RECONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR OF ROADS NEAR THE EAST GERMAN-POLISH BORDER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A004100640009-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 29, 2010
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: May 31, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/01/29: CIA-RDP80-0081OA004100640009-7
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
PLACE ACQUIRED
Poland
Reconstruction and.Repair of Roads
near the East German-Polish Border
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.
REPORT
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES 2
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OP CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. The voivodship of Zielona Gora (Gruenberg) shares a common frontier with East
Germany for a considerable distance along the Oder and Neisse rivers. In 1953,
the Polish government began repairing various war-damaged roads in the Zielona
Gora voivodship border area, and many curves were eliminated and the roads
straightened. Since this area is not densely populated, the repairs were not
necessary from a traffic point of view, and the condition of the roads, more-
over, did not warrant such extensive repairs. The conclusion, therefore, is
that the reconstruction work was undertaken for military and war purposes.
2. First to be.repaired were the roads closest to the East German frontier in the
Gorzow (Landsberg), Sulecin (Zielenzig), Rzepin (Reppen), Krosno (Crossen), and
Gubin (Guben) districts. Personnel from army engineering regiments and battalions
were engaged on the road construction work during a considerable portion of the
year. This occurred mostly during the periods when the units' manpower had been
increased by reservists,called up for army'service. The engineering units were
principally engaged on bridge construction or reconstruction projects. In addi-
tion to the engineering units, large groups of youths from the Service to Poland
(SluzbaPolsce..SP) organization and from labor battalions also work on the roads.
The labor battalion recruits include some women.
3. The road construction is being done by the voivodship building association.
(Wojewodzkie Zjednoczenie Budowlane), which has, for some time, been subordinate
to the military authorities who control these works.
4.
Many roads are expected to be completed during 1954, and in order, that this may
be accomplished, more workers, machines, and building materials, particularly
for bridge construction, will be sent to the area.
5. One of the reconstructed roads intended purely for military purposes is the high-
y from Kostrzyn (Kuestrin) to Slubice (Frankfurt) on the Polish side of the border;
SECRET
25 YEAR
RE-REVIEW
(Note: ? Washington Distribution Indicated By "X"; Field Distribution By "u ".)
31 May 1954
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/01/29: CIA-RDP80-0081OA004100640009-7
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/01/29: CIA-RDP80-0081OA004100640009-7
SECRET
hundreds of engineers are at work on this highway construction project. Provided
the building materials arrive on time, the bridge over the Oder near Slubice
should be completed in the summer of 1954; the building material, however, has
often been delayed. The highway from Kostrzyn to Slonsk '(Sonrienburg)'has also
been constructed.
6. The road surfaces are mainly coarsely ground stone, filled in with concrete; below
this is a layer, some 25 to 30 centimeters thick, of larger-stones which have been
crushed by road rollers. The large stones are sometimes taken from nearby fields. Because the construction work progresses at such a fast pace, the workers, perforce,
sacrifice good work to speed, with the result that the road foundations are not
solid. Since the defect lies below the road surface, it is not easy to detect.
The road work has been mechanized.
7. The extensive-road construction has resulted in shortages of all materials, e.g.,
cement. Often, only about half or, at most, three quarters of the required
amount of cement is available, and substitutes such as clay have been used, with
the result that the top surface of the road cracks or splits. When this happens,
many individuals are arrested for sabotage. The rebuilding, however, proceeds in
the same manner, but occasionally some other material is mixed with the clay so
that it will hold up a little longer.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/01/29: CIA-RDP80-0081OA004100640009-7