ATOMIC WARFARE DEFENSE EXERCISES, SOVIET ARMY IN AUSTRIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00046R000400360010-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 17, 2013
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: February 14, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/06/17: CIA-RDP82-00046R000400360010-7
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning 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.
SECRET
COUNTRY USSR/Austria
50X1 PLACE ACQUIRED
Soviet Army in Austria
Atomic Warfare Defense Exercises, DATE DISTR.
REPORT NO. 50X1
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO.
REFERENCES
14 February 1955
SOURCE EVALUATIONS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
SECRET
#7-1
ARMY
AIR FBI AEC -I
(Note: Washington distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by ". ".)
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/06/17: CIA-RDP82-00046R000400360010-7
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/06/17: CIA-RDP82-00046R000400360010-7
SECRET
COUNTRY USSR/Austria
SUBJECt Atomic Warfare Defense Exercises,
Soviet Army in Austria
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
(;DATE DISTR. Deo,10,19
NO. OF PAGES 2
escr ono n
aco:a;,,.c a ense ,ra .n nr; exert se held 1.954 at the 50X1
45th Guards MecZ, Regt, suxfiner trainingarea' in l enateig.
a. The soldiers of this regiment were informed by their superiors
That the training would include the explosion of a live atomic
They were also told that the time element in case of an
into alert was of such importance that equipment, but never
."'a.apons, could be abandoned.
b, :r, the day of the exercise in April or May 1954, the 45th Guards
Me^z. Regt. was alerted. and moved to a location approximately
seven kilometers from the camp at Allengteig. The troops
carried cnly weapons and ammunition, leaving all other equipment
and tents in the camp.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/06/17: CIA-RDP82-00046R000400360010-7
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/06/17: CIA-RDP82-00046R000400360010-7
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wind. The color of the explosion was red ~
c. At this location, the troops were ordered to take cover and lie
down. Shortly after that, the explosion occurred and was
clearly seen by the soldiers of this regiment. The explosion 50X1
was followed by a blast the windlike effects of which were felt
by the soldiers. This effect was similar to a light wave of
several atomic warfare posters used as training aids
described atomic bomb explosions as hav ng a
strong, bright flame-color which causes blindness from short
distances to unprotected eyes.
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d. After completion of this exercise, the troops were returned
to their camp and found that the camp had been practically
leveled by the explosion. All the tents had been torn from the
ground and carried some distance away. Light pieces of equip-
ment were.also scattered, but several tanks of an unidentified
type suffered no visible damage.
the entire 13th Mecz. Div., as well as other large units,
had summer training camps in Allensteig,
in this training
all Soviet troops from the Allenstei area took -.art
probably as early as the end of 1953.
undergoing this type of training for many months in 1954 an
the roops of the 13th Mecz, v, had been
Comment: Even assuming that the described training had
included a s mu a e atomic bomb explosion, it is of interest to note
that the troops of the 5th Guards Mecz. Regt. were told by their
superiors that a "real" atomic bomb would be used during the exercise.
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/06/17: CIA-RDP82-00046R000400360010-7