APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110023-8
equipment; it has the largest turbine, generator, transformer, power cable, and radar equipment plants in the country. Other industrial products in which East Berlin accounts for a significant part of East German production are machinery and machine tools, locomotives, rubber tires, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, automotive parts, precision instruments, clothing, and cement. There are storage facilities for more than 450,000 barrels of refined petroleum products. Henningsdorf (population estimated at 25,000), northwest of East Berlin, besides being an important steel producer, also produces locomotives, melting furnaces, and generators and other heavy electrical equipment. Potsdam (population estimated at 111,000), southwest of East Berlin, is the principal transshipment point from railroad to inland waterway in East Germany and also contributes to the industrial importance of the strategic area. Important products are refrigeration equipment, chemicals, and motion pictures.
Large concentrations of troops, military installations, and billeting facilities are distributed throughout the strategic area. East Berlin is the hub of the East German transportation network. Important highways and railroads radiate from East Berlin and connect the strategic area to all parts of East Germany and surrounding countries. The urban area is served by a partial bypass ring of autobahns and is crossed by navigable canals and a river which affords access to the inland waterway systems of East and West Germany and to neighboring countries. There are three important airfields in the area, including the international airfield south of East Berlin, which is the second largest airfield in the country.
D. Internal routes (C)
The internal routes (Figure 15) are the easiest avenues of movement between the major land approaches and the strategic areas, between the coastal area best suited for amphibious landings and the East Berlin strategic area, and between strategic areas. Most of the routes contain surface roads and 4'8½"-gage railroads. Alternate lines of transportation are present in many of the routes and would greatly facilitate the bypassing of any bottlenecks. Several routes contain autobahns. The roads are generally in good condition, have easy grades and gentle curves, and are suitable for heavy traffic. Conditions for movement in most of the routs are generally fair to poor. In most of the routes, cross-country vehicular movement would be seriously hindered or precluded by soft ground or at least part of the time during the period early November or December through March. Soft ground conditions are generally most severe from late February through March, and in parts of some routes soft soils preclude offroad movement when not frozen. Between December and March, snow and ice create hazardous driving conditions, and the width of roadways may be reduced by snow. Detailed information on the internal routes is presented in Figure 18.
E. Approaches
The perimeter of East Germany consists of 560 miles of coastline, including four major islands and numerous islets, and 1,433 miles of land boundaries. The boundary between East Germany and West Berlin, the 185-square mile Allied-administered exclave of West Germany, is strictly patrolled. East and West Berlin are separated by the Berlin Wall (Figure 16), a masonry, wire, and wooden barrier about 26 miles long. Tank traps, light fortifications, water bodies, and embankments strengthen the barrier. There are several official crossing points between East and West Berlin; various obstructions (Figure 17) control the flow of traffic through these heavily guarded checkpoints. East Germany claims territorial jurisdiction for 3 nautical miles offshore. Figure 19 presents more detailed data on the perimeter of the country. (U/OU)
1. Land (C)
Conditions for movement across the borders range from good to unsuited. Cross-country movement would be unsuited in places because of rugged highlands, dense forests, wet ground, and wide, deep streams. Conditions are generally favorable for movement when the soils are dry or are frozen in winter. Winter snow cover and wet ground during the spring thaw are the major deterrents to movement. Numerous roads and railroads cross the East German borders from Poland and West Germany; few roads and railroads cross the border from Czechoslovakia. Most developed lines of transportation from West Germany are blocked, obstructed, or partially or completely destroyed to prevent or control through traffic at or near the border. The approaches shown on Figure 15 are the best means of land access to East Germany. Detailed information on selected land approaches is presented in Figure 20.
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110023-8
