SOVIET TROOPS IN THE TIMISOARA AREA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A046600110001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 15, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 27, 1959
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Rumania
SUBJECT Soviet Troops in the Tinisoara
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 tz.namission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person Is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
REFERENCES
REPORT.
DATE DISTR. 27 January 1959
NO. OF PAGES 1
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
report on Soviet troops in the
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
2- -7- 7 9
STATE ARMY j JNAVY AIR FBI AEC
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l.4 Soviet troops entered Timisoara during the period late 190
to early 19119, and remained until early 1951 waisn they -ere
all evacuated. However, they returned in greater force in
1952, to stay at least until late dune 1958. Although other
Soviet units in Rumania relieved local units numerous times,
there was only one occasion when a unit moved in directly
from the USSR to replace a unit in Timisoara. During the
Hungarian revolt the entire Soviet garrison was sent to
Hungary.
2. In late May 1958 all Soviet staff officers in Timisoara partic-
ipated in a meeting in Constants, the headquarters for Soviet
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.Y ,
3?
the Soviet garrison in Timisoara. No data to available about
forces in Rumania. It was rumored that a general evacuation
order was issuedtt the meeting; two or three days after the
return of the officers preparations for the transfer of ma-
terial and installations to the Rumanian Andy, a preliminary
to the evacuation of Soviet troops, were undertaken. During
June 1958 construction material, such as timber and iron,
from Soviet stores in Rumania was shipped to Hungary; orders
were issued to dispatch five freight care loaded with timber
and an equal number with firewood, daily. Firewood was loaded
about 500 meters from the central railroad station, while
general cargo was loaded on Oheorghe Lazar Street extended,
on the road to Sacalas. On 16 June 1958 the Soviets, together
with Rumanian military counterparts, began to take inventory
of installations in preparation for their return to Rumanian
forces. Included in the buildings returned on paper were
residential houses requisitioned by the Soviet army and cer-
tain structures among the barracks which were empty and unused.
Soviet troops in Arad,-Radna, and Lipova vere subordinate to
the strength, of Soviettroops in the Timisoara area or else.
where.
!i. Soviet headquarters in Timisoara were located on Plate Libertatii,
opposite the former city hall and near the opera, in a three-
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story building which had formerly served as a Rumanian of.
fivers' club. A general who had several colonels on his
staff commanded the headquarters.
The following units in Timisoara were subordinate to the
headquarteras
a. A mechanized infantry regiment (polk), which was eta-
tioned in former Rumanian army barracks on Oitus Street,
near Piata Uairei. The compound was approximately 150
meters long and included two two-story stone houses, a
soldiers' clubs, a canteen, supply and arms stores, and
anall administrative buildings. The units, which was
casesanded by a colonel, had at its disposal Molotov and
Zia trucks, painted the standard Soviet olive greens
b. An artillery regiment was stationed in prewar Rumanian
army barracks an the heft-hand-aide of Calea Aradulut
coming from town, apposite the regional broadcasting
station. The Soviet aM added several new buildings
to the existing U-shaped barracks, including one large
two-story atruotare. The unit, commanded by a colonels,
had various types of guns and used Zia and Molotov trucks.
Heavy equipment was kept in garages of wood and stone
and could not be discerned from outside the compound.
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c. An armored regiment was stationed in old Rumanian bar-
racks and newer Soviet structures 100 meters off the
road to Arad on the outskirts of Timisoara. The com-
pound was surrounded by a barbed wire fence. The unit
was directly administered by the Timieoaro town command,
since it was sman and, unlike the units mentioned above,
did not have a senior administrative officer. A new
shed on the compound served as a field workshop for
light repairs and maintenance of the vehicles; heavy
tank repairs were carried out by a special workshop in
the Ploesti region#
d. A transport battalion (avtomobilnly batalyon) was sta-
tioned in the northern part of the towns between the
roads leading to Lipova and Arad. A dirt road connected
the barracks with both highways. The unit occupied
former Rumanian barracks, one-story stone buildings, to
which the Soviets had added wooden huts, and sheds meas-
uring 12 x 56 x b meters for vehicles. Each shed con-
tained 30 to 10 Zie and Molotov (two to four ton) trucks.
Most of the vehicles were of the 4 x 2 type in general
use by the Soviets in the area, but some of the new,
and predominantly fourwvheeled, trucks were reserved for
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SECRET
emergency use. The unit, which we commanded by a lieu-
tenant colonel, was principally composed of drivers and
mechanics. It had a field workshop which carried out
all repairs, with the exception of general overhauls.
e, A driving school (avtosbkola) for the transport batolion
was located in the two-story building of a former build.
ing technicians school on Petro Carol (fof%erly Sept
llusat) Street, at the corner of Pieta Unirsi. In 1957
the Rumanian institution, which was under the district
government building corporation, returned to the promises.
f. A small air force unit was stationed at the Tlaieoara
military airfield near Remetea, A major commanded the
unit.
A signals battalion (battayon ovyazi) was billeted in
a large two-story building on Piata Lahovari, at the
corner of Ishovari and Mihai Viteasul Streets, which
had formerly been at the disposal of the Hungarian
Church. This unit served the entire Tlaisoara garrison
and also maintained the special Soviet armor' telephone
line which connected TImmisoara with Constants. The
telephone network between, the Soviet army units was
SECRET
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quite separate from the civilian installations; its
cables were laid op housetops and trees rather than
telephone poles.
h. A counterespionage (kcantrrasvedka) unit of the Soviet
area was billeted in a me-story former private house
at 5% (?) Cal" E oilor Dole Stalingrad (formerly Tsthe
lonesouz Street), on the left-hand side of the street
coming from Piata Unirei. The personnel of the unit,
which was under a colonel, usually wore civilian clothes.
I* The Soviet town mayor's and military prosecutor's office
in Timisoara was in a one-story building on Diaconul
Slogs Street near the Maxim Gorki Cinema (formerly
Capitol).
Warehouses for Soviet areepr rations were located on the
erasion of aheorghe Lasar Street, on the road to
Ssoalas. A special railroad spur connected the central
station to the depot, where all types of equipment for
Soviet troops.(arriving in Rumanian freight cars by way
UN" 61,01
of Im!4's the, route for all equipment and supplies for
the Soviet garrison inTimisoara) were unloaded.
k. Peel stores were located in the northern part of the
town on Cal" Aradului, on the.left-hand side of the
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SECPEi
street coming from the town center, just before the
Rmeanian army barracks. There were also gas stations
for Soviet units throughout the town.
1. A 25.-bed dispensary for the Timisoara garrison was lo-
cated st,181 (4), Tudor Vladimirescu Street, on the
right-hand side of the street coming from the central
railroad station, near the Beg* Canal. Serious cases
were sent to a larger Soviet army hospital in Arad.
Me The Timisoara broadcasting station had a special see-
tion where only Soviet army personnel were employed
in unspecified functions. The existence of a Soviet
jamming station is not confirmed, but Russian language
broadcasts from the West were received with great dif-
rioulty.
6. Soviet officers in Timisoara were billeted outside the bar.
rocks in nationalized residential buildings, About 200 build-
ings with 10 to32 apartments each are known to have served
as quarters for married men, They were concentrated on
Paris and Mena Pavel Streets. Unmarried officers lived
at the Hotel Savoy on Strada Garet.
To
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;y7
9.
Signals security among Soviet units was safega=ded by code
designations which Were exchanged at certain intervikla. Unit
coetieandI ore and the Timisoara Soviet telephone exchange had a
list of the designations. It was kept secret and coi unica"
tion was only possible through the unit commander, who per-
sonally requested the second party by its code name from the
tine exchange.
10. Until about 1956 contact between Soviet troops and the civilian
population was strictly forbiddeni Soviet soldiers attended
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their own cinemas, for example, and lived separately from
the townspeople. Subsequent to 1956 there was some relaxa?
tin and Soviet soldiers began visiting ftianian cinemas and
dating Rumanian girls. ever, they were still not permitted
to enter Rumanian restaurants. The population was cool to.
ward the.,, especially people of Hungarian extraction who had
passively hated them since the Hungarian revolt. Among the
Soviet soldiers attitudes towards the local population varied,
but in general they felt uncomforl.ble, and suffered from
isolation and the language barrier.
11. All Soviet officers were permitted to wear mufti on weekends,
and some personnel on special duty wore civilian clothes all
the time. There were also msW Soviet civilians working for
various organizations and the population had the impression
that the Soviets were "disguising" themselves in civilian
clothes in order to remain in Rumania, although ostensibly
the military were officially leaving the country.
12. A pay unit, a branch of the Soviet-State Bank, made purchases
for the Soviet forces and also paid the soldiers and the
wages of civilian employed by the Soviets. This unit was
commanded by a major.
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139 The following Soviet officers in Tiaisoara are knownt
a.. General Abatulov (flan),
was the commander
of the Tiniaoara garrison prior to the Hungarian rebel-
Colonel Bandurin (fnu) is the garrison's intelligence
0, Lt. Colonel Helikov (flnu) is the town major of Tim i soara
and the military prosecutor for the region*
d? Colonel Bcndarenko (ffpu) is the chief of the political
section of the garrison headquarters.
Colonel Davidov (fnu)
is in charge of financial affairs.
Lt. Colonel Malin (fnu) in the administrative officer
of the infantry unit in Timisoara.
Colonel Oresthov (fm) ,# who was formerly Abatul ov' a deputy,
has been the commander of the Tiaisoara garrison since
25X1
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h. Major Pavlov (fbtu) is the commander of the signals bat.
talion in Timisoara.
I. Colonel Shakhov (fnu) is the chief technical officer of
the garrison.
Colonel Stepsntsev (fm) is the chief abdnistrative
officer of the garrison*
k. Teresche
is the administrative officer of the local
artillery regiment.
Colonel Tulov (fro) is the chief quartermaster officer
of the Timisoara garrison*
no Lt. Colonel Turik (fhu)~
Is the commander of the transport battalion
in Timtisoarao
lli. Attached for your information and action is a sketch shoring
the location of some Soviet military installations in Timisoara.
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to Skotob
1. Mechanized infantry regiment.
2. Artillery regiment.
3. Armored regiment.
b. Transport regiment.
5. Driving school.
6. Signals battalion.
1. Field security unit.
8. Ration stores.
9. Fuel stores.
10. Broadcasting station.-
11. Timisoora garrison headquarters.
12. Rmeanian army barracks.
13. Eastern section of the central railroad station (where the
tracks enter the station).
114. Rumanian army barracks.
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