MISCELLANEOUS MILITARY INFORMATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A064900100001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 24, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 8, 1962
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Aspionage 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.
S-E-C-R-E-T
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
Information
SUBJECT Miscellaneous Military DATE DISTR.
NO. PAGES
REFERENCES
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE AC
reports containing information on
REPORT
8 October 1962
1
RD
a. Construction Battalion) lin Constanta and
other units of the 20t Road and Bridge Construction
Brigade of Bucharest.
b. The 272nd Mechanized Infantry Regiment and other units
50X1-HUM
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of the Tudor Vladimirescu Division in Bucharest.
d. The 215th Infantry Regiment; Military Offices at Rumanian
Railroad Stations. 50X1-HUM
c. Basic Training Camp in Brasov; Military Department o
the Steagul Rosu Plant in Brasov.
udow me ~&W111" Old
S-E-C-R-E-T
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DTA
INFORMATION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT
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The 272nd Mechanized Infantry Regiment and
Other Units of the Tudor Vladimirescu Division
in Bucharest 50X1-HUM
1. In early 1959. the head uarters of the Tudor Vladimirescu Division
was located on Drumul Serei in Bucharest, 50X1-HUM
opposite the Razoare station on streetcar routes 3 and 13. In addition
to divisional headquarters, the barracks at this location housed the
headquarters service and administration company, emergency vehicle
garages and stores, and the subordinate 270th Mechanized Infantry Regi-
ment (at one end of the barracks). Other subordinate units of the divi-
sion included the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Regiment which 50X1-HUM
was stationed opposite the Ghencea cemetery in Bucharest, and an armored
regiment equipped with T-34 tanks, self-propelled guns and BTR armored
personnel carriers, which was stationed on the road leading from Caracal
to the local military airfield although. in mid-1958. t ent was
about to be transferred elsewhere F ~A7i7 A cadred 50X1 -HUM
reconnaissance battalion, with very few drivers, was stationed at divi-
sional headquarters on Druunul Serei and consisted of two companies, each
with two platoons. This battalion used only light-weight vehicles for
administrative purposes.
2. The 272nd Mechanized Infantry Regiment, which totaled about 1000 men, had
the following subordinate units: a training battalion which was also
the regimental school; two rifle battalions; a tank battalion; an artillery
battalion; and, at regimental headquarters, a signals company, an en-
gineers company, which included a chemical reconnaissance platoon, and a
reconnaissance canpany (companie cercetasi).
3. The reconnaissance company of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry Regiment
totaled about 30 men, divided into two platoons of two sections each.
The personal arm in the company was the PPSh submachine gun, although
the drivers were armed with pistols. Clothing for each member of the
unit, which was stocked in the company store, consisted of a spring
camouflage outfit in green and an autumn camouflage outfit in brown,
as well as chemical protective clothing made of gray rubber and worn
with a gasmask, rubber boots, and protective gloves. The men in the
company were all secondary school graduates, and some of them knew, in
addition to Rumanian, the Hungarian, German and Russian languages. At
various stages of their service, men of the company underwent extra
training, including a drivers course for armored personnel carriers.
GROUP
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enclassification
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4.
it was turned on, a hum similar to that made by a dynamo was heard
for the driver and the other for the vehicle commander. To the left of
the driver, and fitted to the wall of his cabin, was a metal box 'about
150.:x 100 x 100 millimeters in size which was closed with a lead seal
and which, according to the driving instructors, contained infrared-:
equipment for night driving. A switch protruded fran the box and, when
NO F0 RL
L"il DISSEVA
swimming, and parachuting (from a tower). The peacetime motor trans-
port for the company consisted of one BTR-152 and one BTR-40 personnel
carrier. Because tie BTR-152 was considered obsolescent, however, stress
during training was placed on the BTR-40. The training of drivers for
these vehicles lasted about six months and included crossing obstacles,
such as flooded rivers, pot-holed fields, and narrow bridges, and driving
at night without lights. The BTR-40 was armed with a light recoilless
gun, whereas the BTR-152 carried a Goryunov machine gun. The crew of
the BTR-40 consisted of the driver, the vehicle commander, two gunners,
and two additional men. Within the vehicle there was roan for five boxes
of ammunition for the gun. A radio set was fitted in the 'tglove canpart-
ment" on the dr.iver's right and had an antenna 150 centimeters tall;
under good conditions, the set had an operative range of about 60 kilo-
meters. The radio set was also fitted with two pairs of earphones: one
of combat equipment and a machirie engineer by profession
a. Lt. Col. Ciugarin (fnu), technical deputy of the division in charge
b. Maj. Paul Marinescu, chief of staff of the 272nd Mechanized Infantry
Regiment until 1958, at which time he was appointed National Commander
of the Workers Guards (Garzi Muncitoresti).
regimental headquarters
c. Maj. Carol Murani, officer in charge of reconnaissance at the 272nd
d. Lt. Maj. Nicolae Spii.idon, commander of the reconnaissance company
of the 272nd regiment.
e. Col. Gen. Stelian Tirca, commander of the division.
f. Capt. Trisinewsky (fnu), commander of the divisional reconnaissance
battalion.
ND FO-17,11-1-1 DIS3E
SECRET
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Construction Battalion) in Constanta
and Other Units of the 20th Road and Bridge
Construction Brigade of Bucharest 50X1-HUM
The 20th Road and Bridge Construction Brigade in Bucharest
1. The 20th Road and Bridge Construction Brigade (Brigada 20 Drumuri si
Poduri) was a military construction unit directly subordinate to the
Engineer Corps headquarters (Comandamentul Trupelor de Geniu) of the
2nd Military District Headquarters (Regiunea a II Militara) in Bucharest.
The brigade occupied the entire second floor of the Palatul CFR in
Bucharest and, in May/June 1958
lthough the riga e was su or ina e
to the Engineer Corps and, through it, to the Ministry of Armed Forces,
it worked on civilian construction projects for the General Directorate
of Roads and Bridges (Directia Generala Drumuri si Poduri) of the
Ministry of Transport.
2. The 20th Road and Bridge Construction Brigade contained three battalions:
a battalion stationed in Constanta
a battalion st
and a battalion stationed in
The brigade had contained a fourth battalion, stationed at Alba-Iulia,
until 1959, at which time the battalion was merged with the one at Dej.
3. Most of the men in the 20th Brigade were so-called "unreliable elements",
i.e. they were not trusted for service in active military units. New
recruits underwent 45 days of basic military training and were subse-
quently posted to subordinate units where, for the remainder of their
service, they did only one day of training a month. The only weapon
issued to these units was the rifle, while guard units were issued only
subnachine guns.
4. The battalion at Constanta consisted of the following six companies (com-
panie):
a. The 1st and 4th companies, stationed permanently in Constanta, which
were bridge construction units.
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b. The 2nd canpany, stationed at Nicolae Balcescu village in
Constanta Province, which was a road construction unit. The
small arms stores of the brigade was located in the same
village.
c. The 3rd company, stationed at Chirana village near Tindarei,
which was also a road construction unit.
d. The 5th company, stationed at Buzau, near Ploesti, which was
another road construction unit..
e. The 6th company, stationed at Turcoaia village near Galati,
which was employed at stone quarries belonging to an enterprise
in Braila.
5. The headquarters of the battalion was located at barracks on I.V.
Stalin Street in Constanta, near the military tribunal. The battalion
took over the barracks from Soviet Army units which had been stationed
there until June 1958. The barracks consisted of the following build"
ings: a single-story building housing the battalion headquarters; a
single-story building housing the soldiers mess and kitchen; a two-
story billet housing the men of the 1st canpany; and a two-story billet
housing the men of the 4th company. All of the buildings were constructed
of stone.
6. According to its work requirements, each company of the battalion con-
tained four to six platoons (plutoane), and each platoon contained four
sections (grupe) of about 15 men each. Each canpany, therefore, contained
between 250 and 350 men. The command personnel in each company consisted
of the canpany cojmander (a captain), the political deputy, the company
sergeant major (CSM), a civilian clerk who was responsible for work or-
ganization and who also served as liaison officer between the company
and its employers; and four platoon canmanders (officers).
7. The 1st and the 4th companies of the battalion were employed in construc-
tion work in Constanta and environs. Both companies had been stationed
in the town since 1955 and had been continuously engaged in reinforcing
the seashore against erosion. It was said that the existence of under-
ground springs along the shore caused the erosion of about 20 centimeters
of shore every year. The 1st canpany, which was responsible for the so-
called "northern work sector" (santierul nord), was employed in rein-
forcing the section of the coast between the Greek Church (Biserica
Greceasca) and the military hospital (spitalul militar), The 4th company,
which was responsible for the so-called "southern work sector" (santierul
sud), was employed along the section of the coast behind the port, between
the naval headquarters and the SNMC shipyard. The 2nd, 3rd, and 5th com-
panies had been employed in surfacing (with asphalt) the seven-meter-wide
road between Buzau and Constanta (Drumul National 2a), which was part of
the main road between Constanta and Bucharest. In late 1959, this work
was almost canpleted and the companies concerned were about to be trans-
ferred elsewhere.
NO
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The 19th Brigade in Bucharest
8. The Rumanian Engineer Corps also comprised a 19th Brigade (Brigada 19 CFR),
also w;_th headquarters in the Palatul CFR in Bucharest. The functions of
this brigade were similar to those of the 20th Brigade except they cen-
tered around railroads.
Personalities
9.
military personnel
a. Gen. Marcu (fnu), commander of the 2nd Military District in Bucharest.
b. Col. Gheorghe Ionescu, commander of the 20th Brigade and Road
Construction Brigade.
c. Lt. Col. Voiculescu (fnu), political deputy of the 20th Brigade.
d. Lt. Col. Pandulescu (fnu), officer in charge of military and political
training in the 20th Brigade.
e. Capt. Ene (fnu), chief medical officer in the 20th Brigade.
f. Canciulescu (fnu), chief engineer in the 20th Brigade.
g. Lt. Col. Gheorghe Dovgan, commander of battalion
the 20th Brigade.
h. Maj. Iancu Stroe, political deputy of the battal
i. Capt. Gheorge Ungureanu, a company canmander in
j. Capt. Stanciu (fnu), commander of the 2nd company of the above
battalion.
k. Capt. Mercioaga (fnu), commander of the 3rd company of the above
battalion.
1. Capt. Marinescu (fnu), commander of the 4th company of the above
battalion.
m. Capt. Ioan Matache, commander of the 5th company of the above-
battalion.
sF1,RFT
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SUBJECT
NO FO J NN DISSEM
1. Basic Training Camp in Brasov
2. The Steagul Rosu Plant in Brasov,
and the Military Department at that
Plant
Basic Training Camp in Brasov
1. The basic training camp in Brasov was located at 49 Strada Ilfort, as
of January 1960. New conscripts were given three months of basic training
at the camp before being assigned to regular military units. A new
course began every three months, and 200 trainees took the course
scheduled for the period from November 1959 to January 1960. Prior to
induction into military service all of the trainees worked in the auto
repair or auto production field. The trainees formed a military unit
the soldiers? mail was sent in care of 50X1 -H U M
the 49 Strada Ilfort address. At the end of the course most of the
trainees were sent to mechanized infantry units, and the other were
assigned to military industries.
2. The camp was surrounded by a barbed wire fence and consisted of a row
of five or six wooden cabins and a large courtyard. The trainees and
the noncommissioned officers were housed there, but the officers lived
off the base. The daily routine of the trainees was as follows:
reveille and physical training at 0600 hours; breakfast at 0630;
training (parade drill, firing practice, gas mask drill, etc.) at 0700;
lectures (on weapons familiarization, for example) at 1100; lunch at
1300; rest period at 1400; training at 1600; supper at 1900; political
lecture at 2000; and taps at 2200 hours.
The Steagul Rosu Plant in Brasov, and the Military Department of that Plant
3. The Steagul Rosu Plant in Brasov employed about 2000 workers in mid-1961.
During the plant?s first anniversary celebrations, in 1961, it was an-
nounced that 2400 trucks and buses had been produced since the plant was
first established. Only trucks and buses were manufactured, apparently,
all of them bearing the trademark "Steagul Rosu." The trucks were all
of the four-ton type, and the buses were also of a standard type seating
32 persons.
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4. The plant's military department, which was engaged exclusively in the
assembly of trucks, was headed by a Rumanian major named Grigore
Serbanescu, and the department was staffed entirely by military per-
sonnel, with about 55 or 60 employees in all. The staff included ap-
proximately 45 soldiers with suitable training, and 15 engineers and
technicians with officers' commissions. In addition, five or six
Soviet experts were assigned to the department on a permanent basis.
The USSR supplied all of the necessary components for the trucks, in-
cluding motors, chassis, axles, gear boxes and cabs, which the depart-
ment then assembled into four-ton trucks which were painted khaki and
trademarked r!Steagul Rosu.r" All of the components were produced by
the Soviet Zil plant. Three trucks were assembled during every eight-
hour shift.
5. The:components for the civilian vehicles produced by the plant were
manufactured under Soviet licenses. All trucks produced were of the
Zil type, but the components of those destined for the civilian market
were made at the Steagul Rosu Plant, while parts for the military
vehicles were produced in the USSR. The-departments engaged in civilian
production worked three shifts, but the military department worked only
one shift.
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1. The 215th Infantry Regiment
2. Military Offices at Rumanian Railroad
Stat ions
1. The 215th Infantry Regiment, which served both as a combat unit and as
a school for noncommissioned officers was 50X1-HUM
stationed in December 1 58 at a camp located near a forest not far from
Plenita ZN-44-13, E23-1. The village of Plenita was some 35 kilometers
fran Craiova, and the camp was situated about six kilometers past Plenita.
An asphalt road led from the village to the camp, which occupied an area
about 250 meters square, enclosed by a barbed-wire fence and watch towers
spaced at intervals of several tens of meters. The camp consisted of
approximately 16 large, two-story buildings, a number of smaller ones,
a large parade ground paved with slabs of concrete, arms and ammunition
stores, and an underground rations store. The regimental polygon was
located some 12 kilometers from the camp.
2. There were about 2800 soldiers in the regiment, not including officers,
with Major Gheorghe Tar as canmanding officer, and the regiment was
divided into approximately 32 companies (Companie). There were 86 men
in the 16th Infantry Company, which was commanded by Captain Gheorghe
Chiriac. The regiment served as a school not only for noncommissioned
officers of the infantry, but also for those of other branches of the
service, such as the armored forces, artillery (field and antiaircraft),
signals, engineer corps, etc.
3. In early 1959 each of the larger railroad.' stations in Rumania maintained
an office, called the "Military Department" (Sectia Militara), which
handled the military traffic, both men and material, passing through the
station. Such offices are known to have existed at that time at the
railroad stations in Ploesti, Buzau, Constanta, Iasi and Brasov.
4.
canmard ed by Lt. Col. Ioan Voinea, and the rest of the staff rnxl -NI Inn
e military office at the Ploesti railroad station was
consistea of a captain, a is.eutenant, a sergeant and a private. Sane of
the military departments employed civilians as well as military personnel;
at Buzau, for example, one civilian was employed by the military depart-
ment of the railroad station.
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