THE ORDER OF BATTLE OF SOVIET GROUND FORCES IN EUROPE AND THE USSR AND THE GERMAN VOLKSPOLIZEI

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A000200400010-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 10, 2009
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: February 20, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SECRET/
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
b law. T e reproduction of this form is prohibited.
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COUNTRY Soviet-Occupied Europe/USSR
SUBJECT The Order be Battle of Soviet Ground
Forces in Europe and the USSR and the
German Volkspolizei
.DATE OF INFO.
This is UNEVALUATED Information
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 20 February 1953
NO. OF PAGES 10
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
In general, no changes were discernible in the organization and quartering of 25X1
units in East Germany, The personnel.exchange program, that terminated in the
fall of 1952, increased the personnel strength by about 15,000 additional troops,
but this is not considered significant. In previous. years, similar surpluses
have gradually been balanced by the repatriation of dischargees.. The departe
of trained personnel, which was about one fifth of the total manpower of the
GOFG in East Gertnahy, considerably affected the present combat readiness of the
Soviet units. This, weakness., however, will to some extent be eliminated by in-
tensive garrison training during the-winter months of 1952/1953,, The units,
therefore, can again be considered ready for combat after the spring of 1953.
QPMNY
Order of Battle,
re ea a no changes in the general OB in East Germanys
1. Reports received during the period from 1 December 1952 to 1 January 1953
l d
The following units in E
and dates of observation
st Germany,
nermanant lnm tion
a. GHQ Units of the Groin of Occupation Forces Germany (G(pFG)
Unit
An,Engr Rpgt
30th Gds Gun Arty Brig
4th AT Arty Brig (US)
3d Gds AT Arty Brig
SECRET
STATE R ARMY X NAVY X AIR
Location Date
BERNBURG 19 November
POTSDAM 2 November
PRORA Area 2 November
ROSTOCK 8 November
FBI AEC
(Not.t Washington Distribution Indicated By "X", Field Di,tribssllasu Rv "#",)
g
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b. Eighth Guards Army.
65th Gds Mecz Regt
174th Gds Mtz Rifle Regt
c. Third Shock Army.
399th (?) RL Regt
Hq 19th Gds Meez Div
62d Gds Mecz Regt
63d GdsMecz Regt
10th Gds RL Regt
288th Gds Mtz Rifle Regt
58th Mecz Regt
d. First Guards Mechanized,- army.
20th Gds Meez Regt
68th Gds Tank Bn
A Motor Trans Bn of the
8th Gds Mecz Div
7th Gds Hv Tank SP Regt
A. Tank Tng Bn of the 11th
Gds Tank Div
e. Second Guards Mechanized Army.
9th Sig Regt
31st AAA Div
Hq 1st Mecz Div
19th Mecz Regt
3d Tank Bn of the
37th Mecz Regt
283d (?) Gds How Arty Regt
f. Third Guards Mechanized Army.
Army Hq
91st Gds RL Regt
91st Tank Regt
616 Mort Regt
WEISSENFELS
STENDAL
MAGDEBURG (?)
MAGDEBURG
MAGDEBURG'
SOHWERIN
WISMAR
PERLEBERG
8 July
5 December
19 November
26 October
11 October
3 December
17 September
25 November
17 September
24 August
LEIPZIG-TAUCHA 29 October
DRESDEN
17 September
KOENIGSBRUECK(?) 5 September
RAVENSBRUECK
SCHOENWALDE
DOEBERITZ
DOEBERITZ
5 September
9 December
25 November
21 November
DOEBERITZ
DOEBERITZ
FORST ZINNA
LUCKENWAIDE
LUEBBEN
LUEBBEN
13 September
28 November
13 September
21 November
13 November
17 November
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g, Fourth Guards Mechanized Army.
Hq 6th Gds Mecz Div
16th Gds Mecz Regt
BAD FREIEN-
WALDE
9 November
17th Gds Mecz Regt
35th Gds Mecz Regt.
93d Tank Regt
82d Gds Hv Tank SP Regt~
676th How Arty Regt
120th (?) AAA Regt
95th Mtrcl Bn
52d Gds RL Bn
22d Gds Engr Bn
33d Gds Sig Bn
34th Tank Eng Bn
A ,Motor Trans Bn of the
6th Gds Mecz Div
57th Gds Tank Regt
84th Gds Hv Tank SP Regt
A Ode How Arty Regt of
the 7th Ode Meoz Div
4E8th 040 Mort Refit
288th Gds AAA Regt
Hq 25th Tank Div
111th Tank Regt
162d Tank Regt
53dMtrc1 Bn
A Tank Tng Bn of the
25th Tank Div
A Motor Trans Bn of the
25th Tank Div
Hq 10th Gds Tank Div
63d Gds Tank Regt
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EBERSWALDE
BERNAU
BAD FREIENWALDE
EBERSWALDE
BERNAU
BERNAU
BAD FREIENWALDE
BERNAU
BERNAU
BERNAU
BERNAU
BERNAU
FRANKFURT/
Oder
FRANKFURT/
Oder
FRANKFURT/
Oder
AE3MKOW
FRANKFURT/
Oder
ORANIENBURG
ORANIE.NBURG
ORANIENBURG
ORANIENBURG
ORANIENBURG
ORANIENBURG
BRANDENBURG
October
2 December
October
October
2 December
2 December
27 September
2 December
2 December
2 December
2 December
2 December
25 September
19 September
22 September
.27 i ptaPbe
September
October
2 December
2 December
2 December
2 December
24 November
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Chaff of arterso
3. The quarters near Feckfitz, west of. Gardelegen, which have been under
construction since about the summer of 1952, were apparently occupied
by components of the 598th Mtn Rifle Regt of the 207th Mtz Rifle Div
from Gardelegen at the beginning of December. It is expected that all
elements of the regiment will be transferred to Peckfitz upon completion
of installations. No other changes in the quartering of Soviet units
became known.
TEE,a
4. The training of recruits who arrived in the fall of 1952 had started
about mid-November and was continued in December. It was mostly con-
ducted inside thet billeting area or in some cases in the immediate
vicinity of the post. Detailed information on the-course of training
was only sporadically obtained as intensified securiiy measuressintro-
duced in the fall rendered obse.rvation.of billeting areas and quarters
more difficult. However,, on the basis of individual reports received,
it can be concluded that both the methods and intensity of basic train-
ing remained the same as in the winter of 1951/1952. There are no indi-
cations that new type weapons have been issued.
Prsgnnel.
5. The last eastbound shipment of dischargees passed through the Kuestrin
border crossing station on 20 November 1952. This shipment completed
the ersonnel exchan e pro ram which started in mid-September 1952.
65 trains with recruits arrived, 7.other trains
with recruits-are rather definitely believed to have arrived, 57 trains
with disehargees were dispatched to the East and 2 trains with dis-
cbac?gees are rather definitely believed to have been dispatched to the
East. On the assumption that each train carried 1,200 men, it is con-
cluded that about 86,000 new recruits arrived and about 71,000 trained
soldiers were discharged home. The surplus of about 15,000 soldiers
will probably he absorbed through reassignments and detachments to and
discharges for sickness from existing units, rather than by- activation
of new units. The individual routes of the shuttle trains ko far as
they are known were analyzed.l
TranSR2 tationo
6. The traffic situation in December 1952 was seriously hampered by bad
weather and a shortage of rolling stock, primarily for coal shipments.
As the railroad administration was evidently unable to cope with the
situation, it was subject to severe criticism by the East German press.
7. Coal stocks predominantly pit coal stocks, decreased further. This
caused local difficulties In the coal supply of locomotives in some in-
stances. There were only 7.6 days' requirements of coal stocks on
S December which is far below the prescribed winter stock of coal of 14
to 16 days' requirements.
Traffic through stations on the Oder-Neisse line, and from and to Czecho-
slovakia continued at a normal rate, except for minor deviations. Special
transportation operations under way included&
a. Return from the USSR of former German freight cars.
b. The grain import program and the beginning of a large sugar export
program.
c. Arrival in Stendal and Fuerstenwalde of 43 flatcars with rocket
launchers, probably of type M-31, from the USSR.
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9.
Railroad construction projects.
Railroad construction projects under way were continued. Shortage of
material slowed down construction work on some of the projects. Construc-
tion projects completed included.-
a. The Oder bridge at Frankfur?t/Oder was opened for double-track operation
on 8 December 1952., thus eliminating the last bottleneck on the Brest
Litovsk-,WarsawFrankfurte0der.Berli.n double-track line, which is the
most important Soviet supply line.
b. The Pirna-Bad Schandau section of the important Dresden-Prague tranGi+.
line to Czechoslovakia was opened for double-track operation on 18
December.
c. At the beginning of December, the Dobrilugk-K.irchhain-F.insterwalde
double-track section, another section of the important GubenmCottbus-
Falkenberg line was completed.
10. a. On 1 December 1952, a Zentrale Wagenvex'waltung (central rolling stock
administration) (ZWV) was established in the East German railroads.
The following sections were subordinate to this administration; Wagen-
inspectionen (rolling stock inspection agencies) and the Wagenbetriebs-
stollen (roiling stock control agencies) at the regional railroad dis-
trict headquarters (RBDs); the Wagenabnahmestellen (rolling stock test-
ing stations) at the railroad repair shape (RAWs); and the Wagengrenz-
stellen (transit check points) at each border=--crossing station. The
ZWV which is subordinate directly to the Director General Railroads,
Berlin, controls all offices.in charge of procurement,, replenishment,
administration and distribution of rolling stock. It is undetermined
whether 'this organizational measure alone will help to remove 'the short-
age of rolling s tc,~6: which be name evident during the seasonal shipments
of the last rionth.s.
b. An Oberste Bauleitung fuer Elektrifizierung (construction headquarters
for electrification) (OBE) responsible for the re-electrification of
railroad lines in central Germany was established on 12 December 1952.
It is planned to recondition 1,000 kilometers of railroad line, mostly
in the Halle regional railroad district, so that it can be used by elec-
trified trains. The power plant at Nuldenstein will also be recondi-
tionedo The electric equipment previously dismantled by the Soviet had
to be bought back for this purpose. Some of the material has already
been returned from the USSR.
c. A Soviet order transmitted to the Erfurt regional railroad headquarters
on 29 December 1952 said that 2,000 fittings for converted boxcars were
to be procured by the end of January 1953 and were to be available for
emergencies. Corresponding orders are believed to have also been
issued to the other regional railroad headquarters, but no figures, are
available yet.
d. Unconfirmed information revealed that the production of freight cars
with adjustable gauge, which was reported previously, was started in
the railroad car factories in Niesky and Dessau. The large number of
new 80 to 90--ton RRym type cars for tank shipments, produced in 1952,
were allegedly not provided with the adjustable gauge device.
Smp_i e
11. The volume of incoming military supply goods from the USSR to East Germany
heavily decreased in November'1952 and, so far as could be observed, in
December 1952, and was far below the monthly average of 1,000 cars. The
ammunition shipments were lower than during the preceding months and
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Discharges.
14-
15.
16.
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CS X20,48
Several deserters stated that it had been decreed that all KVP whose three-
year term of service had expired in the fall of 1952 would be discharged.
It remains to be seen whether and to what extent discharges will actually
be executed. As all efforts are being made to establish the national. forces
rapidly, it is doubted that it should be possible to decrease the trained
personnel which constitutes about 50 percent of the entire strength.
17. .
Basin training of the recruits who arrived in the fall of 1952 started in mid-
November and was conducted primarily in the billeting areas.
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