APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200070024-2
FIGURE 10. Nearly all forest lands in Poland are under state control. The random spread and growth of these trees in the Sudeten mountains south of Jelenia Gora indicates a lack of planned forestry management. (U/OU) (picture)
larger basins and valleys are sites available that would require little grading and clearing. In most of these sites, however, the runway alignments and approaches would be restricted.
Irregular warfare operations would be confined by the rugged terrain, for the most part, to troops trained in mountain operations. Within basins, movement is restricted by bogs, lakes, and miry soils during the spring thaw and after heavy rains. The sparse population is concentrated mainly in villages and towns in the basins and valleys. Food is available mostly in the cultivated parts of the hills and basins. Potable water is available only from swift mountain streams; elsewhere, it is contaminated and must be treated before using. Shelter and natural fuel would be most plentiful in the forests. Large supplies of food, clothing, medical supplies, small arms, and ammunition would not be readily available. Supply by aid would be limited to isolated basins and valleys, most of which have restricted approaches.
3. Carpathian Mountains and Hills
Unsuited for most military ground operations, this region consists of mountains oriented in an east-west direction, extensive hilly areas, and scattered basins. The mountains are more extensive and the foothills are more rugged than those in the Sudeten Mountains and Hills Region. In Poland, the Carpathian Mountains range from broad, discontinuous, heavily forested ridges in the west to sharp, barren ridges and jagged summits in the central section (Figure 11). The hills are rugged and largely forested near the mountainous sections, but in many scattered areas, especially adjacent to the Polish Plains, the hills are more rounded and are partially cleared for pasture and cultivation. Most of the region is drained by the headquarters of streams which flow swiftly northward to the Vistula River. The rail and road networks are sparse and less developed than the networks in other parts of the country. Most of the roads are unimproved
FIGURE 11. The Carpathian Mountains have the highest elevations in Poland. The jagged, barren crests of these mountains near Zakopane form the boundary with Czechoslovakia. (U/OU) (picture)
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200070024-2
