Page 203 - The Chief Culprit

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Destruction of the Security Pale

on the Eve of the War

Mines are powerful stuff, but they are a means for the weak, for those defending them-
selves. We are strong. We need mine-clearing measures rather than mines.
—G. I. K, M   S U

o prevent a sudden enemy attack, a country preparing for defense deploys its troops
not on the very border, but deeper in its territory. Between the border and the main
Tline of defense, it creates a continuous zone of obstacles and barriers. is zone is
called the security pale. Its purpose is to wear down the aggressor before he meets the main
forces of the defense.
In the 1920s, during their attempt to occupy Poland, commanders of the Red Army
saw the effectiveness of the Polish security pales for the defense of Poland and had the
bitter experiences of advancing through such pales. at is why after the Polish war the
special Soviet government commissions studied the western regions of their country and
determined the most and the least penetrable zones. All bridges in the western regions of
the country were prepared for explosion. Bridge patrols were ready to blow up the bridges
at any moment. Aside from bridges, large pipelines, depots, water pumps, water towers,
high mounds, and low gullies were all wired for explosion. At the end of 1929, in the Kiev
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military district alone, sixty demolition squads, numbering 1,400 people, were trained and
ready. ey had at their disposal “1,640 fully ready charges and tens of thousands of incen-
diary pipes that could be put into action almost instantly!” Such work was conducted in
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other military districts as well.
In addition to demolition experts’ squads, railroad-blocking battalions were formed in
the western regions of the country. eir task included completely demolishing major railroad
centers in the event of retreat, blocking the main routes, and installing powerful charges with
delayed-action detonators in the event that the enemy attempted to restore the roads. Ukraine
had four such battalions by 1932. On top of that, railroad switch transfers, communica-
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tion equipment, telegraph systems, and in some cases railroad tracks, were all prepared for

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