Cold War International History Project
Virtual Archive 2.0

Warsaw Pact Military Planning

Statement by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the Transfer of the 72nd Engineer Brigade to East Germany
March 26 1955 - Statement by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the transfer of Soviet troops and missiles to various Warsaw Treaty countries
 
Memorandum by Aristov
April 01 1963 - Document memorandum by Aristov regarding potential nonproliferation treaty
 
Letter from Gomulka to Khruschev
October 08 1963 - Letter from Gomulka to Khrushchev discussing Polish opposition to Soviet proposal for a Non-Proliferation Treaty. Gomulka suggests that the treaty will further split the communist camp. While discussing the state of Sino-Soviet relations, the Polish leader suggests that the Soviet Union and the PRC adopt a common position in matters of foreign policy in order to strengthen the power of the Socialist camp.
 
Discussion between Soviet Marshal V. V. Kuznetsov and the SED Politburo
October 14 1963 - (Excerpts) discussion between Marshal Vasilii Kuznetsov and SED Politburoi members on the issues of Nuclear Non-Proliferation, US plans for the MLF, and Warsaw Pact military and political cooperation.
 
Plan of Action of the Czechoslovak People’s Army for War Period
October 11 1964 - A detailed strategic miltiary plan the Czechoslovak People’s Army for war period.
 
T. Zhivkov’s Handwritten Notes on NATO at the Warsaw Pact Meeting in Moscow
January 19 1965 -
 
Memorandum by Thirty Scholarly Associates on the Military Political Academy and the Military Technical Academy for the Czechoslovak Communist Party Central Committee
June 04 1968 - Formulation and Constitution of Czechoslovak State Interests in the Military Area
 
Letter from General Ion Ionita to Nicolae Ceausescu
March 01 1970 - General Ionita is writing to Ceausescu to inform him of staff talks he had in Moscow in regards to upcoming Warsaw Pact maneuvers to be held in Romania.
 
Information #310 KGB re: PGU KGB view on a proposal of a Warsaw Pact Intelligence services meeting
April 29 1971 -
 
Letter from Marshall Ivan Ignatyevich Yakubovsky to Todor Zhivkov
January 23 1973 - A letter accompanying the official 1972 Warsaw Pact Report.
 
Task for the Operational Command Staff Exercise Soyuz-75 for the 4th Army
March 19 1975 - This document outlines the politico-military situation in advance of a 17-25 March 1975 operational command staff exercise.

The exercise scenario begins with a conventional offensive initiated by the 'Westerners' at 0600 on 17 March which escalated to a theater nuclear war by 19 March.

This briefing document for exercise participants describes the military situation as of the morning of 19 March, including the tactical information on the geographic disposition, activities, and status of Warsaw Pact and 'Western' forces, air defense, communications, electronic warfare, and the situation in the rear.

Appendices (included as a .pdf) contain detailed information on:

• The order of battle of the troops of the 4th Army,
• The availability of nuclear warheads and surface-to-air missiles [SAMs] in the 4th Army,
• Information about the nuclear strikes of the "Westerners,"
• Information about the nuclear strikes by the "Easterners" on troops and objectives in the "Westerners" rear,
• Information about the engineer troops of the 4th Army,
• Information about the chemical troops of the 4th Army,
• Information about the signal troops of the 4th Army,
• Information about the rear of the 4th Army
• The order of battle and the identified numbering of the formations and units of the "Westerners."

 
HQ of the 4th Army of the Polish Army: Materials form the 4th Army for the Exercise Critique Group for Soyuz-75
March 26 1975 - This post-exercise review of Soyuz-75 contains an introductory analysis of the results of Soyuz-75 followed by combat instructions and intelligence information prepared as part of the exercise and directed to participants in the 4th Army's leadership from higher echelons within the larger Maritime Front, as well as simulated orders from exercise participants to subordinate units within the 4th Army. (For clarity, the introduction and combat orders are separated from one another in this translation by '++++++')
 
Report Warning of Soviet intervention
December 01 1980 - An urgent message relating contents of a secret Soviet meeting that outlined plans to bring USSR, East German, and Czechoslovak forces into Poland. This document was not dated.
 
Information on the 20th Session of the Committee of the Ministers of Defense of Warsaw Pact Member States
November 30 1987 - Report on the course and results of the 20th Session of the Committee of Ministers of Defense of Warsaw Pact Member States held in Bucurest on November 24-25, 1987.
 
Military Exercise SHCHIT-88
June 02 1988 - This document provides background information on a hypothetical political/military scenario leading up to the command staff exercise SHICHT-88 [TARCZA-88 in Polish].

In the scenario 'Blue' military leaders have begun to oppose the policy of detente pursued by their governments and consequently have raised their level of combat readiness by increasing the frequency of military exercises and pressured 'Blue' governments into ending the destruction of intermediate-range nuclear forces as required by the 1987 Treaty on Intermediate Nuclear Forces in Europe.

In response the 'Reds' have also raised their combat readiness. The increased international tension has affected the situation within Poland, contributing to increased anti-government sentiment.
 

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