US 3rd ARMY daily reports and photos May 1945 Linz / Gusen Austria (US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM))

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

On May the 11th Armored Division of the 3rd US Army Combat Command B entered the Austrian cities of Linz and Gusen and St. Georgen . Here they and other units of the #rd Army liberated 2 Tunnel Systems Named Kellerbau and Bergkristall B8. These were underground factories where munitions and Jet planes were built. Machinery and Plane parts as well as documents were removed from these in May before handing them over to the Russian Army.

I would like to request the Diary of the 3rd Army for May 1945 from Austria, Especially with all photos and reports written about their findings in Linz and Gusen, including lists of German prisoners taken in the month of May.

The tunnel systems with their underground factories and labs were also code named :
Georgenmuhle and Esche II and B8 St.Georgen
Also documents and photos of the recovery of machinery and materials from these tunnels are requested.
Both tunnel systems were under the command of SS General Hans Kammler and constructed by Engineer Karl Emil Fiebinger. General Kammler was taken in Custody by the #rd Army in May near the CZ town of Pilsen. and was being questioned by the CIC in Gemunden in late May. Any information on the Generals interactions with the 3rd army is requested.

Investigators of military intelligence and engineers and the 3rd Army documented their findings in Linz/Gusen in several detailed reports with photos these are especially requested. (some of these have until now been classified, I request for their declassification)

Also the war diary of the 3rd Army for the month of May 1945 and its actions in Czechoslovakia and especially the city of Pilsen and Prague is requested, along with prisoner list and photographs and reports taken from Skodawerke in Pilsen.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Tino Von Struckmann

Thank you for following up with my request, I hope maybe you can give me a little guidance here.
Now I know hundreds of photos, videos and reports were made by the Army and CIC and others of this site. I also know they have been classified for many decades after the war and perhaps still are labelled as such.
So my question is, where does such classified records go? If not the national archives, and how does one find something that is classified still, but could be de-classified due to the time passed and there no-longer being a need for secrecy?
These locations were full of technology and special research, thus the secrecy but where would I look for these and go about getting them de-classified? I would imagine the CIA and NASA or Military Contractors of the time have them, but the Military or some other national archive must have retained a copy?
I hope you can help me out its an uphill struggle.
SSG Struckmann

Dear John

I have written my request to the address you provided, with the same request but with no response. Can you please provide a little more specific information. Parts of the 3rd army liberated the area early May 1945. They removed demolition explosives from the tunnels and over the next 2 month documented these two tunnel systems in extreme detail, (so did the Air-force, OSS, Technical department and others) However the intelligence officers attached to the 3rd as well as others who followed immediately began to document these two huge tunnel systems in detail, extensively photographing and documenting the contents of machines and materials. Also under the Army security began removing what machines possibly before the handover to the Russians in August.

Only a handful of photos have been found from this time, 3 taken by members of the 3rd Army outside the tunnels of Bergkristall and 3 from inside taken by the Air-force. The spearhead were the first to search and document bergkristall and Kellerbau tunnels -

These were all documented by the Army, the OSS, Technical services, Air-force intelligence, Army intelligence. even the ALSOS teams full reports from these have not yet been made public.

Furthermore 3 detailed reports were produced before 1947 about these underground facilities, these included photos from these.

Given the secrecy of these tunnel systems, the pending cold war and those involved it stands to reason these files are now in the hands of the CIA.
They are of extreme historical importance and no longer should be kept secret.

Please can you look and tell me on line what you may have, and if these are found and still classified at let me know so I can the make proper legal request for declassification.

Tino