BRESLAU-GANDAU AIRFIELD AND AIR ACTIVITY OBSERVED OVER BRESLAU (WROCLAW)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A007900870009-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 1, 2008
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: August 16, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2008/05/01 : CIA-RDP80-0081 OA007900870009-4
CLASSIFICATION..
000NTR" Polanci_
TOPIC_
EVALUATION
DATE OF CONTENT
DATE OBTAINED..
_PLACE OBTAINE
REFERENCES
PAGES 2 --ENCLOSURESAA&A TYPE)
REMARKS
---tThis is UNEVALUATED Information]
1. Breslau-G? ndau :airfield was located on the west-north-6s tern e3ge of
Brest^u (51 07 Y/17 00 i;) and was bordered on the north by a large
cemetery and fields, on the east by the town sector of Ganda:;, on the
south by the Pafawag Tlart, and on the west by fields. The airfield
covered an area of bout 1,500 x 1,000 {,peters. The main supply road was
U1. Lotnica. railroad line extended between the infield and Pafawag
"lant.
2. The airfield was used for commercial air traffic from and to 7arsaw and
for training activity by the Liga Lotnica which was e nipped with gliders
and conventional aircraft. 1o military units were stationed at the field
nor did Polish Air Force aircraft land there. The entire landing field had
a well-kept grass cover. *vo ccncrete runways or taxiways were observed.
A concrete arron of about 500 x 150 meters was only observed in front of the
flight control building ~:nd air terminal. No aircraft dispersal areas ':ere
seen in the o,en. There were three large hangars and one smaller hangar. One
of the larger hangars ?asstill p-rtially destroyed from the ware
3. No quartering buildings were seen at the fie'd, The f'ight control. staff
was housed in a long building, about 100 x 20 meters along Ui. Lotnica,
just east of the entrance to the field. The ground story of this building
housed other offices of an unidentified tyre and the ieception '.ht11 for the
air rassengers. The upper story housed the billets of the :ersonnel
stationed at the field. toyer ith a`rot ting' radar screen ?~?as located on
the eastern side of the 'building. There was also a steel tube antenna m'-st.
The instruments of the we'-ther station were -,laced on a site surrounded by a
barbed wire fence at the eastern end of the concrete ar-ron that was located
between the flight control st!:tion and t're landing field. Sport flyers of the
Liga Lotnica stnted th t an underground fuel dump was established under the
western section of this concrete arron, -^ith underground gasoline lines
7 to 8 km lanf.r leading to unidentified spots far outside of the field. A
refueling point 'with a st-nd pt-e was 1octed next to one ofth,t large hangars
along; U1. Lotr:ica . large wntelr _r~anryoir, presumably nor fire exti r_nuishing
CLASSIFICATION
Brest -u-Gandau A iriield. and Air Activity Observed Over Belau (Wroclaw )
I
25X1
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CONFIDENTIAL
purposes, was seen in the eastern section of the field.
4. The field boundary was marked by white lamps and all obstacle lights in
the vicinity of the field, such as workshops, smoke stacks of Pafawag Plant
and some buildings in the eastern section of Landau were marked by red
obstacle lights. A barbed wire fence surrounded thf field and civil
sentries were posted at the guardhouse at the entrance gate. Patrols around
thefield were not observed. Civilians were temporarily-permitted to enter
the field as far-as theair terminal, in particular on those days when
there were air displays by the Liga Lotnicza (Aircraft League).
5. A twin-engine commercial aircraft of type DC 3 daily took off at 0630 for
',';arsaw via Lodz and another plane of the same type landed at 1830 coming from
';Jarsaw vi: Lodz. A reserve plane of type DC 3 was permanently stationed at the
field and parked in the hangar west of the en trance when seen from U1.
Lotnicza.
In addition to regular commercial flights, training courses on conventional
aircraft and gliders were simultaneously held and listed 3 to 4 months.
Air activity by the Liga Lotnicza was discontinued when the commercial
aircraft took off and landed.
6. About 3 gliders with fairing fuselage and cabin and 6 to 7 single-engine
sport planes with one and two seats were available for day flying by the Liga
Lotnicza. At the beginning of each training course, only local flying was
practiced by two-seater sports planes. After some time, the student pilots
used single-seater aircraft and made wider flights for up to 90 minutes
duration. Aerobaties were only observed during air displays and were allegedly
conducted by flight instructors. The gliders were towid b;? a sports plane and
released in the air. During the first period of training, a flight instructor
fle-r with the trainee. Later on, the trainees made solo flights in the
vicinity of the field. Some gliders remained aloft for up to 2 hours. It
could not be determined if flight training with conventional aircraft was
also conducted in unfavorable wenther.1
7. Air activity over Breslau mninly involved single-jet aircraft with
consricuausly swept-back ???ings and twin-engine conventional planes. The former
aircraft mostly flew in elements of two, with up to 6 aircraft being aloft
at the same time. Air activity was only conducted in fair weather or when the
sky was cloudy. '",hen the cloud base was high, jet aircraft in elements of
two repeatedly flew through the ceiling while the second plane kept the same
distance and interval as previously. In July 1954, air-to-air firing from
jet aircraft was observed over the town of Breslau. A twin-engine airerFft
towed the sleeve target while the jet aircraft attacked 1atera ly fram..the_re.r
and fired at a distznceof about 300 meters. These attacks were repeated 5 or
6 times from the left or right side. There was night flying activity in fair
we?ther either by conventional or jet aircraft. Searchlights located toward
Karlowitz (50 53 N/17 43 E), a suburb of Breslau searched the sky. Ehen the
searchlights finally fined on a plane, heavy AA guns fired toward the aircraft.2
Comment. The report confirms that Breslau-Landau airfield in used as 25X1
civiiian airfield at which the Liga Lotnicza also conducts training activity
on conventional aircraft and. gliders.
2. ommer~t. The jet fighters observed flying over Breslau are presumably LbAI
M-15s from SchoengartenSechawige, airfield where a Polish fighter unit equipp
withMIG-15s is believed to be stationed.
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2008/05/01 : CIA-RDP80-00810A007900870009-4
 Approved For Release 2008/05/01 : CIA-RDP80-0081 OA007900870009-4
BreslaupGandau Airfield
1 Entrance to airfield
2 Guardhouse with civilian sentries
3 Building housing flight control
station and air terminal
4 Tower with radar screen
Concrete apron
6 Approximate location of underground
fuel dump
7 Large hangar in which one commercial
aircraft is ..
permanently parked
9 Filling station with stand pipe
9 Water reservoir
10 Large undamaged hangar
11 Zarge damaged hangar
12 Small undamaged hangar
13 Place with rveathar instruments
surrounded;bvbarbed wire fence
LJ
fad
UL, LOTN/cZg
Approved For Release 2008/05/01 : CIA-RDP80-0081 OA007900870009-4
 Approved For Release 2008/05/01 : CIA-RDP80-0081 OA007900870009-4
Approved For Release 2008/05/01 : CIA-RDP80-0081 OA007900870009-4