AIRFIELDS NEAR PETROZAVODSK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R010300330003-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 15, 2009
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: February 4, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2009/06/15: CIA-RDP82-00457R010300330003-2
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
SECU INFQRMATION
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY USSR (Karelo-Finnish SSR) CONFIDENxzft
SUBJECT Airfields Near Petrozavodsk
PLACE
ACQUIRED
INFO
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
4 Feb. 1952
NO. OF ENCLS.
2
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
i{c~.3S. Git,lZ4.U z;f To: TS
!till 70.2 6Er
CONFIDENTIAL
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NFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTL.L-CONIROL/U~i C:' FICI'.L; ONLY
An airfield was 8n the northern border of
Petrozavodsk (34 20' E/61?48' ), Karelo-
i innish 33R, on the shore of Lake Onega,
north of a small river. The landing field was
about 1,C0Ux500 meters. About 10 wooden sheds
were in the southwestern corner of the field,
which was occupied by about 15 biplft! ln.
winter the planes were fitted with ski runners.
2 r ,t second airfield, 1, 2Uc6OO meters, was north-
west of the town about 3 km northwest of a wood
factory b4tween the road to,lurmansk and Solo--
inenno ( ?2o' /61?51' N) which runs alone the
shore of the lake. Three 3-story wooden
quartering buildings, one wooden 2-story adminis-
tration building and a radio station were on
the southern border of the field.
3, A wooden par
with atta
bank of th
town. It
tower., about 25 meters high,
chutes was on the southern
fiver which flows through the
e easternmost road bridge
and the storage dam. Juveniles were trained
there,
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` NFIDENTIAti
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An about 2,000xl,C0O-meter airfield was about
3 km northwest of the town, about 100 meters
east of the railroad line to Murmansk and
1,000 meters west of Lake Onega. Three or
four hangars were on both the western and
e4stern sides of the field which had a con-
crete runway. Only biplanes and twin-engine
Dou.gle,13 aircraft were stationed at the field.
5. 'L second :field, 2 km square. was north of the town
close to Lake Onega. A large hangar was on
the northern border of the field. A concrete
taxiway was available. There was little fly-
ing . ` in-engine Douglas aircraft, mail or
courier planes-)landed there every day.
15,. A steel parachute tower about 40 meters high
was about 70 meters south of a sawmill 50 me-
ters west of Lake Cnega. ' '
An airfield was northwest"of the town, on the
border of a woods. east of the branch railroad
line from Petroze*dsk to Finland and ,urmarisk.
!our sriall corrugated sheet metal hangars and
a weather station were on the border of the
field; about six log houses, officers and IW
quarters, were on both sides of the approach
road.
n,. The field was occupied by four to six twin-
engine conmereial planes, two or three biplanes
and one or two fighters.
9. Training flights with biplanes and fighters
were seen daily. A pilot school was apparently
located there. After November the aircraft
CGI~i':OL ` I.~L~C.CNT OL/U;~ Cdr :CIA: C.:
IDENTIAf
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took off and. landed on the frozen lake.
1Q. :~ seaplane base was on the northern bor-
der of the town.
11. A , OOx1 ,GOD-meter airfield was about
4 km north of I'etrozavodsk west of the
rorci to olorienno A cemetery was
south of the field. The landing field
was be Ujg extended to the northwest.
About 3 aircraft revetments were seen.
12. 1% o wooden sheds equipped with machine
tools and housing a spare parts depot
were at the field. There was also a
3-,-story flight control station, three
quartering buildings (wooden structures)
and a radio station with a cabin and threes
radio trucks.
13. The field was occupied by about 20 lovr-
wing monoplanes fitted with radial engine,,
retractable landing gear and tail wheel,
two twin-engine aircraft fitted with radial
engines and single rudder assembly, and
two sesquiplanes (Anderthalbdecker, a
biplane with considerably shorter lower
wings) with in-line engine and rigid
lading gear.
14. The low-wing monoplanes made individual
flights, the biplanes local.flghts. During
the winter months all the planes were started
by trucks which had a grid-like attachment,
to their radiators (observed from a distance
of 5OC meters) .
dOVIDENTIA '
k'TJLT"I'1 L-CCITT: CLIU3 C.y'T'ICI,-La ONLY
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15. ;bout 10C men, most of them belonging to
younger age olaases comprised the airfield
personnel.
16. A seaplane base, 5O0x3GG0 meters, was about
1L km north of the town. A sloping concrete
apron with two narrow-gauge tracks, two
winches and two sheds on it led to the lake.
A radio station with a cabin and an antenna
mast 2p meters high (umbrella-shaped antenna)
was at the southern corner of the area. While
repairing the power unit of the radio station
source noticed that it was a 200-Watt short
wave transmitter.
17.
In January 1949 .two seaplanes, sesquiplanes,
fitted with one ins-line engine, straight vvr.ngs,
rigid floats, similar to the sesquiplanes
were seen at the flying field. .every day such
a plane took off in the morning, at noon and in
the late afternoon, olix ing to an altitude of
about 1,000 meters. The flights lasted for
20 to 3o minutes and were made the year-round
in all weather. Twelve marines., dncluding 8 NCGs,
were observed. The installation allegedly was
a weather station.
The airfield northwest of the railroad station,
east of the railroad line, had three brick bar-
racks buildings and a radio station on the road
to the town, 8 to 10 wooden buildings and a
club house in addition to two or three garages,
and a brick headquarters building.
119. About 90 single and twin-engine aircraft,
allegedly a,-2 and IL-4 planes, were stationed
at the field*
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CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENT L-CUNT:ROL/Ua .OFFFICI.: LS ONLY
r
2()? The seaplane base had a water surface
about 1 km square, marked by birays. The
pertaining technical installations
covered about 120x40 meters.
21. An airfield was about 6 km north of the tovm
on the border of a woods, east of a railroad
line. I fuel dump was north of an E-v ap-
proach road, and the landing field and the
airfield installations (wooden sheds and
cantonment buildings) were south of this
road.
22. jIbout lCC single and multi-engine planes,
including IL-2s., were stationed at the field.
flying was intensive, single-engine planes
being chiefly observed. Three of them would
take off at the same time.
23. A seaplane base with numerous wooden sheds
and small, hangars was north of the town. Fly-
ing with single-engine biplanes and multi-
engine seaplaneq, fitted with ski runners in
winter, was seen.
24:. A parachute tower with a pointed roof was a
few hundred meters off the main street lead-
ing to Kirovo Square. Parachute jumps were
continually observed up to early April.
"5' The seaplane base and flying field on the
northern border of the town was about 1.,4oc c
300 meters, had two wooden sheds and mooring
sites for land planes and seaplanes.
26... About 1C biplanes and five twin-engine bom-
bers ith rlazednose and a directional loop
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QoNF ENTIAL
COITFIDE 4T IAL-CCU 20VU3 OFFICIALS ONLY
antenna, fitted with single rudder assembly
and retractable landing gear, were stationed
at the field. Six seaplanes, high-wing mono-
planes fitted with floats, were also stationed
there. One engine of these planes was fitted
over the center of the fuselage, and they had
a 4-bladed propeller, single rudder assembly,
and a 2-man crewrr.
Comment. see Annex 1.
C5mmen -. ee Annex 2.
ommen . This is the first post-war
aan``on the airfields near Petroz3vodsk.
Three airfields are assumed to exist there.
One is an improved Field about 3 km northwest
of the town perimet er 'with a fnway and three
or four hangers. It seeme--tv be Occupied by a
pilot school and possibly also-,by a ground at-
tack or fighter unit. -6ecord is` small com-
bined flying field end seaplane base`-on the
northern border of the tov;n; possibly oc-czpied
by a naval pilot school (reining of seaplane
Pilots) . Third is a seaplane base no ?tj'r of
field b above, probably used for weather
service fli,,.hts. The repeatedly mentioned )ara.-
chute tcr. er 'presumably se~ves for the training,
of juveniles within the f,amework of the DO3.4.V
.ctivities.
27. Individual flights with biplanes, bombers end
seaplanes were seen. The bombers stayed aloft
for about two hours, the seaplanes for 30 to
75 minutes. In winter the seaplanes were fit-
ted with ski runners.
airfield, and back to their barracks.
28. An air force unit, 150 to 200 men, was quartered
in the barracks 500 meters south of the rail-
road station. They were daily trucked to the
2 Annexes: {1 2arachute Tower Seen in Petrozavods,k
2 , irfields near Petrozavodsk.
QNFZDENTIA f
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CQVyjD NTLAL
araE ute_Tower Seen in Yetrozav
f L--OUiT'it L/'ZIa
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Legend:
1 Administration building
2 Radio station
3 Two wooden sheds
4 Three wooden cantonment
buildings
5 Aircraft revetment boxes
Approved For Release 2009/06/15: CIA-RDP82-00457R010300330003-2