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136 Document No. 19: Report of the Czechoslovak Army Chief of Staff to the Minister of National Defense December 3, 1980 With the partial opening of the archives of Poland’s neighbors following the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, it has become possible to view events through the eyes of their leaders, at least to a degree, and to understand developments in more detail in cases where Polish or Soviet sources are lacking. Although records of top-level Czechoslovak party discussions of the Polish crisis were apparently destroyed, numerous important files still exist, including this summary of a Warsaw Pact exercise planned for early December 1980 which generated serious alarm in the West because it was believed to be a pretext for a Soviet-led invasion of Poland (see Document Nos. 20, 21 and 23). There is no indication in the document below that this was the case, and of course no invasion ultimately took place. However, it is interesting to note that the Soviets revealed to their East European counterparts only those parts of the exercise directly relevant to their participation. This is confirmed by a similar document from East Germany which shows that the CPA and the NVA learned only what Soviet military leaders decided they needed to know, and were otherwise in the dark about Moscow’s ultimate intentions.12 Respected Comrade, Marshal of the Soviet Union N. V. Ogarkov, chief of the general staff of the USSR Armed Forces, with the participation of gen. Col. Abolins, vice chief of the general Staff, and gen. Col. Tiereshchenko, first vice chief of staff of the Soviet Armed Forces, provided clarification of the planned exercise. Present were gen. Col. [Horst] Štechbart, commander of the NVA Land Forces of the gDR, and Armed Forces gen. [Tadeusz] Hupałowski, first vice chief of the general Staff of the PPA. The plans assume carrying out two exercises. The first is a huge divisional tactical exercise independently carried out on each division’s home territory and on the territory of the Polish People’s Republic over a period of 5–6 days. The second is a command-and-control field exercise with communications equipment and partly-deployed forces on PPR territory. Four-to-five divisions of the Soviet Army (of the Baltic, Belorussian and Carpathian Military District and the 31st Tank Division of the Central group of Soviet Forces) will take part in both exercises. From the other armies: one division from the NVA of the gDR, four divisions of the PPA and two tank divisions of the CPA [Czechoslovak People ’s Army]. 12 For a discussion of this point and the state of Czechoslovak archival sources on this period, see Oldřich Tůma, “The Czechoslovak Communist Regime and the Polish Crisis 1980–1981,” 60–76. 137 Divisional tactical exercises will be carried out in two phases. The first phase will be carried out independently on each division’s home territory over two-tothree days (see map). Following the completion of the divisional tactical exercises , both tank divisions of the CPA shall gather together near the border with the Polish People’s Republic. An order from the general Staff of the USSR Armed Forces will set the date and time for crossing the state border into the territory of the PPR (the 1st tank division along one axis, the 9th tank division along two axes—see map13). The issuing of this order from the general Staff of the USSR Armed Forces initiates the second phase of the tactical exercise. The CPA in coordination with one division of the PPA (the 11th tank division) will operate in the Zagan exercise area, where both exercises will take place, under the control of the CPA in coordination with the Wrocław Military Circle’s operational group. Following the realization of the tactical exercise, the CPA and PPA divisions will move to the allotted places on the territory of the PPR (see map14). Following a short rest (1 day), the second exercise will begin—a commandand -control field exercise with communications equipment and partly-deployed forces. […] More detailed preparations for the second exercise will likely take place between December 8–10, 1980. In conclusion, Marshal Ogarkov noted that at the present time the exercise is merely prepared. Its execution, including the timing of the exercise, will be decided by the political leadership. This allied action will probably be announced in accordance with the Helsinki Final Act, though with less than the 21 days notice specified. Respected...

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