BRANDIS AIRFIELD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R015300460005-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 10, 2006
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: November 13, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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COUNTRY Et r.A.27rgr
Tow , Airfiold
4 EVALUATION
DATE OF CONTENT
DATE OBTAINED
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PAGES 3
REMARKS__
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OBTAINED_
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ENCLOSURES
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TE PREPARED
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1. The following observatiens were made at the field between 1 and 19 Sopterer 1952g
1 September. There was night flyinE. by jet firhters between lc and 11
Night fl e
eieg was racticed between and 10 , .met Between 5 and 6:3C
pEl.a:Nuting was eracticed from captive balloons near the field. Two captive
balloons were alternately alof-L Their eower driven cable winches were fitted on
a trailer coupled to truck. At each ascent, two or three men jumped reom the
balloon while one man remained in the basket. The static lines for the :sarachutes
were susrended from a railing outside of the upper edge of the basket. Jeep
and truck were observed at the jump site, Tear the veh;.cles
there were two air force soldiers and allieetenant. The lieutenant wore two stars
and an insignia representing two horizontal wines with a red star and crosced hoer
and wrench on his epaulets, Two vehicles moved toward the rield.2
19 September, Between 5 and 6 p.m., parachuting was erscticed from twin-enrine
71.7anWi-iii-The vicinity of the field, our individual aneroaches were observed,
Twelve men jumped fror each elane in rapid succession, -fter the landirre, the
parachutists rolled up their parachutes, which were nicked on by a truck and
hauled back to the field. Three trucks, parked at the jume site, hauled away
the parachutints. The jumners were not ared with infantry equinment or weaeoes.
2.1 Ion 1 and 2 September, Soviet soldiers pctIced jeeeing
and snail earachutes with sus-ended ecuinment were ale? droned, Between 6:15
and 7 n.r, on 4 Septerber? captive balloons occueied by 3 qoviet soldiers et'h were
observed aloft. The soldiers jumped from an altitude of about 300 meters, Their
parnchutas Droned 25 to 30 meters under the balloon. This procedure was repeated
eeveral times. A. total of 15 to 50 jumps were observed.
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4.
about 60 parachutists jumped from five aircraft in the Tresen
area about 6:30 p.m. on 8 September. t 9:30 a.m. on 10 September, a twin-eneine
plane circled east of Drewitz-Trlsen. The sky was eartly cloude. About 20 dole -a-
rechutos with suspended careces were dropped from the plane, On the same day, tanks
were observed movire in the area. Between 1 and 2 poi. on lb. f;eptember, about 120
ren with double 'arachutes jumeed from five twin-engine planes Itahieh flew Lwo
missions east of Drewitz. Te aircraft probably took off and landed at t3randis
airfield. The jump site was corcionned off by VP men. Only children were allowed
to help collect the parachutes,
Parachutists, most of them equipped with emergency parachutes, practiced from
two captive balloons near the airfield between 1 and 12 September. Between
1 and 26 September, there were flights by transport-pldnes at the field but only'
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in connection with the traininF of parachutists The Inarachutlsts were trucked
tleir -nartrs to the laridin- field and 'stayed abc-t 200 ::.;:aters north of
runwaw,. fheir parachutaslay at the site, .L'he Li-2 planes taxied to thia JAG
bet7Irell, rid 3: :.X.) p.n. and 12 -narachutists each .boarded aplarie,,. Inihe first
days, five nlanes were assirnedito this exercise. Later on, only .our :.1.anes
1,77CrC Th-?. take-offs were rade in/::d succ,:ession, The ;T;tarlen flew
individaally at distances of 30C to 500 metc,,rs., circled the field once befcre
nver Lealitz inthe area of 7achern. The parachutists 1.:?,;er4 drot,-e71 from an
ttltitude of about 500 meters ov--r the area west of7"...achern, north ,of the 7.-achern-
T,ei.:-.Zir railroad line, Lot of the narachutists were eluipp.ed with two 5.-;arachute.s,
larer chute which o-,:ened first aS 'net round but,four-c Crrie re d and seen-ed to
souare. The F.3.maller chute, which was round was below- and s:ii.Fhtly- sidewa'.:s of
lorrer chuto, Intraedia-!-,aly after releasin' the -;-..aracIratists, the ;lanes landed
und taxied to., the s:te where the other parachutists were waitim% It took 30 to 40
T.Ilirrates before tha new parachutists were on board? Thi.F.3 exercise was ",7Crfornied
d:1.77 until niuhtfallaa that the last rarachutists could not see the srea
whore they Jurro-cd. ...hen the sky was cload.7.,,, the :jumpers. were -,probably, released
plane took- off about six times per day,. The aircraft
numbers observed indicated that the same planes were used
'he-,r:trachottsts did not wear s-c.cciel uniforms, head-wear or shoes,' il;urint the
land i.rlg'S after nIf?htfall, no landinr! liphts were -observed except for three red
,uathe southern ed7e of the landinr fIe1d Lhe aircraft only switched their
OF i lirhts on,, The pilots apparent17 were very experienced,
, The departure by-- rail of the rarachute. unit which numbered about 1,70C, men .
red-lnorderee black. epaulets, started on l';; ifter lh eeter;Pe
. source observed - that in sunny and wind.7 weather, soldiers opened parachutes on
-the landtn fiele near the repair hancar? rrobably in order tociry- ane: air the
hues., ur5.nctorachute trainia, a tent was set up near the repair hanrar,
P.cooreth to a -:11m- oreratorl there 'were ?,,Jvcewers in the teat- rceas cf about 30
;ten with towels on their arms were observed anternt the tont..1:ext to the teat,,
there was trailer., similar to a van, which was equipped! with a boiler' aad;e C
'oressor inOtalistion, Durim7 p:arachutin, a rad in truck? 'narked on' the edre of
the wecds west of the landinr field, about 140D meters northwest of the western
edge Pc the run'.::ay, ? There were two antennas one of which was atthhed. to a birch
tree and the other one to the strut rods of t ie vehicle, A lead-fin connected
the antennas with the, radio truck, 7."1e,tween 19 and 20 `'eptembe:r.'? elanos
-mre obse,rvz-)d at the field, ;Iter 24 .1epterber, there was ..almost no activity at
the field,.
21 and 22 '',eetenbcr.? orr. tank each arrived at the fieldmsi was shunted to the
uortheastern secp1-,ion of the landint7 fielth One week hofrre a larr:-.er tank car*,
]-;:robablis,.., with 2,.'cur aries? stood at the 32re Site nc', the fuel beina, trans'Iserred
Into tad< trucks?
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turret 'aices in the woods 2?2'.,,-,0 meters east of the east r,erimeter of frolenr,? The
,-,rehielet; were oc..''.cucied by soldiers who -wore l',1nek-berdered blue enaulets?
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tarl,: on the fence -.:,rorressed only slowly, Thick poles ',..ere tlaced in holes alonfr
the northern edf,e of the western boundary of the landirr field in line with the
yurv:ny.
IC. Jet ,Iircraft repeatedly flew over the field st night; a land in consistinft. of four
thatr lamps was no the iround. Its direction var5ed accordinf- to the direction of
11, :he rerulation forbiddin the sale of alcohol to :cos7 and 'as strictly enforced.,
Yrcle. :?resence of' 71- men, the German workers at the field were beinr tarred a-ainet
rl-ocrnr alcohol.' for the Covi.ot soldiers'. Two in one in r-olenz and the
they one ia were forced to close their inns because t,tey had -tiolated the
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12. The Ger:.an ,:;rkers at the field did not vet their wages for 6 or
allcTedly no money was nvialable.
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7 -weeks because
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13, 'heu 5:30 on 15 Sentember, source observed frcm a :c)int about 1,50 ..eters
soutll of the Delitzsch-JesewiLz railroad secticn that three twin-:rvine o]anes
beaded vest at short in,ervals.',croup of more than ten soldiers
each -lane almrsr, simultaneously.2
jumped from
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! 1 1 Comment. 'ince 7randis airfield is occu74ed by anair transoort
re:iment
ir'rii-'66ired that the jet fi,7hters which -articiated in niett
1yin over
:rrndis airfield are -iC-15s -robnbly belonrinr?the iirter re,-i-ents P_r) 'ltrn-
1,11r*- or -!-erseburr. /to
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2. Comment. Detailed information on the -arachute :',umps vas
received
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:Lrevicuriy, rotor vehicle Lol lis reported
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for the first t1:-m and cannot he loentliied.1 1
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the parachutists probably are soldiers of
the 21st 7"ecz
Div of the 7,ichth Cds Amy. The observation that the practicin7
a)ldiers did
not wear !--arachutist uniforms sut,-oorts the assumption that no parachute troors
ore involved but -;ioviet :.rmy ground troops who were trained in parachutinv.
The dron7.in of equi7ment ir rerrtee fcr the ',"irst time,, nourcc
confirms this information.
aoparently
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3. Comment. The information that the nrnctitinr7 units were
dispatched by
rail has not been eenfirn:ed
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