DESCRIPTION OF PUCK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00046R000200280003-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 6, 2013
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: October 30, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved
for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/06/06:
CONFIDENTIAL
CIA-RDP82-00046R000200280003-6
REPORT NO.
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
53
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED
Poland
Description of
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30 Oct.
6
1
Puck
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DATE OF INFORMATION
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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1. Puck 5 54-420 E 18-2.g was a small fishing port about 25 km. north of
Gdynia. In recent times Puck lost the importance it enjoyed before
World War II. Situated on a small elevation, it was surrounded by
open, cultivated fields, except for its northern part, which bordered
the sea. Here the water was about two 'meters deep except for a canal
which led from the fishing port ZS-ketch, Pt. 2.37 to the open sea
where it deepened to about four meters. The soil in and around the
town was light and sandy. Along the stream Plotnica the ground was
marshy and interspersed with unexploited peat bogs.
2. The houses in the town were almost exclusively constructed of brick
and timber in the Norman style and were two to three stories high..
The cobblestone streets were four to six meters wide with sidewalks
only on one side and poorly lighted with electric street lamps.. ?The
street names were not changed between 1946 and 1952. The town suffered
no major damage during World War II. Few new houses were built even'
though a shortage of housing existed.
3. In 1952, Puck had 4,500 to 5,000 inhabitants; about 70% were natives of
the Baltic Coast (Kaszubi) and the remainder were Poles who settled
there after World War II. During the German Occupation (1939-1944)
many of the inhabitants were deported but since 1945 some of them have
returned and new people have come in. Of the inhabitants, about 20%
were fishermen,. about 20% farmers, about 20% workers and the rest were
officials, and government employees. The local people did not like
the newcomers. Almost all the inhabitants were Roman Catholic and
attended church services regularly. There was a noticeable dislike- of
the present Communist regime and grumbling about restrictions, high
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prices, low wages, lack of food and other commodities was heard among
all sections of the population. About 40% had radio receivers and
about 20% listened to Western broadcasts. The fishermen were still
owners or partners of small private fishing boats and cutters but
they did not sell the catch privately but had to deliver it to the
fish center. The workers were employed in the machine factory, pub-
lid utility installations, railroad, and small workshops like lock:-
smiths, bicycle repair, etc. There were still privately-owned single
handed, service shops such as tailors and shoe repair.
The town had the following public utilities:
a. About 60% of the houses were connected to the public water system
and the rest had private wells. The water from the water system
was potable.
b.. The town had a small, municipal power station. It produced three-
phase alternating current at 220 v. About 90% of the houses were
so served. Electricity for private houses was restricted between
0700-1200 hours and 1700 and 2100 hours. The use of irons,
heating and cooking stoves was forbidden.
c. There Was no gas available in Puck.
d. The town had a sewerage system but only 60% of the houses were
serviced. The sewage was drained to the sea.
e. There were about 60 subscribers:to the local telephone service;
mostly government offices and state-owned shops. It was very
difficult to obtain a telephone in a private home because of the
serious lack of telephone equipmentc
f. The one post office was on Szkolna Street, There were no re-
strictions on sending telegrams from the post office and no
identification was needed.
g. In addition,. there was one hospital, one general school (11
grades), one trade school, and one Catholic Church.
h. Food was available in the state-owned shops and cooperatives but
some agricultural products and milk could also be obtained
illegally from the farmers. The state-owned shops and cooRera-
tivee were in and around the market place, sketch, Pt.
The small Municipal slaughter house supplied meat for the town
and for the Hel peninsula. The surplus was sent to Gdynia.
5. The only factory Was the state-owned Machine Factory and Foundry
No. 1 (Fabryka Maszyn I Odlewnia No. 1). The head office was at 10
Lutego Street; the manager was WYSOCKI. It had two departments:
a. The machine factory proper which produced machine parts and
equipment, such as fixtures, screws, and nails, etc. for fishing
cutters.
The. boat building and repair departments were located in the
hahgars, which, up to 19394 were occupied by the Polish Naval
Wing. Small wooden fishing boats and cutters were built here.
,Ilepairs-were also made here. About 200 workers were employed
here; abOut five per cent were women. Working hour e in the fac-
tory were from 0700-1200.and 1300-1600 hours, Monday to Friday,
and on Saturdays, from 0700-1300 hours.
Puck had adequate railway and road communications with the coast:
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a. A one track railway line passed through Puck. There were about
10 trains daily to Gdynia through Reda 54-37, E 18-217,
about 10 trains to Hel 5 54-370 E 18-4 and three trains to
Krokowo 5 54-470 E 18-27.
b, A good asphalt highway about eight meters wide connected Puck
with Gdynia through Reda and a grave highway, eight meters
wide, connected Puck with Hel and villages along the Northern
Baltic Coast. From May to September a bus passed through Puck
from Gdynia to Karwia at about 1000 hours and returned at about
2000 hours daily.
7. There was no municipal transportation system except one old Opel
taxicab. The traffic in town and on theroads was negligible;
mostly trucks and a few horse-drawn cart which came to town on
Friday for market day. hare was no organized communication by sea
to or from Puck. One could hire a fishing boat to go out in the
harbor three or four kilometers but only with a pass from military
border guards.
8. .Th mm were only two small dt-Jchments stationed at Puck, one from
the Navy and one from the WOP:
a. The naval detachment known as the First Observation and Com-
munication Sector-Puck (1-szy Odcinek Lacznosci i Obserwacji)
consisted of five officers and about 50.seamen. This was the
headquarters and was equipped with a radio station which con-
trolled observation posts in Rozewie 5 54-50, E 18-2.g7 and
Biala Gora 5 54-500 E 17-507.
b. The Military Border Guard Post (Placowka Wojsk Ochrony POgran-
icza) consisted of two officers and about 40 men. It was
responsible for patrolling the so-called frontier zone - an
area extending from the Reda-Polchowo Canal up to but not
including Wielka Wies 5 54-470 E 18-7 and from the coast to
a depth of seven kilometers inland. There were two-man patrols
either on foot or on horseback. Neither the naval detachment
nor the WOP had any boats.
9. Puck was situated in the so-called frontier zone and for this rea-
son all persons coming from the outside had to obtain in advance
(at the place of their residence) permission for entry. Upon arri-
val they had to report to the municipal registration office (Biuro
Meldunkowe). ,It would be difficult to get any lodgings in the only
hotel In townwhich was controlled by the UBior to stay in town
longer than 24 hours without a permit. The residents had to carry
personal documents. Only in rare cases, did the municipal militia
or WOP patrols check the personal documents of civilians in the
streets. These would be mostly drunkards and disorderly people.
Train passengers were sometimes checked by the railway guard who
also traveled on the trains. Naval and WOP patrols would check
passes of sailors and WOP soldiers in the streets.and restaurants
every evening.
10. There was no local newspaper edited in Puck. Copies of Polish and
Russian newspapers could be bought at the kiosk at the railway
station or subscriptions could be obtained through the post office.
ketch taken from a map of Puck 1:25,0000 Sheet 30-27a (enlarged to
twice its sizej
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Sketch Taken from a Map of Puck, 1:25,000, Sheet 30-27a (Enlarged to
Twice its Size
_voN.Jss
MAt.
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SKETCH (Cont,d):
LEGEND
Pt. 1. Polish Naval Unit Barracks(Oddzial Obserwa_qji I Lacznosci No.
1): four-story, red brick building; about 40x 15 in.; barracks
accommodated about five officers and 50 men,
2. Garage; one-story, brick building with plastered walls; about
10 x 12 m., belonging to the Naval unit; accommodated six vehicles.
3. House: one-story, brick, plastered bUilding;.10 x10 occu-
Trarly the CO of the Naval unit.
4. Machine (Fabryka i.Odlewnia No. 1)4
4a,..boc,d. Hangars: adapted as workshops, where fishing boats and cutters'
were built- and repaired; each about 20 x..40 x 8 m..; brick walls,
-wooden roof (except hangar (d) which had an iron roof).
. 4esf. Brick Buildings: about 10 x 12 m.; one-storY-high; .each used
as administrative offices.
4g hpi. , Warehouses: one-story, brick buildings; each about 10 x 20 m.
4j. Way_: for launching boats and cutters; with crane. 10-15 tn.
lifting capacity.
k. Foundry: one-story, brick building; about 10 x 20 m.; round
chimney stack about1 in.. in diameter and about 20 in. high.
1. Mechanics, Workshop: one-story, brick building; about 10 x 20 m.
in. Administration Building; one-story; brick plastered; about 10 x
15 x m.
n. Wooden Barracks: about 15 x 20 m.; used for storage.
5. Soldiers Monument: dedicated to the Red Army.
,6. Post Office: two-story; brick building; about 20 x 20 in.; gray
tile exterior.
7. Parish Church: red brick; about 20 x 40 in.; Roman Catholic.
8. Municipal Citizens, Militia Station:and Security Police Post -
UB: two-story, brick-plastered, building; about. 12 x 1U m.;
Wfation accommodated about 10 men; the post was comprised of
two men.
9. Municipal National Council and Town Offices: two-story;
plastered brick building; 20 x 20 m.; city jail in basement.
10. Municipal Hospital: two-story; red brick building; about 20 x
40 in.; accommodated 60 beds; employed three doctors and Sisters
of Charity nuns as nurses.
11. Boat Building Trade School (Zawodowa Szkola Szkutnicza): two-
story; plastered brick building; about 12 x 30 in.
12. Soccer Field: about 100 x 150 m.; with a six meter wide cir-
cular motorcycle track.
- 13. Military Border Guard Post (WOP): two-story; plastered, brick
building.
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SKETCH (Contld):
14. Market Place: about 70 x 70 m.; with state-owned shops and coopera-
tives:
a. Leather Specialties (Centrala Skorzana).
b. Ready-To-Wear (Centrala Odziezowa).
c. Butther Shops.
d. Grocery - cooperatives (Spoldzielnie Artykulow Spozywczych).
e. Bakery'.
fi Fill Central Store (Centrala Rybna)
g. Hotel and Restaurant.
h. Cafe.
i. Bookshop.
j. Iron and Hardware Store (Centrala Artykulow Zelaznych).
15.. General School: four-story; plastered brick building; about 15 x
40 in.; coeducational.
16. Mewa Movie Theater: one-stary; plastered, brick building; about
20 x 40 in.; capacity of about 250 seats.
17. Offices of the Committee of Municigal United Polish Workers'Part
wo-story; pas ere brie ?uil
ing; abou
18. RR Station: (about 20 employees).
a. Roundhouse: for five locomotives; brick building; about 10 x
20 x 13 m.
b. Main Station: two-story, red brick building; about 15 x 30 in.;
two passenger platforms.
c. Freight Platform: about 40 in. long.
d.
Spur Track: led to the fishing port, ort. 23, bela; was_par-
tially torn up and in 1952 ended at the Machine Factory, Zyt.
4f, above.
19. Municipal Power Plant: one-story; plastered brick building; about
20 x 20 m.
20. Municipal Fire Station: two-story; red brick building; about 10 x
15 m.; about 20 volunteer firemen and two fire engines were in use.
21. Mumici al Slaughter House: one-story; brick plastered building;
2 x m.
22. Water Supply Station: one-story; plastered brick building; about
10 x 10 in.
23. Fishing Port: enclosed by wire net, and guarded by one WOP sentry;
about 36 small fishing boats and cutters were usually tied up to
the wooden quay.
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