| Final 17:20 | time | | | 1. Ardalion Ignatyev |  URS | 46.6s | CR NR | | 2. Voitto Hellstén |  FIN | 47.0s | NR | | 3. Zoltán Adámik |  HUN | 47.6s | NR | | 4. Karl-Friedrich Haas |  FRG | 47.6s | | | 5. Jean-Jacques Hegg |  SUI | 47.8s | | | -. Jacques Degats |  FRA | DQ | |
|
| History Men 400m | | World Record: Rhoden (JAM) 45.8s - 1950 | | European Record: Harbig (GER) 46.0s - 1939 | | Champinship Record: Pugh (GBR) 47.3s | | Semi-Finals | | Heats |
|
|
Semi-Finals - Thursday 26.09 17:15 | | First 3 progressed to Final. |
| Semi 1 | time | | | 1. Ardalion Ignatyev | URS | 47.0s | CR Q | | 2. Voitto Hellstén | FIN | 47.1s | NR Q | | 3. Jacques Degats | FRA | 47.8s | Q | | 4. Vincenzo Lombardo |  ITA | 48.4s | | | 5. Lars-Erik Wolfbrandt |  SWE | 48.8s | | | -. Hans Geister | FRG | DQ | |
|
|
| Semi 2 | time | | | 1. Karl-Friedrich Haas | FRG | 47.9s | Q | | 2. Zoltán Adámik | HUN | 48.1s | Q | | 3. Jean-Jacques Hegg | SUI | 48.1s | Q | | 4. Jean-Paul Martin-du-Gard | FRA | 48.2s | | | 5. Alan Dick |  GBR | 48.3s | | | 6. Rolf Back | FIN | 48.9s | |
|
| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Ardalion Ignatyev | URS | 47.9s | Q | | 2. Vincenzo Lombardo | ITA | 48.2s | Q | | 3. Gerard Mach |  POL | 48.9 | | | 4. José Fórmiga |  ESP | 50.3 | | | 5. Gerald Wicher |  AUT | 51.8 | |
|
|
| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Hans Geister | FRG | 47.9s | Q | | 2. Rolf Back | FIN | 48.4s | Q | | 3. Edmunds Pīlāgs | URS | 48.8s | | | 4. Charles Cuvelier |  BEL | 50.3s | |
|
| Heat 3 | time | | | 1. Voitto Hellstén | FIN | 47.7s | Q | | 2. Karl-Friedrich Haas | FRG | 47.8s | Q | | 3. Peter Fryer | GBR | 48.0 | | | 4. Rudolf Haidegger | AUT | 51.4 | |
|
|
| Heat 4 | time | | | 1. Jean-Paul Martin-du-Gard | FRA | 48.4s | Q | | 2. Lars-Erik Wolfbrandt | SWE | 48.7s | Q | | 3. Vasilios Syllis |  GRE | 48.8 | | | 4. Lech Sierek | POL | 49.6 | |
|
| Heat 5 | time | | | 1. Zoltán Adámik | HUN | 47.9s | Q | | 2. Alan Dick | GBR | 48.4s | Q | | 3. Gösta Brännström | SWE | 48.7s | | | 4. René Weber | SUI | 49.3s | |
|
|
| Heat 6 | time | | | 1. Jean-Jacques Hegg | SUI | 47.7s | Q | | 2. Jacques Degats | FRA | 48.5s | Q | | 3. Marcello Dani | ITA | 49.1s | | | 4. Egon Solymossy | HUN | 49.4s | |
|
| 
