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CzechoslovakiaSovietCentralGroupofForcesinCzechoslovakia
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Sources:TheLibraryofCongressCountryStudiesCIAWorldFactbook

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Sovietinfluencewithinthearmedforcesbecameevenstrongerafter1968becauseoftheunits
leftbehindafterthewithdrawalofthemaininvasionforces.Resignationsandpurgeseliminated
theofficersandNCOswhowouldhaveobjectedtotheSovietoccupation,whereasthosewho
remainedonactivedutyandthoserecruitedtoreplacelosseswereinclinedtofavorstrong
Sovietties.Inlate1987,nearlytwodecadesaftertheinvasion,fiveSovietdivisionswerestill
stationedinCzechoslovakiaand,toalloutwardappearances,Sovietinfluencewas
undiminished.
SovietmilitaryunitsdeployedoutsidethebordersoftheSovietUnionafterWorldWarIIhave
beenorganizedingroupsratherthaninfronts,whichwasthewartimedesignationofthese
majorformations.Throughoutthepostwarera,thelargestdeploymentofSovietforcesoutside
itsbordershasbeentheGroupofSovietForcesinGermanylocatedinEastGermany.Other
groupsweretheNorthernGroupofForcesinPoland,theSouthernGroupofForcesinHungary,
andtheCentralGroupofForcesinCzechoslovakia.TheCentralGroupofforcescomprisedtwo
tankdivisions,threemechanizedinfantrydivisions,threemisslebrigades,anartillerybrigade,
andanairborneassaultbrigade.Totalstrengthwasabout85,000.Groupheadquarterswas
locatedinthetownofMilovice,northwestofPrague.InOctober1984,ColonelGeneralViktor
YermakovwasnamedbyMoscowtocommandtheCentralGroupofForces,replacing
LieutenantGeneralGrigoriyBorisov,whohadassumedcommandinJanuary1981.
FourofthefiveSovietgrounddivisionsinCzechoslovakiawerestationedintheCzechlands
(Milovice,MladaBoleslav,VysokeMyto,andBruntal),whileonewasheadquarteredinSlovakia
(Zvolen).Armamentsinearly1987included1,500mainbattletanks,650artillerypieces,90
multipurposerocketlaunchers,and300frontlineaircraft,including120helicopters.Theaircraft
inventoryalsoincludedSu25groundattackairplanes.TheCentralGroupofForcesalso
possessedfiftyoperationalandoperationaltacticalnuclearmissilesconsistingofSS21s,SS
22s,andSS23s.TheSS21sitesincludedZvolen,Topolcany,andVysokeMytoinSlovakia,
andatPlzen,CeskeBudejovice,MladaBoleslav,Susice,Milovice,BrodnadDyji,Havlickuv
Brod,Bruntal,andTaborintheCzechlands.In1983theCzechoslovakgovernmentattempted
tomusterpublicsupportforthedecisiontoinstallthesemissiles.TheCzechoslovakcitizenry,
however,realizingthattheircountryhadnowbecomeaprimarytargetinafuturewar,didnot
supporttheinstallation.
TheCentralGroupofForcesisalegacyofthe1968invasionuntilthatevent,Czechoslovakia
hadhadnoSoviettroopsstationedpermanentlywithinitsborders.Thedegreeofpermanence
oftheCentralGroupofForceshasinthepastappearedtobeamatterofsemantics.Forseveral
yearsaftertheinvasion,thedeploymentwasreferredtoofficiallyas"temporary,"anda
commissionfortheTemporaryStationingofSovietForcesonCzechoslovakTerritoryexistedfor
atleastthefirsttenyears.TheSovietpurposeinmaintainingtroopunitsofthemagnitudeofthe
CentralGroupofForcesisundoubtedlytwofold:first,toavoidanyfutureDubceklikedeviations
and,second,toincreasesubstantiallythestrengthoftheWarsawPactonitswesternmost
frontier.
DataasofAugust1987

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Factbook.NoclaimsaremaderegardingtheaccuracyofCzechoslovakiaSovietCentralGroupofForcesinCzechoslovakiainformationcontained
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