WOP OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL AND WOP TRAINING UNIT IN RASTENBURG (KETRZYN)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A002400690006-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 3, 2002
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: September 3, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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ApprengsqpfdATIEffe KOWIFAIN41A-RDP80-00810A002400690 6-4
SECURITY MORMAT ION
COUfkiTrk Poland
____--- REPORT NO.
WOP Officer Candidate School and WOP Training Unit in Rastenburg. ukestrzyn)
TOPIC__
er4r,
EVALUATION
DATE OF CONTENT
DATE OBTPINED__
REFERENCES_
PAGES..._.2-__ENCLOSURES
REMARKS
OBTAINED
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25X1C
3 September 1953
__DATE PREPARED
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_25.2(.1X
1. Prior to 5 August 1952, the former Infantrie Kaserne in Rastenburg (1 55/A 29),
also called Hindenburg Kaserne? quartered a Polish MOP (Border Guard) officer
condidate school and a MOP training unit. 1 "WOP, 25X1
Officerska skola wojska"? which,' Iwas the designation 25X1
of the troops quartered at the installation, although other WOP units
besides the officer candidates were also quartered there. All soldiers
observed at the installation wore the green service color of the MOP.
The commandant of the school, who was a lieutenant colonel, frequently
went to aUenstein (1 54/E 66).1 la courierlyas also 25X1
dispatched daily to Allenstein by train to pick up orders.
2. The installation consisted of 10 four-story old buildings, about 80 meters
long, and eight new four-story buildings, 40 to 50 meters long, in the
west. These 18 buildings quartered the trainees and the enlisted men of the
training units, The officer candidates definitely occupied four of the old
quartering buildings which faced the road to Bartenstein (R 55/Z 81). 1
Officers and married NCOs lived in billets outsid the barracks installation.
:h Soldiers in the barracks installation said that the officer candidates were
being trained at the school for three years and left as lieutenants. They
wore khaki blouses with green epaulets, which mounted the letters OS in
silver embroidery, The silver-bordered green patches mounted oak leaves, also
in silver embrOdery? and a sword emblem. The long black trousers had wide
green stripes.1
lie, The WOP soldiers of the training units were not employed for border guard
missions. They wore the khaki uniform of the Polish Army with green cap bands
and patches. Most of them were Roles by birth of the 1928 to 1931 classes who
had to serve for two years. Some Germans, who had applied for Polish
citizenship also belonged to the training units. About 150 soldiers, who
were quartered in the western section of the barracks installation, were
mounted. The units also included a dog section of about 50 shepherd-dogs,
The officer corps ineluded one lieutenant colonel and two majors, who
wore Polish Army uniforms, but frequently spoke Russian. The soldiers
said that they were Soviet officers.
CLASSIFICATION ?
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2002/07/22 : CIA-RDP80-00810A002400690006-4
Approved For Release 2002/07/22 : CIA-RDP80-00810A002400690006-4
CONFIDENTIAI 25X1A
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5. The companies leaving the barracks installation fee training carried
only light and heavy infantry weapons including light mortars. No
armored vehicles or other heavy weapons were observed in the entire
Rastenburg post area. The three rotor-vehicle storage sheds in the
western section of the barracks installation contained some trucks on
which the officer candidates or soldiers were occasionally taken to
inspections of the border. Another motor-vehicle garage directly west
of the former Artillery Barracks housed about 50 Soviet-made trucks
without superstructures, which arrived by rail in 1952 and were not used.
Guards said that these trucks belonged to the WOP unit. All vehicles at
the barracks installation were narked by a large yellow T in a yellow-
bordered square 01
6. The WOP units frequently -did field training on a training ground on both
sides of the road to Bartenstein in the direction of the water tOwer.
Field fortifications, dummy tanks, dummy houses and entangelments of
every type were seen there. The soldiers also received regular border guard
training near the Guber Rivulet southwest of the barracks installation. The
terrain on both sides of this rivulet was an imitated border area with
border posts, road blocks and a customshouse. Advanced combat firing were
held in the area south and southwest of the barracks installation,
Prom 1949 to 1952, a large tent camp was annually set up opposite the
barracks installation and south of the road to Bartenstein during the
summer months. Starting in June of each year, the canp was occupied by
about 1,000 WOP soldiers, who said that they were inducted to receive three
months of training. These soldiers came from all parts of Poland and, in
source's opinion, underwent basic training in the :amp. They included age
classes of about 22 to about 35 years. 2
7. Prior to Ausust 1952, the former Artillery Barracks north of the city
quartered no troops. The installation had been occupied by a sporting
equipment factory for a fairly long period, probably since 1948.
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25X1A1?
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the 1932 class was scheduled to be inducted in 1952.
The Polish recruiting office in Rastenburg was in the southern sector of
the city. The district office of the Polish security service and the
district office of the militia were in the building of the former Amtsgericht
on ul. Wojska Polskiego2 formerly Schul Strasse. No military supply
installations were known to exist in Rastenburg. The troop units in the
town were supplied from outside*, The installations of the former Fuehrer-
"eeuptquartier Nolfsschanze" were not used. Prior to August 1952, source ob-
served no indications that this site would be used again. Arnored cupolas
and other metal parts were dismantled and shipped away, Since individuals
entering the installations frequently mqt with accidents caused by
exploding mines this area was avoided.
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19,2Era?,,..22.,?er The WOP officer candidate school at the Infantrie Kaserne
in Rastenburg was last confirmed in September 1952.
Another renrt nf'Aupust 1952 swooned information on the training ground
mentioned. I 25X1A
,Comment This information is bellaeed to refer to basic training 25X1A
done by supernumeraries and reservists.I
CONFIDENTIAT
25X1A
Approved For Release 2002/07/22 : CIA-RDP80-00810A002400690006-4