HUNGARIAN ENGINEER TRAINING CAMP NEAR KISBODAK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R010700320004-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 17, 2006
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: January 30, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

COLINTPY Hungare
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0?19,bniaytalpP82-.00457R0. 700320004-8
_ _REPORT NO.
Topic Hungarian Engineer Training Game nenr Kishodak
_
[VALUATION
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.911.T.1111f
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_PLACE CeTAINEDJ
to 28 June 1951
DATE OF CONTENT
DATE OBTAINED_
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NEFERENCES____
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PAGES - ENCLOSURES (N0 a, TYPO_
REMARKS
DATE PREPARED_ 3? January 1952 25X1A
1,111.11NORROOTAIMMIP
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la In early April 1951, there was an engineer battalion from Oyoer P 48/Y 44)
at the engineer training camp near Kisbodak (P 4.8/( 26)
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engineer battalion was organized into a headquarters ano three companies, mitn
three platoons to a company, and three squads to a platoon. Each squad consist-
ac of a squad leader and 10 EU. I 25X1
25X1 Officers of the battalion,I I 25X1
25X1 included Captain Ferenc Berta, battalion commander; Junior Lieutenant
s van Rae, an ardent Communist and commanding officer of the 2d Co; and Junior
Lieutenant Sandor Szalai? deputy commanding officer of the 2d Co. Agitator of
the battalion was private Laszlo Stefan, who in his civilian life was a party
secretary in Veszprem (P 48/D 78). Once a meek, a party rally was held by the
battalion. Only 15 EM turned up for the first rally and the battalion was employed
in road construction work as punisheent. Thereafter the party rallies of the
battalion were well attended. *
2,, The engineer training camp in which the eneineer battalion from Gyoer was quarter-
ed, was located 2 km east of Kisbodak, on the west bank of the Danube River,
just south of the point -where a tributary joined the Danube. In addition to
the carp cadre personnel, the camp quartered 7 engineer battalions, 1 company
of NCO candidates and about 6 other independent units of company strength0
rost or the troops at the camp were quartered in tents. Source learned that two
other engineer battalions from Komarom (P 48/Y 75) and Baja CT 6/5 28) respective-
ly had arrived at the camp prior to the arrival of the battalion from Gyoera
Ninety percent of the NCO candidate company were former privates who were
promoted to the ranks of corporal or sergeant after the completion of their
training. No details were available on the missions and organization of the
independent companies. **
30 rost of the personnel of the units at the camp were quartered in Hungarian
tents and slept on straw. Six-man tents were used to house 12 men. There were
also several large U.S. tents with a capacity of about 40 men and Hungarian
two-man tents. Officers were quartered in groups of six in six-man tents equipped
with iron bedsteads. Only the officers 1 tents had electric lieht The food at
the camp was poor and inadequate.
4. The camp commander was ,a Hungarian major. A Soviet major 'who yore breeches with
amr EV
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wide red stripes onthe outside seams was, attached to the comManderns staff.
The sere color,of the troons seen at?the camp was dark green, As far as
25X1 could be detnrnined most of the nu of the individual battalions
belonged to the 192s arid 192 lastes. On 2C June. 1951., all the EM were dis,
charged after the compleion of their training. 01117.members of the 1:C0
candidate Company continued to serve until late reptember 1951. itiHt-
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The EM of the training battalions vere twined with rifles.' The camp [uards had
aubmachine guns with drum nanazines. several 5oviet light machine. nuns with ?
disk-shaped manazines were also Jsed for training Ile other weapons were 6bserved.
Twenty boats for maws of 20 nad six for crews of 30 were Mailable for training
purposes, This equipment rotated among the individual training battalions,
Conrcels battalion was equipped with anti-personnel and anti-tank mines in
wooden-casinns. The anti-personnel mines contained 75 grams of trite]. (sic)
and. the antitank mines contained 5,000 nrans of the same explosive rotor
vehicles Observed at the .camp included numerous Csepel trucks,. 6 prime movers,
30 to 40 small trucks and ,f;aleps and 20 to 3G GAZ sedans.
6? The traininta vhich we the same for all hattalions4 included basic infantry
training with advanced coM1)at practice faring, mine laying,. river crossing
practice, bridge building and theoretical instruction. Three times a week,
sometimes at nightn, attacks against forti2ied. positions with subsequent
penetration were practiced. 21ank cartridges were used for these practices,
and gas nass were sonotimes used Pneumatir boats and improvised floats were
used for river croaainr practice.. Cnce the noo of a float uniform consisting
of long rubber trousers, a life vest and paddles in the shape of ping-pong
rackets was demonstrated, Dridre bnilding was practiced only once. A pile
bentbridge (Jochnfahlbruecken) wil,n a load capacity. of 110 tons and a Szent
rihaly saw-trestle bridge (nzent rihaly-"naegebockbruockon) with a load Capacity
of 10 tons were built on this occavion. Onlynthenretical instruction in bridge
demolition as given. The layinn and remeval of Tglies.was practiced twice a
meek,. rine detectors were not used Anti-personnel mines were laid at distances
of I meter, while anti-tank mines vere spaced 4 meters apart, when both anti-
personnel and anti-tank nines were laid nn a field, the mines were placed in a
row 1 meter apart, 3 anti-personnel. .ire; alternating with 1 anti-tank mine.
The distances' between the 5ndividual rem of mines were 4 metera.
70 One week prier to their diacharne, the E7' at the camp were asked almost daily
to volunteer for reenlistment,: nowever, only two men battalion
.reenlisted. Drivers were alao alked to reenlist hut without success.
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17-1 Comment. This inf. rmation confinmc an onaineer unit at the lrigyes
arra6ks in Cycer. . Another ennineer unit is allegedly quarter-
ed in the wooded area near rosonma yaraniar.1 I.
25X1A** OPIC1040. . The presence of a notorzcd engineer battalion in the new
ap,caTJeoe 7arracks in romarom and af- another engineer battalion in raja
mere provioueln reported.
25X1A *** c7,72-qpnment. In June 1 all nant. of the 1)27 class ano The majorinar of the
j C s.,:rving with line units It is believed that the personnel of
the traininpabattaliona observed at the enaineer training campwere deferred
members of those claases who, instead o: the normal length of service, were
subject_ to a, three-month training cnurtJ? As all nm were discharged in June ?
1951, it is believed that the unitt mernnione0 in paragraph 2 of the report were
training unto nhich line on had !ctachod cadre and training peraonnel.
!7,
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