KOETHEN AIRFIELD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A002600360004-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 13, 2003
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: September 10, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2003108/06 : CIA-RDP80-0081 GA002600360004-0
COuu N`MY
_w_ -,.REPORT NO... a._.
a Da:r''DATMI seebelow
-=---TAGI= {381AtNED_.- ;
25X1 DA "E OETAINE!'
RE;FERENCES,_J
27' July Aso -8. Aust.1953
ENCLQSURES .. (NO. A& APE
9Y
h-1E. PREPARED ... IQ September 5,
25X1X
25X1A
.I.o The foll.owing observattonis were made at - Koathen ?airfie d between 27 and. 31 July
1953a r y .
A? 7a15 a.ia.. some of the aircraft -were towed- out of the hangars.' Ten jet
fighter, were parked in front of the western hangar and 6 jet fighters in front of
the eastern hangars. Between.8115 a.m. and 9 a.m., 15 and 8 jet fighters were towed
e ea ": from the weat;rn hangar and the eastern hangars to =the; c--off point
and subsequently practiced flying.
a.. :riu Between 10 pom. and -midaight~ nit flying -was practicdd by single-engine
WRE
CLASSIFICATION
East Germany
7sl0 ?e~=a. l) ifiG-15s with atbdliary'-fuel tanks were towed out of one of the
eastern hangars to the take-off point. At 8x15 a.t. -they: -took- os.f - in fi..ve g'r'oups
of two . There was good visibility and the cloud base` was at' an altittade, of
~.p200.:'t8eters. The interval between the two -'aircr. f of the-individual groups was
one al .rc,?ft `Ien/_-th apart and the distance 'between the individual elements of the
~ws is 30G to 401-1, m terso The aircraft practiced cross-country flying in close
squadron sedge format on.-The takes offs, landings and flights were.executed very
well. At 7.30. a.ne,. 9 jet"fighters were towed out of the=other han,,;ar in the
nortkie,:. tern `section of the field and subsequently maintenance` work was -performed
on the au craft, After 9x10 a.m.i 10 let" fighters,--with. auai .iary_ fuel tanks,, were
;towed out of the weatorh hangar and parked'-at the take-off -hint. S io equ1ently,
the pig nes took off individually and oractioed flying in, -grope ; of two - until
about i.0'. a.m. The inter'al* maintained between the- aircraft of +.,:3e individual
groups was 100 meters. This units apparently had not reached'the.high status
: At is 45. a.m?' there were 'nc aircraft observed, outside -of A 1e hangars. At
rural . Lo pal fltjhts` were made later by jet' fighters,
of training as. the afore mentioned formation, discontinued air activity because
of a croos wind of about 25 km/h0 Between 9s30 a.m. and 2 p.m.-a. .Q-115 from
the eastern hangar made individual flight4 of 20 to 50 minutes duration each.
25X1A
2. `Thb - f Ol t- .rig air activity and # aircr&ftt- were observed - at the. fell ?aatween 1 and
8 Augusta =
ate There was no air activity during the daytime. The noise of aircraft
engines was- heard during the evening and also at night. It appeared as though the
air units were absent from the field. Between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on 1 Augusta the
western hangar was closed, while the two eastern hangars were-open and vacant, A
MiG-11--, without rudder assembly, was observed in front of one of the eastern
hangar.a. A tG...15 iith`a wide vertical red stripe on the rudder-assembly was towed
from the western section of the field to one of the northeastern hangars.
CLASSIFICATION SECRLT
25X1A
Approved For Release 2003/08/06 : CIA-RDP80-0081OA002600360004-0
 Approved For Release 2003/08/06 : CIA-RDP80-0081OA002600360004-0
SECRET.
25X1A
AAQW-1% Between 11 aa and 12930 p.m., there were 7 MiGm.15s observed
in front of the two eastern hangars and 6 MiG.a15s, 2 radio trucks, 2 jeeps
and 1 tank truck in front of the aircraft revetments in the northeastern
section of the field0 At llt4,7 a.r,D, MiG-.15 0 took off, 25X1 C
Z-4 . Between 3930 p.m. and 6 p,iii flights were made by MG -15.,, towing
sleeve targets. There was good visibility and a tight degree of cloudiness,
One MiG 15, which was towing a sleeve target at the end of a rope 6C0 '
meters long, took off, ubseouently,, 2 other MIG-15s took off and flew aft
of the towing aircraft0 Attacks on the sleeve target were not observed over
the field or the town. Two 4iG_15sq 1 sedan and 2 trucks were observed at
the dispersal area of the alert flight north of the east end of the runway.
Northeast of this site, an additional 3 MiG?15s3 each with a truck at its side,
were observedd Three M?G- 5s were parked in front of the western hangar.
MiG 45sv landed at 6934 p.m, and 6950 p.m. respeetiveiy0 25X1 C
AilL.-Up w AT, $ 57,19 12 MiG.-l5 s and a radio truck were parked at the
eastern end of the x ,away and 1 MG-15 was in front of one of taisalerrl
h Between 9155 a.m, and 10 a.m., 4 MiG...15N 25X1 C
25X1 C I I took off in ~ groups ; of two . The following aircraft were
served during the air activity takir4: place by the nd
lasting until about 11:05 a.m. a The 25X1 C25X1
pilots apparently were in an ad status o ra n ng,
34 In early August, the air force soldiers in Koethen moved about more freely
than previously, They were pexnnitted to leave the airfield in group s, The
barracks installations seemed to be lightly occupied. Truck, 25X1 C
25X1 C ere observed entering and leaving the field.`
25X1 A 1.1 C rier Koethen airfield was
previously believed to be occupied by
two fighter regiments, eguiooed with MiG?.15so One fighter regiment is
subordinate to the fighter division in Merseburga while the assigrsnteRzt of
the second fighter regiment has not been determined. -C he latter regiment is
possibly direct'
y dins 4e to the Twenty-Fourth sir t:rmy, 1 c--ordi 1g to
25X1 a transfer from Koethen to Weizow was observf ri between
10 and August 1953. Observations made at Welzow airfield and observations
made at Koethen airfield between 1 and 5 ihaguste (paragraph 2 of the present
report),5 confirm that a fighter re--imen -waas transferred from Koethe a to
25X1 Welzow, also observed the transfer to
Welzow or a righter regiment, probably the regiment which is directly
subordinate to the Twenty-Fourth Air Amy. Therefore, it is believed that
Koethen airfield is now occupied only by the fighter regiment o.f' the fighter
division in 1 srsebur?g. The aircraft r?epor ted were previously observed 25X1 C
25X1 C at Koethen aiirfield except previously in Nersebux
previously in Ideuxt p ins +eu zee and Cottbus, which are C
are repor?ied. for the first time from East Gera;
ripe s on We
rudder assemblies were previously observed on MiG.a,l5s at3 Cottbus aairf'ield, 25X1 C
which were scheduled for the VOL,, It appear., possible that these aircraft
are temporarily assigned to the Soviet training unit, which is now stationed
at Welzow airfield, The other aircraft have possibly been distributed, to the
fighter units of the Twenty-Fourth Ala r "armyc
25X1 2,
Approved For Release 2003/08/06 : CIA-RDP80-0081OA002600360004-0