The Red M*A*S*H
Somewhere in the German state of Brandenburg, on a former training area of the East German Army (NVA), there is a building that at first glance seems quite peculiar. Initially, it looks like an earth-covered "tent".
In truth, however, this is a Soviet project for reusable command posts and field hospitals called Type SKT (сооружение каркассно-тканевое = Frame-Fabrik-Structure).
This particular object is actually made up of two structures of this type. It was used as a training object for field care for wounded soldiers.
The construction is a light metal frame consisting of 10 cm thick light metal arches built at ground level on a concrete slab. The distance between the arches is about 50 cm. A thick fabric tarp was stretched over this skeleton structure and covered with a maximum of 1 meter earth. With a height of 2.45 m and a span of 3.84 m, the dimensions of the building are almost the same as the Soviet shelters of the type USB.
The building had a central electrical connection for the interior lighting, the electrical heating of the filter ventilation systems and for the medical devices installed in the building. Electricity was either taken from the regular power grid or by the use of generators.
Taking into account that it was last used around the year 1990, the building is in fairly good condition, although it is not far from a larger housing estate. A large part of the original inventory can still be found inside, infusion solutions, hypodermic needles, camp beds, bandages and components of the technology in their original packaging.
