-'tihs sumrer
also helped , but 'only as unskilled labor, dieing trenches, etc. Convicts,
political prisoners, and internees are not i ployed here.
II. Character and System of the Fortifications.
1. All fortification construction going on along the southern border of lusgary'has
no connection whatsoever with the 'Irea Our l.a' installations, for instasse, the
well-known ones 614g the western pprisr. sudk .as 'fl'ow Cardin' -can ai
found along the southern border, and guardedly the border guards- of the
2. !ht fortifications to be Milt hero,`~~~ of the ssrller' type of fortification.
nil r 7.' t in b0ii1 'lines, uncut '1 to 2,000 aetprs in
rd* syst4a is . a
4OOth. the 'firit two .Ylaea' are kuilt.'100 to 300 'A diststtse from each Other, and
aeasist 'of indi id ttl'"fortif'lsttioa-nits sad .stroipoiats linked byr tresekes.
The third linen rugs > about 10300 to' Imotors furthsi bank.' Bore, -built-in
"its for artl2lttr' aid antitank- soy s aft-also sOa itruttid. . Obssrvatien posts
for the ea~utders, a,~ i isea posts are iii. being sit. *p. the who, setup is
senstrusted aooIrilAg to `tile"defense systca of"battaliOhs, according to the
weapon Within cash battalion, and according to the inportance of a certain area.
3. The following- fortifications are along each fortification line :
a....Open art?11ery nests for machine guns, also for circular defense.
.;r1va so0tion
b. Antiaircraft seats with fixed concrete foundations.
a. Fortified posts for mortars.
d. Observation posts and oaMseanders posts.
e. Shelters for 50 to 100 men for the reserve.
f. Artillery posts and relay posts.
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SECRET
-'3
4. The Individual posts are built with the aid of prefabricated concrete units,
(doses and parapets) but eosarete mixing is also eked out on the spot. The
surfaeesr of 1-3nr a facing' the won are ? rilly 30.'=- The ergrovnd
with the -roofs ? rwintere~ed with
shelters aft. "Ott meters- des! in the
.a layer of 'reinforced sqwCte' and, stones s et artillery and bomb units.,
Fear populated areas these posts are eamouti as barns, sheds, haystacks, et*.
5. The major part of the prefab units isihipped from the oonar*te factory of
slbertfal si- pre . the outpat of the whole plant is "closely fitted into t h? i.
seheiule 'off the fortifiestion work. ' Inoidentslly at Albertfalva, s.ereral' political
and other` prisowers-*are also working.. rs?ti
6. The individual fortified posts, assts, etc. are linked by trenehes..- Thlde "a"
fortified with wooden props and brushwood. Drainage is achieved by means of
sewers and cesspools.
7. The whole fortification nstywhich can by no means be called complete, has the
pharaster of a permanent field fortification. It is unfit to stem any serious
or heavy attack by a modern and scientifically trained army.
M. The Site of 'the 'Fortification Line. vrt: a
1. 7b6.r -wmg of the southern fortification line . of the.Hungarian border -starts
from the topographical point No. '353 on the Janos Hegynear the meeting point of
the.moo-Yngoslar-,Austrian border. Prom there it rams closely along the
Yugoslav border all 'along the heights running north of 1eassnip brook, &Ad
Edit .r .closely along the 'northern banks of..the Harks, and then up the Drd-'ra, as
tar, as .Sik]6s. from . heri; on it folloss -thee" border mote or less 'in 50-to .500
In tlte-?lia-e `of the villages; Old,. Bereaemd,_ 1locska Dada ap 8pr,
ae
and seallwshthe Danube st?'Iaabellafpld. ? The general outline. follows the curYds:
of the terrain.
2. Special attention has been given the "Drrta CornerTriangle* where,'eontrary to
the there-lies defense employed elsewhere.., a multiple defense line hasbun'
arbeted. It is 10 b' in'?depth and 'includes the =mountains -of filldny. Darn of
it'?ii sttIi'untek coistrast3ua he deepest .potnt_.of this ditsnse. lint__goes
beak as tsar is the Danube at aohtOs. The **at important stronghold. of this ..defense
line 'seems to be ceste*sd amend this area; whisk is quite logical from ..the 'point
of -view of 'modern lojistivs. ' DSWein the' Dwpaffie pd the TissaR the fertifiaations
the -border ' as fir,eged ; here towy. i'iitSh to Tins* River and 'follow the
River.-ilsaos, 13sd up *M the lo!'ti!Ustion which also ran along -the
border and end at Wsiis:'.Tbe whole fortification systems then links up eventually
With the left sisr~,..'awt *If tbs Gtrpsthtsi3 ^oantalf$.
3. ft o f+prtifiatttosti pas built during 1952, and-19",j weather . permitting, at a
forced tempo,'but are'still far from being completed. They are expected to be
ready bf 1954, . but isprevements .and additioaml work may take some more years.
4.
troops of the IVR stationed-in the distriot25X1
the southern borders'will'be reorganised into'"fortification troops" with the
evident. purpose that-, 'In..casa of ' a. surprise stUilk in peacetime, this particular
section of the defense line be guarded by a atrong and permanent force.
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SECRET
5. Several units of the Hungarian Army, stationed in the south, also participated
in the summer and fall of 1953 in the maneuvers held along these fortifications.
The purpose of these maneuvers has always been quick occupation and defense of
the fortifications, throwing back of enow forces, etc. It is evident there-
fore that part of the Hungarian drafted divisions are being trained for the
defense of this particular section,
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