76TH ANTIAIRCRAFT ARTILLERY UNIT IN CESKE BUDEJOVICE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A004201150001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 4, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 29, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
sE RE co ~rRC}L.. , U ..S. OFFI CL,LS ONLY
76th Antiaircraft Artillery Unit in
eske Budejovice
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 29 June 1954
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. Organization of th3 76th AAA Regiment in leske Budejovice:
a. Regimental headquarters
b. Headquarters platoon: Commanding officer
Deputy CO
8 radio operators
7 telephone operators
6 drivers
4 cooks
2 medical NCOs.
c. AA troops (batteries): let battery: 5 officers
) radio operators
Li. signal pirsonnel
2 range finder operators
2 ordnance fitters
2 scouts
2 platoons consisting each of 26 to 30
men
2nd battery: the same as 1st battery
3rd battery: the same as lst battery
lath battery: the same as 1st battery
One additional battery: of large caliber AA machine
guns--30 men.,
NCO'es school--50 trainees.
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2. Subordination: 1st Infantry Division, eske Budejovice)
4.
Equipment:
a. Guns: 8 AA guns 37 mm., Soviet, model 39-S. Length of barrel: 2.315
meters. Rate of fire: theoretical, 160-180 rounds per minute; effective, 70-90
r.p.m. Automatic loading: 5 rounds in a magazine, 10 magazines on a loading
tray. Firing mechanism operated by hand or foot. Maximum range:8,000 met?rs,
maximum effective-range:4-6,000 meters. Angle of traverse: 3600; angle of
elevation: 5-900. The gun crew consisted of 8 men: gunner, elevating gear
operator, traversing gear operator, speed and range setter, direction and
elevation setter, loader,,2 assistant loaders. When in action the gun rested on
four supporting arms. Guns ware towed by Tatra 128 and Ford trucks on a four-
wheel carriage. Thre were two kinds of shells. A.P., and German type NG-8
H.E. shells. In both cases explosion occurred automatically after 11 to 12
seconds.
In July 1953 new Czech 125 mm-AA guns, based on a Soviet model, were issued.3
in addition, four-barrel and single-barrel machine guns of a Lerman type and
probably of t ha same caliber ware issued.
b. Uniforms: Type x2011 of khaki color; black shoulder boards with red lining;
and a badge featuring an AA gun and an airplane.
c. Vehicles: 3 Tatra 128s, 18 Ford trucks, 8 Praga RN, 6 Praga RNG, 4 Skoda
jeeps, 6 Jawa 250 ccmmmotorcycles.
5. Location: The barracks are situated on the eastern edge of town, not far from
the main station, at the road leading from the main station through Suche Vrbno
to Srubec. The camp was built by the German Army during World War II. After
the war it was repaired and enlarged. The unit has been there since 1951. The
south side of the barracks area borders the road from Ceske Budejovice to Suche
Vrbno and Dobra Voda; the west side borders the road from 6eske Budejovice to
Suche Vrbno and Srubec; the northwest edge borders a plant producing tar paper,
and a coal storage yard.
6. Summer training camp:
a. The unit went to a summer training camp at Vranovice near Rozmital for live
firing practice. Other AA units participating in the training came from Pilsen,
Vimperk, Jince, Jihlava, and Prague. Units wars practicing firini on ground
targets with infantry weapons and AA firing with 37 mm.AA gTuns,and B8,mm.?AA guns,
and the new type of 125 mm.AA gun was triad for six rounds. Four-barrel AA
machine guns wire fired as well. The target for AA fire was a canvas bag
towed on a cable 1,500 meters long by twin-engine Biebel aircraft from the
Pilsen airfield.
b. Stages of live firing at towed aerial targets:
16 rounds in 30 seconds, target 500 m. high, range of fire 1,500 meters;
16 rounds in 30 seconds, target 1,000 m. high, range of fire 2,000 m.;
16 rounds in 30 seconds, firing from two guns, target 1,000 to 1,500
meters high, range of fire 2,500 meters;
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(Li) 16 rounds in 40 seconds (one gun, test of firing at an invisible target
with covered range-finder, target 3,000 meters high);
(5) 2L rounds in 30 seconds, target 2,000 m. high, range of fire 2,500 m.;
(6) 16 rounds in !0 seconds, height 3,000 in,, range of fire 4,000 m., four guns.
c. Classification of results:
(1) 10 mils from the wind bag-excellent (3600 = 6,400 mils);
(2) 10 to 15 mils from the wind bag--good;
(3) 15 to 20 mils from the wind bag--satisfactory;
(4) 20 mils and more from the wind bag--unsatisfactory.
d. Live firing at paratroops: All the guns were firing H.E. shells, German type
NG-8, with time fuse. Firing started at 2,500 to 3,000 meters range. The rate
of fire was approximately 12 rounds per minute.
e. Antitank firing: Initial range of fire was maximun 1,000 meters. Three
shots per gun were fired at a tank in the following sequence: A.P., H.E., and
A.P,,
f. Firing while in motion: In case of an alert during march the elevating-gear
operator and traversing gear operator sit on the gun; 10 rounds are ready in the
loading tray, a case with 40 rounds is on the firing platform. Range, speed, and
direction of an approaching aircraft are announced. As soon as the aircraft
appears, the truck must stop within 5 seconds. The following members of the crew
get down to the gun: speed and range setter, direction and elevation setter, and
gun loader. As soon as these take positions at the gun the truck continues
driving. Firing is done in motion, the speed may be up to 60 km. per hour.
g. Other anti-aircraft artillery ranges were at Kezmarok and in Kamenica nad
Cirochou.
7. Morale in the unit:
a. The strict discipline, the lack of passes and leaves resulted in poor morale.
Passes were issued only as a reward by the section leader, the platoon commander,
or the battery commander. Leave was granted to those soldiers who fulfilled both
political and military requirements and who acted as political agitators among
the men. There were cases when a soldier had no leave for a whole year. The
standard of conduct of some of the officers was also not very high and many of
them handled the men very badly. About 10% of'th3 men ware convinced Communists.
b. The food was badly prepared and sometimes there was not even a sufficient
quantity of it.
c. Political instructions took place twice a week for two hours. Every morning
there was half an hour of political instruction. Most of the men did not take
this political instruction seriously.
8. Personnel:
Lt. 0eneral RYTIR (fnu), CG of the 1st Military District.
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Lt. ALEXANDER (fnu), attached to the 3rd battery.
2nd Lt. Milan MACHO, attached to the 3rd battery.
Lt. BREJCHA (fnu), CO of the 4th battery.
Lt. KORB$L (fnu), deputy CO of t1 4th battery.
2nd Lt. ZAHALKA (fnu), attached to the 4t1 battery.
2nd-Lt. HtVAD (f,'nu), long-range anti-aircraft guns battery CO.
Lt. KOUBA (fnu), deputy CO to Hnad.
9. Legend to the sketch of the barracks:
1. Barbed-wire fence
2. Main entrance, sentry's booth
3. Inner road
Wooden hut, regimental HQ (60 x 20 m.)
5. Dispensary, NCOs' billets
6. Wooden hut, Communist Party rooms (20 x 10 m.)
7. Wooden hut, billets (60 x 30 m.)
8. Canteen and lecture room (20 x 40 m.)
9. Wooden hut, batteries! stores (30 x 20 m.)
10. Bathrooms, wooden hut (60 x 20 m.)
11. NCOs' school billets (40 x 20 m.)
12. Sports accessories store (60 x 20 m.)
13. Gun and truck garages (60 x 40 m.)
14. Brick hut, kitchen (80 x 30 m.)
15. Brick building; built in 1953, new dispensary (40 x 20 m.)
16. Wooden hut, Chemical Warfare materials store (60 x 15 m.)
17. Wooden hut, cadets' billets (40 x 20 m.)
18. 3-story brick building, auto workshop, ammunition store
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19. Gun and car garages, fuel store, brick building (120 x 40 m.)
20. Ordnance workshop, wooden hut ( 60 x 20 m.)
21. Tar-paper factory
Comments?
1. The 76th AA Artillery Regiment described in the report is probably the AAA
Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division, since:
the AAA $n. of the lst Infantry Division is in 63ske Budejovice; 25X1
no AAA regiment is subordinated to a division or to a corps; AAA regiments
are directly subordinated to the General Staff;
an AAA regiment would not be equipped with 37-mm. guns;
the number of 8 guns and 35 trucks is too small for a regiment;
a regiment would not be command3d, as a rule, by a captain.
2.
3. The appearance of a new Czech 125 mm. AA gun
ing fire-control devices
his probably concentrated on improv-
self-aiming shells9 and anti-aircraft rockets.
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