| Final |   | time |   |  | 1. Jürgen Straub |   East Germany | 3:46.5 |   |  | 2. Paul-Heinz Wellmann |   West Germany | 3:46.6 |   |  | 3. János Zemen |   Hungary | 3:46.6 |   |  | 4. Anatoliy Mamontov |   Soviet Union | 3:46.9 |   |  | 5. Henryk Wasilewski |   Poland | 3:47.6 |   |  | 6. Vladimir Kanev |   Bulgaria | 3:48.6 |   |  | 7. Francis Gonzalez |   France | 3:49.2 |   |  | 8. Eamonn Coghlan |   Ireland | 3:53.5 |   |   
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  Heats - Saturday, 12th March |  | First 3 from each Heat and next Best 3 advanced to Final.  |   
| Heat 1 |   | time |   |  | 1. Henryk Wasilewski |   Poland | 3:42.5 | Q |  | 2. Paul-Heinz Wellmann |   West Germany | 3:42.5 | Q |  | 3. Jürgen Straub |   East Germany | 3:42.6 | Q |  | 4. Anatoliy Mamontov |   Soviet Union | 3:42.7 | q |  | 9. Herman Mignon |   Belgium | 3:43.5 |   |  | 12.Panayiotis Pallikaris |   Greece | 3:45.4 |   |  | 13.Rudi Pagel |   West Germany | 3:45.5 |   |  | 16.Evert Hoving |   Netherlands | 3:46.2 |   |  | 17.János Hrenek |   Hungary | 3:48.3 |   |   
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| Heat 2 |   | time |   |  | 5. János Zemen |   Hungary | 3:43.3 | Q |  | 6. Vladimir Kanev |   Bulgaria | 3:43.3 | Q |  | 7. Francis Gonzalez |   France | 3:43.4 | Q |  | 8. Eamonn Coghlan |   Ireland | 3:43.5 | q |  | 10.Wybo Lelieveld |   Netherlands | 3:44.1 |   |  | 11.Tamás Szántó |   Hungary | 3:45.1 |   |  | 14.Peter Belger |   West Germany | 3:45.6 |   |  | 15.Jozef Lenčéš |   Czechoslovakia | 3:46.2 |   |   
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