In 1955, the Chairman of the Committee of State Security under the Council of Ministers of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, Colonel K. Lyaudis, drafted a Top Secret memo to address a number of recent incidents involving practice bombs dropped by Soviet Air Force pilots at an Air Force range in the Eišiškės region. As it turns out, while the pilots’ orders were to drop the bombs at that range, the munitions curiously wound up some 10 km away, landing in the village of Dargužiai, blowing out windows of the local school and farmers’ homes, and nearly taking out a collective farm‘s power station.
The last incident identified by Lyaudis took place on 31 May 1955, obviously prompting the memorandum. Since the document was addressed to A. Yu. Sniečkus, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lithuanian Communist Party, there is reason to doubt whether or not it carried any power beyond that of a standard memorandum for the record.
Special thanks to KGB Documents Online for the use of this material for non-commercial purposes.
The translation of the two-page memo follows.
TOP SECRET
Copy No. 2
TO THE SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE LITHUANIAN COMMUNIST PARTY
To Comrade A.Yu. SNECHKUS
On the territory of the Eišiškės region of the Lithuania SSR there is an aviation range, where practice bombing assignments are conducted against notional targets.
During training sessions, there are cases in which practice bombs have been dropped from aircraft onto the village of Dargužiai, located 10 km from the range.
For instance, in late May 1953, 4 practice bombs fell onto this village during daylight hours; the concussions from these bombs shattered windows in the school and several farmers’ homes.
On 31 May 1955, at 1240, aircraft flying at high speeds dropped two bombs on this village, blowing up some 125 meters from a collective farm’s power station.
The carelessness shown by the aviation units performing their training missions at the range in the Eišiškės region and the fact that these cases of dropping bombs on the populated area in question were tolerated is causing outrage and anxiety among the farmers. A repeat of events in kind leaves open the possibility of grave consequences associated with loss of life or destroyed collective farm facilities.
We have taken steps to prevent similar situations in the future through the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR.
CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE OF STATE SECURITY UNDER THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE LITHUANIAN SSR COLONEL (K. LYAUDIS)
” ” June 1955
2 copies:
1st to addressee
2nd to for record No. 38
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