139The Eastern Border Security Subsystem of the PRL by Border Protection Forces and Its Impact...

Ireneusz Bieniecki

Pomeranian Univeristy

in Slupsk

bieniecki.ireneusz@vp.pl

ORCID: 0000-0002-0021-8742

Izabela Szkurłat

Pomeranian University

in Slupsk

izabela.szkurlat@apsl.edu.pl

ORCID:0000-0001-6320-8421

THE EASTERN BORDER SECURITY SUBSYSTEM

OF THE PRL BY BORDER PROTECTION FORCES

AND ITS IMPACT ON STATE SECURITY IN THE SECOND

HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY.

SELECTED ISSUES. Part 1

PODSYSTEM ZABEZPIECZENIA GRANICY WSCHODNIEJ

PRL PRZEZ WOJSKA OCHRONY POGRANICZA I JEGO

WPŁYWNABEZPIECZEŃSTWOPAŃSTWA

WDRUGIEJPOŁOWIEXXWIEKU.

WYBRANE PROBLEMY. CZ. 1

Abstract: The eastern border protection subsystem of the People’s Republic of Poland

(with the USSR) was one of the four subsystems protecting the Polish state border, which in

the years from the end of World War II until the dissolution of the Border Protection Forces

(WOP-15 May 1991) secured the protection of this section. The rst part of the article discuss-

es such issues as: tasks performed by WOP, organisation and changes in the system of border

protection of the People’s Republic of Poland in the years 1945–1991, forces and means of

WOP participating in the protection of the border of the People’s Republic of Poland until the

mid-1980s and the division of the borderland, as well as crimes committed on the borderland

and the border between the People’s Republic of Poland and the USSR.

Zarys treści: Podsystem ochrony granicy wschodniej PRL (z ZSRR) był jednym z czterech

podsystemów ochrony polskiej granicy państwowej, który w latach od zakończenia II wojny

światowej do rozwiązania Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza (WOP–15 maja 1991 r.) zabezpieczał

ochronę tego odcinka. W części pierwszej artykułu omówiono takie zagadnienia jak: zada-

nia realizowane przez WOP, organizacje i zmiany w systemie ochrony granicy PRL w latach

1945–1991, siły i środki WOP uczestniczące w ochronie granicy PRL do połowy lat 80. XX w.

oraz podział pogranicza a także przestępstwa popełniane na pograniczu i granicy PRL–ZSRR.

139

139gl;;

Nr 7 ss. 139–157 2022

ISSN 2543–7321 Przyjęto: 10.08.2022

Oryginalna praca badawcza DOI: 10.34858/SNB.7.2022.012

STUDIANADBEZPIECZEŃSTWEM

140 Ireneusz Bieniecki, Izabela Szkurłat

Keywords: protection of the border between the People’s Republic of Poland and the USSR,

protection of the eastern border of the People’s Republic of Poland until 1991, securing

the eastern border

Słowa kluczowe: ochrona granicy PRL–ZSRR, ochrona granicy wschodniej PRL do roku 1991

Introduction

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, in the People’s Republic of Po-

land, a military formation was established to protect the state border. Wojska Ochrony

Pogranicza (WOP) was created on 13 September 1945 by the order of the Command-

er-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces (WP) No. 0245. Initially, the organisational

structure of the new formation consisted of a chief institution, which was the WOP

Department, WOP Departments were established at the military district commands,

and units protecting the border directly at the border: divisions, section commands

and watchtowers. This rst order did not yet take into account the functioning

of the Transition Checkpoints (TPCs).

By 1991, the formation had undergone numerous reorganisations, with which the

system and sub-systems (in individual sections) of border protection of the People’s

Republic of Poland had changed1 .

WOP was reformed after more than 45 years of service on the border on 15 May

1991, and the documents, property and posts of the formation were handed over to

the Border Guard (SG) on the order of the Minister of Internal Aairs (no. 47/91) of

16 May 1991 on the organisation of the Border Guard and the reformation of WOP,

and on 16 May 1991 a new formation, the Border Guard, was organised.2

Tasks of the Border Protection Forces

Throughout the life of this formation, its core tasks have been concentrated in

a few basic levels such as:

– State border protection3 and border trac control;

1 Bieniecki, I., Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza w systemie ochrony i obrony granicy morskiej Pol-

ski w latach 1965–1991, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Akademii Pomorskiej w Słupsku, Słupsk

2015, pp. 1–480; Prochwicz, J., Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza 1945–1965. Wybrane problemy,

Naukowe Wydawnictwo Piotrkowskie, Piotrków Trybunalski 2011, pp. 1–563; Wasilewski,

A., Granica lorda Curzona. Wschodnia granica Polski od Wersalu do Schengen (traktaty,

umowy, przejścia graniczne, podróżni, wizy), Adam Marszałek Publishing House, Toruń 2003,

pp. 1–210.

2 Kancelaria Morskiego Oddziału Straży Granicznej (MOSG) w Gdańsku, Rozkazy i Zarządzenia

Komendanta Głównego SG z latach 1991–1992, vol. 3, Order no. 47 of the Minister of Internal

Aairs H. Majewski of 16.05.1991 on the organisation of the Border Guard and the standing

down of WOP, p. 1.

3 State borders are the boundary lines dening the territorial extent of the sovereignty of

the respective states signifying the exclusive sovereignty of a state over that territory

141The Eastern Border Security Subsystem of the PRL by Border Protection Forces and Its Impact...

– Performing border state administration functions;

– Socio-political activities in the borderlands;

– Training, education and preparation of soldiers of the border subdivisions

and the retreats to carry out their tasks;

– as well as the specialised and material-technical safeguarding of the service

process.4

Protecting the national border came down to:

– direct protection of the border with the forces of border guard sub-units

and WOP posts, using ships and aircraft;5

– direct border protection through counter-intelligence control of the hinterland;

– performing tasks for the Ministry of the Interior (MIA) on border trac control

(KRG) at commercial ports, shing ports and border crossings;

– conducting pursuits of border criminals on land and sea;

– implementing investigative functions in relation to border oenders;

– active management of the border surveillance process, collection of experi-

ence, research, development of essential documents and rules of procedure for

border surveillance;

– close cooperation with the Border Trac Control Service, the Citizen’s Militia

(MO), the Military Internal Service (WSW) and the Navy (MW) in the sphere

of border protection;

– close cooperation with the border protection authorities of neighbouring coun-

tries at specic sections of the border.

and the impermissibility of the authority and rights of the other states to act in that territory.

The total length of the state borders of the People’s Republic of Poland was 3,538 km, includ-

ing with: CSRS-1 310 km, USSR-1 244 km, maritime 524 km and GDR-460 km. See: also the

entry “State borders”, Lexicon of military knowledge, collective compilation dir. M. Laprus,

MON Publishing House, Warsaw 1979, p. 132.

4 Archiwum Straży Granicznej (hereinafter ASG) w Szczecinie, Akta DWOP, sygn. no. 1839,

vol. 2, Zadania Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza w okresie pokoju (zał. no. 1 do pisma no. 02314

z 1969 r.), pp. 1–3.

5 Bieniecki, I., The Border Protection Forces’ Floating Units and Their Use for the Security

of the Maritime Border of the People’s Republic of Poland in the Second Half of the 20th

Century, „Studia Nad Bezpieczeństwem” 2019, no. 4, pp. 77–93; Bieniecki, I., The vessels of

the Morska Brygada Okrętów Pogranicza w latach 1966–1991, „Biuletyn Historyczny” Mu-

zeum Marynarki Wojennej w Gdyni, Gdynia 2009, no. 24, pp. 172–191; Bieniecki, I., Wyko-

rzystanie jednostek pływających Morskiej Brygady Okrętów Pogranicza w ochronie polskiej

granicy morskiej w latach 1965–1971, „Komunikaty Instytutu Bałtyckiego”, Wydawnictwo

„Marpress”, Gdańsk 2008, z. 47, pp. 54–67; Bieniecki, I., Jednostki pływające Morskiej Bry-

gady Okrętów Pogranicza i ich wykorzystanie w ochronie granicy morskiej w latach 1966-

1991, [in:] Militarne i gospodarcze aspekty polityki morskiej Polski XX wieku (materiały

z konferencji naukowej zorganizowanej przez AMW w Gdyni 11–12.05.2000 r.), J. Przybylski,

B. Zalewski (eds.), Gdynia 2001, pp. 177–188; Bieniecki, I., Eskadra lotnictwa rozpoznaw-

czego Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza (1958–1970), part 1, „Przegląd Wojsk Lotniczych i Obrony

Powietrznej” 1999, no. 4, pp. 93–97; Bieniecki, I., Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron of the

Frontier Protection Forces (1958–1970), part 2, „Przegląd Wojsk Lotniczych i Obrony Po-

wietrznej” 1999, no. 6, pp. 81–85.

142 Ireneusz Bieniecki, Izabela Szkurłat

Border trac control included:

– control of local border trac at category II and III border crossing points;

– control of shing trac from coastal harbours;

– organisation and control of simplied border trac with the USSR;

– organising and controlling the movement of troops across the border.

The exercise of border state administration functions was related to:

– maintaining the border, border signs6 and marking the borderland;

– keeping and updating of delimitation and other state border demarcation docu-

ments;

– organising and conducting periodic joint inspections of boundary surveying;

– current regulation of administrative regulations at the border and the bor-

derland on the basis of the Border Protection Act in close consultation

with the eld authorities;

– border businesses and institutions, particularly in the elds of tourism and lei-

sure, water management, shipping, communication agriculture and forestry,

and legal relations;

– cooperation with local authorities of neighbouring countries with regard to

matters and interests of border residents, matters of institutions and enterprises

operating in the border area and border issues within the framework of the in-

stitution of a border plenipotentiary.7

Socio-political activities in the borderlands concerned:

– organising border population, youth, paramilitary and social organisations

and Territorial Self-Defence Squads (TOS) to assist WOP in border protection;8

– conducting border crime prevention activities;

– close cooperation with political and prosecutorial authorities in the sphere of

penitentiary policy;

– cultural and educational activities in the border region.

The training, education and preparation of the personnel of the border subdivisions

and retreats to perform their tasks included:

– training of young soldiers in retreats for border subdivisions;

– training of soldiers in watchtowers;

– training of non-commissioned ocer and ensign cadres;

– border training of professional sta;

– training of personnel reserves.

6 See: entry ‘Boundary signs’, Lexicon of military knowledge..., op. cit., p. 525.

7 See: the entry ‘Border Commissioner of the People’s Republic of Poland, ibidem, p. 299.

8 Bieniecki, I., Koncepcja wykorzystania granicznych oddziałów samoobrony Wojsk Ochro-

ny Pogranicza w ochronie i obronie polskich granic, [in:] 7. Łużycka Dywizja Desantowa

1963––1986. Miejsce, rola i zadania Wojsk Obrony Wybrzeża w systemie obronnym Polski,

B. Pacek, A. Polak, W. Mazurek (eds.), Materials from a conference organised at the Central

Maritime Museum in Gdańsk, Wydawnictwo AON-BELLONA, Warszawa 2014, pp. 152–157.

143The Eastern Border Security Subsystem of the PRL by Border Protection Forces and Its Impact...

Specialised and material and technical security for the use of the service was

related to:

– construction of observation towers and their equipment;

– provision of resources to maintain the control lane;

– provision of boundary signs and plaques;

– provision of radar (r./loc.) and infrared equipment used in the service.9

On the other hand, for the war period (‘W’), the tasks of the WOP were as follows:

– Direct protection of the border with the forces of guards and outposts (accord-

ing to “W” time rules);

– Strengthened and intensied trac control in the border area;

– Indirect border protection by counter-intelligence control of the hinterland to

the depth of the border districts;

– Protection and defence of special facilities in the borderlands;

– Conduct counter-insurgency operations in the border district belt and partici-

pate in securing order and security in the border districts, in close coordina-

tion with the internal operations of the District Defence Committees (PKOs)

and the Provincial Defence Committees (WKOs);

– Securing the march of the armies of the then allied countries through the bor-

derlands of the People’s Republic of Poland and carrying out tasks for their

benet, under a unied system of directing the movement of troops;

– Participate in combating air and sea landings according to Military Districts

(OW) action plans;

– Assisting in dealing with the eects of WMD strikes on the civilian population

of the border region;

– Regulation of policing issues in the borderlands under special laws;

– Collaborating with neighbouring countries on border protection,10 ghting

diversion and securing the movement of troops;

– Border trac control.11

Organisation and changes in the border protection system of the People’s

Republic of Poland between 1945 and 1991

Until 1991, the subordination of state border protection in Poland varied and

changed frequently. At various times it was the responsibility of the Ministry

9 ASG in Szczecin, Akta DWOP, ref. no. 1839, vol. 2, Tasks of the Border Protection Forces in

peacetime (appendix no. 1 to letter no. 02314 of 1969).

10 Bieniecki, I., Współpraca Sił Ochrony Pogranicza PRL z formacjami ochrony granicy ZSRR

i NRD na południowym Bałtyku w latach 1960–1991, [in:] Morze nasze nie nasze. Zbiór badań,

P. Kurpiewski, T. Stegner (eds.), (materials from the All-Polish Scientic Conference entitled

“Our sea not ours”. “Morze nasze i nie nasze” zorganizowanej przez Muzeum Miasta Gdyni

w dniach 18–19.10.2010), Publishing House of the University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk 2011,

pp. 419–441.

11 ASG in Szczecin, Akta DWOP, ref. no. 1839, t. 2, Tasks of the Border..., op. cit., p. 3.

144 Ireneusz Bieniecki, Izabela Szkurłat

of Internal Aairs or the Ministry of Defence. The tasks of this protection were carried

out directly on the border by WOP. Until the dissolution of this formation (in 1991),

its structure included WOP Command (DWOP) in Warsaw and tactical units on

the border in the form of WOP Brigades (BWOP) and WOP Divisions (OWOP).

Also, the organisation of WOP units in particular years was dierent due to the in-

tensity and character of border crime, the distinctiveness of particular border sections

and the principles of economy of forces.12 For example, in mid-1962 WOP protected

the state border of the People’s Republic of Poland of a total length of 3,481 km

(100%) including:

– 1,310 km (38%) with the CSRS;

– 1,250 km (36%) with the USSR;

– 461 km (13%) maritime border;

– 460 km (13%) with the GDR.13

At that time, the personnel of the entire WOP formation numbered 25,019 (100%)

soldiers, including:

– soldiers of basic military service (zsw)-20,253 (81%);

– ocers-3,339 (13%);

– professional non-commissioned ocers-1,427 (6%).14

In this formation, its personnel represented various services and subdivisions.

The following numbers of WOP soldiers were on duty in the various cells and types

of subdivisions:

– border subdivisions-10,629 (42%);

– school divisions-3,846 (15%);

– technical subdivisions-3,141 (13%);

– recoveries-2,189 (9%);

– command and sta-1,390 (6%);

– supply organs-1,223 (5%);

– service subdivisions-1,085 (4%);

– Maritime Service (excluding the Head of Maritime Service and the WOP

School of Maritime Specialists)-1,240 (5%);15

– ight-276 (1%).

The distribution of the above-mentioned forces for the protection of individual

12 Operation of WOP in the system of protecting the country’s borders during peace and war,

“Biuletyn Informacyjny” of the Academy of General Sta, Warsaw 1971, no. 1 (101), p. 15;

See: also Scope of action of the Brygady Brygsk Ochrony Pogranicza command (in the authors’

collection), Warsaw–January 1985.

13 ASG in Szczecin, DWOP les, ref. no. 1608, vol. 4, Sta note on issues proposed for inclusion

in WOP commander’s notebook no. 01528a of 18.08.1962 prepared by maj. Kocybała, p. 1.

14 Ibidem, p. 2.

15 Bieniecki, I., School of Marine Specialists of the Border Protection Forces (1950–1967), “His-

torical Bulletin” of the Naval Museum in Gdynia, Gdynia 2001, no. 17, pp. 95–102.

145The Eastern Border Security Subsystem of the PRL by Border Protection Forces and Its Impact...

sections of the state border of the People’s Republic of Poland varied, but the larg-

est percentage of the personnel of this formation was involved in the protection

of the western border (with the GDR) and the southern border (with the CSRS):

– Western border-44% (4,083 soldiers);

– Southern border-40% (3,756);

– sea border-13% (1,217);

– Eastern border-3% (318).

WOP detachments were also engaged in border operations, with a total of 2,189

(100%) soldiers at the time. Again, the most numerous detachments operated on

the western and southern borders:

– Western border-36% (791);

– Southern border-28% (617);

– Eastern border-23% (493);

– sea border-13% (288).16

In mid-1962, the intensity of border crime on individual sections of the PRL state

border varied considerably, ranging from 68% on the southern border (with the CSRS)

to 3% on the maritime border. On individual sections of the PRL border it amounted

to:

– 68% of total border crime at the southern border;

– 22% on the western border (with East Germany);

– 7% on the eastern border (with the USSR);

– 3% on the maritime border.17

Therefore, two basic types of border subdivisions, guards and outposts, were used

to protect the PRL border.

Watchtowers functioned within BWOP structures, while outposts functioned

within OWOP structures.

The sections of service responsibility protected by BWOP had an average length

of 240 km, and the sections of the border protected by WOP watchtowers varied

and were:

– 17 km at the maritime border;

– 12 km at the southern border;

– 8 km on the western border.

The average length of the section protected by the watchtower depended on

the level of border crime threat and was 5 km in the main threat direction and 7 km

in other directions.

Each BWOP had an average of about 17 watchtowers, which fell into four basic

categories (types) with varying stang levels:

16 ASG in Szczecin, DWOP les, ref. no. 1608, vol. 4, Sta note on issues..., op. cit., p. 2.

17 Ibidem, p. 3.

146 Ireneusz Bieniecki, Izabela Szkurłat

– Cat I guards-84 men (command, 2 infantry platoons and service team);

– cat II guardhouse -66 men (command, 2 infantry platoons and service team);

– Cat III guardhouse -47 men (command, 4 infantry teams and a service team);

– Cat IV guardhouse -26 men (command, 2 infantry teams and a service team).

On the other hand, OWOP protected a section of service responsibility

with a length of 306 km, and the average length of a WOP outpost section was 45 km.

Each division had an average of 7 outposts, whose stang varied from 10 people on

the southern border to 5–7 people on the eastern border.

At that time, various technical devices such as trac lights, acoustic signalling,

infrared signalling, radar surveillance (r./local)18 and checking the border lane19 were

used to protect the border in the various sections.

A section of the eastern border was protected by the personnel of WOP outposts,

based on reconnaissance and work with the civilian population of the border area.20

In the mid-1960s, the next, in the opinion of the authors of this article, most sig-

nicant changes in the organisational structure of WOP were made, which aect-

ed their activity until the end of the formation’s functioning. The former DWOP

and its subordinate units were subordinated to the General Inspector of Territorial De-

fence (GIOT) of the Ministry of Defence, Lieutenant General Grzegorz Korczyński,

by a decision of the Committee for National Defence (KOK) of 6 March 1965. From

1 July 1965, the formation was subordinated to the Ministry of Defence in terms

of command. Together with WOP, the Internal Security Corps (KBW) was incorpo-

rated into the Ministry of the Interior. Border crossings were still left in the Minis-

try of the Interior.21 A new system of command of WOP units was created, through

the General Sta of the Polish Army, the Inspectorate of Territorial Defence (IOT)

and the WOP Headquarters. At the same time, the entire supply of WOP units was taken

over by Military Districts.22 At that time (1965), the WOP force had a total of 24,695

18 Bieniecki, I., Obserwacja i radiolokacyjny dozór Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza na polskim

wybrzeżu morskim w latach 1960–1991 (powstanie – rozwój – organizacja), cz. 1, „Biule-

tyn COS SG” 2011, no. 3 (58), pp. 73–90; Bieniecki, I., Obserwacja i radiolokacyjny dozór

Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza na polskim wybrzeżu morskim w latach 1960–1991 (powstanie

– rozwój – organizacja), cz. 2, „Biuletyn COS SG” 2011, no. 4 (59), pp. 71–87; Bieniecki,

I., Obserwacja i radiolokacyjny dozór Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza na polskim wybrzeżu mor-

skim w latach 1960–1991 (powstanie – rozwój – organizacja, cz. 3, „Biuletyn COS SG” 2012,

no. 1–2 (60–61), pp. 99–118.

19 ASG in Szczecin, DWOP les, ref. no. 1608, vol. 4, Sta note on issues..., op. cit., pp. 3–4.

20 Ibidem, p. 4.

21 A border crossing point in the PRL was dened as a place designated for crossing the state bor-

der. It could include a xed section of road crossing the state border, the area of a border railway

station, an airport or part thereof, a specic part of a sea or river port. The territorial scope of

a border crossing in the PRL was determined by the Minister of Intenal Aairs. Border cross-

ing points were distinguished: road, rail, air, sea and river. See entry “Border crossing”, Lexi-

con of military knowledge, collective compilation dir. M. Laprus, op. cit., p. 340.

22 Dominiczak, H., Establishment and organisational development of the Border Guard Troops

in 1945–1983 (Studies in the history of the internal aairs department), z. 5, ASW Publishing

House in Warsaw, Warsaw 1984, pp. 69–70.

147The Eastern Border Security Subsystem of the PRL by Border Protection Forces and Its Impact...

professional and basic military service (zsw) soldiers. Pursuant to an order of the Min-

istry of Defence (No. 017/MON of 27 July 1965 on temporary terms of reference),

the post of Chief Inspector of National Defence (GIOT) was created. It was directly

subordinate to the Minister of National Defence and directed preparations for the land

defence of the country’s territory, the activities of the Internal Forces (WW) and Ter-

ritorial Defence (OT) units, the preparation of eld command posts of the chief state

bodies, as well as coordinated undertakings in the eld of general defence preparation

of society. The WW comprised the Internal Defence Forces (WOWewn.) – subordi-

nate to the GIOT directly or through the commanders of the OW and the WOP – sub-

ordinate directly to the GIOT.23

In view of the organisational integration of the WWE into the composition of the unied OTK

system and in accordance with the orders and orders of the Ministry of Defence and the Chief

of the Gen. Sta Nos. 054/Org. of 26 June, 057/Org. of 28 June, 053/Org., 052/Org. and 060/

Org. of 14 July 1965:

− On 26 June 1965, the post of GIOT was introduced and placed under the direct authority

of the Ministry of Defence;

− On 1 July 1965, the position of Head of IOT was introduced at the same time as

the Deputy of GIOT, creating the OT Inspectorate;

− as of 1 July 1965, the commanders of KBW and WOP were subordinated to MON by

GIOT, maintaining the existing command system in WW until the competence of the OT

Inspectorate was dened.

At the same time, a commission of the Polish Army General Sta under the chairmanship

of the Deputy Chief of the General Sta for org./ mob. Maj. gen. A. Czaplewski had until

1 November 1965 to develop a project for the organisational structure of the WW units and

their positioning in the composition of the unied OTK system, which was the core of the land

forces of the system.

Archives of the Land Forces (hereafter AWL) in Toruń, DPOW Files, ref. no. 115/68,

vol. 17, Order of the Chief of Sta of the POW No. 031/Org. of 21.07.1965, p. 1.

23 ASG in Szczecin, Akta Szefostwa WOP, ref. no. 1841, vol. 3, Order of the Ministry of Defence

no. 017/MON of 27.07.1965 on the temporary scope of competence of GIOT, p. 1.

The OTK troops were mainly intended for combat tasks within the internal defence front

and in particular for:

− the country’s air defence;

− land defence and sea coast defence (especially to combat enemy air and sea landings,

special and diversionary groups);

− the protection of land and sea borders and the protection and defence of key facilities;

− securing the needs of operational troops in terms of their regrouping, development and

replenishment;

− to participate in operations carried out mainly through the militarised and self-defence

forces, aimed at preventing and removing the eects of enemy attacks on the country’s

territory.

The OTK troops included: the OPK troops, land troops, part of the air force and the MW.

In the organisational system of the OTK ground troops, the following were distinguished:

branches of the Internal Defence Forces, WOP, engineering-technical units (pontoon, brid-

ge, railway, road-operational), OT units and others. OT units were intended to operate

in the system of defence of provinces and districts, i.e. within the OT in conjunction with

the general self-defence of society.

Archives of the Institutions of the Ministry of Defence (hereafter AIMON) in Modlin, GIOT

Files, ref. no. 21/91, vol.147, Paper of the Deputy GIOT-Head of the Inspectorate of General

148 Ireneusz Bieniecki, Izabela Szkurłat

The next signicant changes in the organisational structure of BWOP and forms

of border protection took place after 1975, in connection with the reform of state

administration and the new administrative division of the country. The directions for

the improvement of border protection, adopted in 1975 by the management of the

Ministry of Internal Aairs, in the activities of WOP until 1980, envisaged adjustment

of BWOP’s service sections to the new administrative division of the country and

a transition to a two-tier structure of command and management (WOP brigade

– WOP watchtower, WOP brigade – WOP Border Control Post). At the same time,

from 1 June 1976 the level of border battalions (bg) was eliminated and a new organi-

sational structure of WOP was introduced, which was in force in the 1980s.24

Forces and means of WOP in the protection of the eastern border

of the People’s Republic of Poland until the mid-1980s

In 1983, the total length of the Polish borders protected by WOP was 3,397.758

km (100%). The longest was the border with: the CSRR-38.55% (1,309.900 km),

the border with the USSR accounted for 36.17% (1,228.958 km), the border with

the GDR-13.55% (400 km) and the maritime border-398.500 km (11.73%).25

At the time, the formation had 24,188 full-time personnel, including 23,147 mili-

tary personnel (95.7%) and 1,041 (4.3%) full-time civilian employees.

The cadre group of 7,375 consisted of: 2,933 ocers (39.8%, including 18 gen-

eral posts), 1,876 ensigns (25.4%) and 2,566 NCOs (34.8%). In addition, there were

15,772 (68.1%) zsw soldiers. Within this group, privates 13,644 (86.5%) and zsw

non-commissioned ocers 2,128 (13.5%) accounted for the largest proportion.

In the WOP formation in 1983 the following units, centres and subdivisions

were in operation, with soldiers and civilian employees on duty:

– 11th WOP Brigade (BWOP);

– 1. WOP Training Centre (CSWOP) in Kętrzyn;

– 73. land guards (developed);

– 72. land (sta) guards;

– 19. coastal watchtowers;

– 9. port watchtowers (Szczecin, Gdynia, Gdańsk);

– 57. Border Inspection Posts (BIPs);

– 2. border battalions (bg);

– 3. Port battalions (bport);

– 12. de-escalation battalions (bo);

Self-Defence by Brig. Gen. A. Cesarski on the subject “Development of the defence of the

People’s Republic of Poland with particular reference to the territorial defence of the country”

of 19.11.1969, pp. 9–10.

24 ASG in Szczecin, Akta DWOP, ref. no. 2519, vol. 82, Order concerning organisational and sta

changes in BWOP until 1985 (draft) of 20.07.1983, p. 1.

25 ASG in Szczecin, Akta DWOP, ref. no. 2519, vol. 82, List of WOP units and subdivisions from

1983, p. 5.

149The Eastern Border Security Subsystem of the PRL by Border Protection Forces and Its Impact...

– 9. independent retreat companies (sko);

– 30th Operational Groups (GOs);

– 8. training centres.26

BWOPs at the time protected sections of the state border of varying lengths-from

5.2% (Baltic BWOP) to 13.0% (Nadbuzhanska BWOP) of the total length of the state

border of the People’s Republic of Poland. In individual BWOPs on the eastern border

of the People’s Republic of Poland, the following forces and resources were assigned

for this purpose.

Podlasko-Mazurska BWOP-mp. Bialystok

This protected a section of the border of 421.700 km (12.4%). In its structure it had

the following frontier and retreat subdivisions:

I) 10. land (sta) guards;

II) 4. GPK;

III) 1. sko;

IV) 1. GO.

Nadbużańska BWOP-mp. Chelm Lubelski

This protected a section of the border of 442.472 km (13.0%). In its structure it had

the following border and retreat subdivisions:

– 8 land (sta) guards,

– 3. GPK.

Bieszczady BWOP-mp. Przemyśl

This protected a section of the border of 372.122 km (10.9%). In its structure it had

the following frontier and retreat subdivisions:

– 13. land (sta) guards;

– 4. GPK;

– 1. sko;

– 1. GO.27

As mentioned above, the number of WOP forces and resources engaged to protect

particular sections of the state border of the People’s Republic of Poland depended,

among other things, on the border crime occurring there.

Border division and crime on the communist-USSR border

According to the views held in the People’s Republic of Poland, the protection

of the state border did not just boil down to securing the border in a narrow sense.

26 Ibidem, p. 5. See e.g.: Dominiczak, H., Centrum Szkolenia Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza w Kę-

trzynie 1946–1986, DWOP Publishing House, Warsaw 1986, pp. 1–268.

27 ASG in Szczecin, DWOP, ref. no. 2519, vol. 82, List of WOP units..., op. cit., pp. 1–4.

150 Ireneusz Bieniecki, Izabela Szkurłat

It required the creation of a number of conditions and the carrying out of numerous

organisational undertakings in the area adjacent to the border, known as the border-

land.28 The border area was divided into the following zones, starting from the state

border and extending inwards into the country: the border road strip, the border zone

and the border strip.

The border road strip was an area 15 m wide, starting from the state border line

on land or from the water protection devices of the border waters (dykes, dams, sluic-

es, etc.) and the seashore inland. This strip of land was used by WOP authorities

to carry out activities related to the protection of the state border (a by-pass road)

and |the construction of border facilities, and it was forbidden to enter this strip or

carry out any activities on it without the permission of WOP authorities. In situations

where the characteristics of the terrain or the course of the border line required it,

the Presidium of the Voivodeship National Council (WRN) could, at the request of

the WOP authorities, extend the border road strip to 100 m.29

The border zone comprised an area from 2 to 6 km wide, starting from

the border line on land or from the shore of border waters or the seashore in-

land. Its width (within these limits) was dened by the presidencies of the WRN

in agreement with the WOP authorities. It could be narrowed to less than 2 km

by the Council of Ministers or in special cases extended to 10 km by the Min-

istry of the Interior.30 On land located in the border zone, activities related to

the marking and protection of the border and the construction of border facili-

ties could be carried out without the consent of the owners or users of the land.

Residence in the border zone required a permit from the District National Coun-

cil (PRN) or the Municipal National Council (MRN) with jurisdiction over

the place of residence. Also, temporary residence in the zone required a permit

from the Citizens’ Militia Headquarters competent for the residence of the person

who intended to go to the border zone. The Presidium of the PRN or the MRN

could prohibit a person permanently residing there from continuing to live and

stay in the zone if security reasons or the protection of state borders

required it.31 The border area also had specic and rigorous regulations for those

residing there. Temporary residence in the border area required a permit from

the authorities of the MO (police station, commissariat, post) having jurisdiction

28 A borderland is an area adjacent to a state border, which was subject to legal provisions in-

troducing certain rigours and restrictions aimed at ensuring the security and inviolability of

the state border. In the People’s Republic of Poland the following parts of the borderland were

distinguished, starting from the state border and extending inwards into the country: the border

road strip, the border zone and the border strip. See the entry “Borderland”, Lexicon of military

knowledge..., op. cit., p. 315.

29 Border Service Regulations. Part 1 – General principles, MON Publishing House, Warsaw

1968, pp. 6–7; and the entry “Belt of the border road”, Lexicon of military knowledge..., op. cit.,

p. 296.

30 ASG in Szczecin, Akta DWOP, sygn. no. 1841, vol. 8, Opracowanie pt. “Organisation of activi-

ties of WOP forces and means in the system of protecting the country’s borders and cooperation

in this eld with other forces and means OTK of 15.10.1970, p. 3.

31 Border Service Regulations. Part 1..., op. cit., pp. 8–9, and the entry “Border Zone”, Lexicon of

military knowledge..., op. cit., p. 418.

151The Eastern Border Security Subsystem of the PRL by Border Protection Forces and Its Impact...

over the place of residence of the person who intended to go to the border area.

A residence permit for the border zone entitled the person to stay in the locality that

was listed on the permit. Permits were not required for juveniles under 14 years

of age.32 The need to hold a temporary residence permit in the border area was

suspended only in the coastal provinces during the summer season (1 May to 30

September) each year. In addition, the possession of a temporary residence permit

in the border area was not valid for certain groups of people. Any person staying

in the border area individually or as part of an organised group was obliged, when

requested by the WOP or MO authorities, to present a document conrming his/

her right to stay in the border area, together with an identity card. People under

the age of 18 were not required to have an identity card and could instead present

a school ID card, a temporary identity certicate or another personal document.

Such a document was not required as long as they were staying in the border area

together with the people whose identity card they were registered with. People ar-

riving in the border area were required to register at the oce of the local territorial

state administration of the basic level, within 24 hours of their arrival, regardless

of the length of time they intended to stay in the border area. Those staying in the

border area were obliged to comply with regulations issued by the local provincial

oces. In particular, these regulations regulated the use of bathing and beach areas

as well as tourist facilities and trails. These regulations were published in the form

of notices. Managers of organised groups travelling on tourist routes in the border

area were obliged to have a list of participants by name. In order to maintain the

safety of the participants of these groups, it was recommended that their managers

(organisers) should each time notify the local WOP guards of the date and route of

the planned marches, rallies and hiking camps.33

The border strip included the area of the counties adjacent to the state border line

and from the shore of the border waters and the seashore. Those towns and counties

whose area lay wholly or partly within 30 km of the border were also included in

the border strip. The Council of Ministers could, by means of a decree, extend the

area of the border strip to all or certain districts or localities adjacent to the districts of

the border strip, as well as extend all or certain provisions in force for the protection

of borders in the border zone, to the area of the border strip or certain parts thereof.34

The above-mentioned terms were linked to the concept of a border oence, which was

a judicially prohibited act directed against the inviolability and security of state

borders. This category of oences included, inter alia, crossing or attempting to

cross the state border without permission, on the basis of forged documents or doc-

uments belonging to another person, providing assistance in the illegal crossing

of the state border or violating border signs and equipment.35 For exam-

ple, in the period from 1 January 1965 to 30 September 1968, a total of 1,651

32 Regulations in force in the border area, “Granica” (WOP magazine), no. 7 of 1986, p. 3.

33 Ibidem, p. 3.

34 Border Service Regulations. Part 1..., op. cit., pp. 8–9; and the entry “Border Belt”, Lexicon of

military knowledge..., op. cit., p. 296.

35 See the entry ‘Borderline crime’, Lexicon of military knowledge..., op. cit., p. 343.

152 Ireneusz Bieniecki, Izabela Szkurłat

people (100%) were detained at the PRL-Soviet border for border crossings

or attempted and for committing other border crimes and oences, as shown in

the table below.

Table 1. Persons apprehended at the border of the People’s Republic of Poland and the USSR

in the years 1965–1968

Nature of the act committed

Year Total

on the border

of COMMUNIST

PARTY–USSR

1965 1966 1967

1 January

– 30 September

1968

Illegal border crossing

or attempted illegal border

crossing

224 309 357 310 1 200

Other oences 1 3 11 10 25

Border oences 52 91 148 135 426

Total 277 403 516 455 1 651

Percentage of total 16,8 24,4 31,3 27,5 100

Source: ASG in Szczecin, DWOP les, sygn. no. 1839, vol. 2, Information on the activities

of the Border Protection Forces in the eld of PRL border protection of December 1968, p. 25.

On the basis of the data presented above, an upward trend in each of the categories

listed in the table (other oences, border oences) can be observed at this section of the

state border during this period. Also, according to the assessment of the USSR side, the

threat to this border increased in these years, with a particularly noticeable increase in

incidents of attempted in the direction towards Poland. An assessment of the state of

border crime on the eastern border was the subject of a meeting with the then head of the

WOP. It was conducted on the initiative of the Russian side in January 1968. There was

also a written submission on this issue from the USSR, delivered in February 1968, by the

head of the KGB representation of the USSR to the Interior Ministry of the People’s Re-

public of Poland. At the time, of particular interest and concern to the neighbour beyond

the River Bug was the phenomenon of a marked increase in border crime on the USSR’s

western border, where around 50% of all border crime with the USSR was concentrated.36

In their information, the Russians also signalled the phenomenon of an increase in

the smuggling of hostile literature at border crossings. In 1967 alone, 27,000 cop-

ies of so-called hostile publications smuggled into the USSR from Poland were re-

vealed. Due to the increase in crime and the increased penetration of the border ar-

eas by tourists from the Western countries at the time, the Russian side expressed

concern that, under these conditions, there was the possibility of the smuggling into

the USSR of agents of foreign intelligence “and emissaries of bourgeois-nationalist

36 ASG in Szczecin, Akta DWOP, ref. no. 1839, vol. 2, Informacja o działalności Wojsk Ochrony

Pogranicza w zakresie ochrony granic PRL of December 1968, p. 25.

153The Eastern Border Security Subsystem of the PRL by Border Protection Forces and Its Impact...

centres operating in the West.”37 Also, operational analyses carried out by the Pol-

ish side conrmed the facts of increased penetration of communication routes cross-

ing the borders, bridges over the River Bug, military facilities, etc. by diplomats of

Western countries accredited in Poland (in particular the USA, the UK and France).

On the eastern border of the People’s Republic of Poland, in the zone of opera-

tion of WOP subunits, the organs of Zwiadu38 of this formation operationally con-

trolled approximately 700 people who, in their opinion, posed a threat to the security

and inviolability of the state border at that time. On this section of the state border,

there were population centres of Ukrainian origin in the northern and southern parts

of the border area. In these communities, a resurgence of nationalist sentiment was

observed, fuelled by centres in what was then West Germany and Canada. The acti-

vation of contacts of local Ukrainian population groups with the mentioned cen-

tres was also noted. Cases were found where the eastern and southern borderlands

were used as a meeting place for people of Ukrainian origin residing in the USSR to

meet representatives of Ukrainian circles from West Germany, the USA and Canada.

Such meetings were arranged in advance by correspondence. Similar trends also oc-

curred in centres of Lithuanian origin in the districts of Sejny and Suwałki.39 In 1966,

an organised smuggling operation across the border into Poland was uncovered

and dismantled in the town of Bereźniki in the Suwałki district, with the involvement

of Soviet border residents of Lithuanian origin. In the above mentioned case

7 citizens of the People’s Republic of Poland were detained. In addition, numer-

ous violations of border order, most often by border residents, such as damage to

USSR border signs, unconscious border violations and numerous incidents of cat-

tle crossing over the border line, were found on the PRL-Soviet border at this time.

The perpetration of these oences was greatly facilitated by the lack of a direct

border (line) service. At the time, it was assessed that such incidents constituted

37 Ibidem, p. 26.

38 Bieniecki, I., Szkurłat, I., Zwiad Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza w zabezpieczeniu polskiej granicy

morskiej w latach 1960–1991, [in:] W cieniu służb. Ze studiów nad bezpieczeństwem państwa,

P. Kołakowski, B. Sprengel, M. Stefański, J. Zawadzki (eds.), Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek

w Toruniu, Toruń 2016, pp. 387–411; Bieniecki, I., Szkurłat, I., Zwiad Wojsk Ochrony Pograni-

cza w latach 1960–1991 (tasks, organisation, personnel and its activity in protecting the border

of the People’s Republic of Poland), [in:] Służby wywiadowcze jako element polskiej polityki

bezpieczeństwa. History and contemporaneity, M. Górka (ed.), Adam Marszałek Publishing

House in Toruń, Toruń 2016, pp. 299–335; Bieniecki, I., Operacyjno-rozpoznawcza działalność

Zwiadu Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza na polskim wybrzeżu morskim w latach 1960–1991, [in:]

Służby specjalne w systemie bezpieczeństwa państwa. Przeszłość–Teraźniejszość–Przyszłość,

„Materials and Studies”, vol. 1, A. Krzak, D. Gibas-Krzak (eds.) (materials from the Inter-

national Scientic Conference entitled Special Services in the State Security System. „Prze-

szłość–Teraźniejszość–Przyszłość” organised by the University of Szczecin on 24–25.04.2012

in Szczecin), Publishing House of the University of Szczecin and the Military Centre for Ci-

vic Education, Szczecin–Warsaw 2012, pp. 457–482; Bieniecki, I., Zwiad Nadmorskich Bry-

gad Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza w latach 1965–1991. Zadania – struktura – działalność, [in:]

Edukacja dla bezpieczeństwa. Special Services in the State Security System. Practical aspects

of security, vol. 1, M. Ilnicki, A. Piotrowski (eds.), (materials from a conference organised

by WSB),WSB Publishing House in Poznań, Poznań 2012, pp. 147–178.

39 ASG in Szczecin, Akta DWOP, ref. no. 1839, vol. 2, Information..., op. cit., p. 26.

154 Ireneusz Bieniecki, Izabela Szkurłat

a signicant nuisance in the process of border protection and were treated by the Rus-

sian side as a serious violation of order at the state border. In 1967 alone, a total of

232 such incidents were recorded and 242 people were detained for unknowingly

crossing this border. On this border there was also a simplied border trac,40 which

was used by citizens of the Polish People’s Republic and the USSR permanently re-

siding in border towns. All activities related to the simplied border trac, including

the issuing of passes and control of this trac, were performed by the border protec-

tion authorities of both countries. The second part of the article will be published in

the next issue of Security Studies.

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