Page:NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SURVEY 18; CZECHOSLOVAKIA; MILITARY GEOGRAPHY CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110011-1.pdf/20

 APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110011-1

'''FIGURE 16. Blast furnaces of the Klement Gottwald New Foundry in Ostrava (top), presently part of the largest integrated steel mill in Czechoslovakia, in 1972 produced nearly 2½ million metric tons of pig iron, using Soviet iron ore from Krivoy Rog in the Ukraine. The steel mill is the country's main producer of coke, steel, rolling mill (bottom), and finished steel products. (U/OU)'''

D. Internal routes (C)

Internal routes (Figure 10) are the easiest avenues of movement between land approaches and strategic areas and between strategic areas. In places they are connecting links between other internal routes. All routes contain surfaced roads, most of which are paralleled by standard-gage (4'8½") rail lines. Conditions for offroad dispersal and cross-country movement in all routes are unsuited in areas of high hills and mountains and fair in areas of low hills and plains. In most of the low hills and plains, however, conditions may be unsuited for extended periods from mid-November to early April because of miry soils or snow cover. Detailed information on routes is given in Figure 32.

E. Approaches

Czechoslovakia has a perimeter of about 2,200 miles. There are no disputed boundaries, and all boundaries are demarcated. Most borders have some form of border control installations, including fences, barbed wire, cleared strips, watchtowers, and minefields to prevent illegal crossings. The most intensive measures are along the West Germany border. Data on the boundaries of the country are presented in Figure 33. Selected border views are shown in Figures 34 through 38. (C)

1. Land (C)

Conditions for movement across the land boundaries into Czechoslovakia range from good to unsuited. Best possibilities for both onroad and cross-country movement across the border are through the broad plains in Austria and Poland, where several roads converge on the Morava-Oder Corridor. Conditions are also favorable for cross-country movement across the plains of western and eastern Hungary and the southern part of the U.S.S.R. border. Elsewhere, cross-country movement across the border would be limited by forested, hilly, or mountainous terrain. Numerous roads cross the border, but many are in poor condition. The roads in the approaches shown in Figure 10 are in fair to good condition; all but one contain surfaced two-lane roads, and most contain 4'8½"-gage railroads. These approaches provide the best avenues of movement from adjoining countries. Additional land approach data are presented in Figure 39.

2. Air (U/OU)

There are four air approaches to Czechoslovakia: eastern, southern, western, and northern. Approaches are mainly over land. Weather conditions are generally similar in all approaches to Czechoslovakia, but there are seasonal differences. In general, weather conditions are most favorable for air operations during May through September, when hazardous weather conditions are at a minimum. The least favorable

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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110011-1