FOUNDRY MACHINES -- AVAILABILITY, QUALITY/MAINTENANCE OF POLISH-SOVIET BORDER/SOVIET NAPHTHA BASES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040024-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 19, 2011
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: April 13, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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IfVFOR11AATl!ON R~RC)RT
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL~SBCURITY~Q~~p
CEPdT~.AL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
USSR/Folana
SUBJECT Foundry Machines -- Availnbility,Quallty~ N0. OF PAGES ~.,
iaaintenisnce of Polish-Soviet Border~Soviet Naphtha Bases
ACQUIRED BY SOURCE
RATE OF IIHFORMATIOId
ACQUIREq
DATE
1. In our shop ve had no modern foundry machinery. I'hr. reason xae that only foundries
manufacturing first-class army products (tanks, artillery, e~munition, and other
equipment) were supplied with modern machinery. Small shops such as ours had to
buildheir own machinery and to rely on castoff equipment from army controlled
foundries.
2. In our shop, we designed and built moulding machines and some foundry equipment
.for making teat-iron axle bushings and carriages. We began receiving additional
equipment and machinery when the ;:net-iron bushings were found suitable for
artillery carriages.
3. I have no idea where plants making moulding machines and sand mirera were
located in the LHSR. Such machines were produced as second-class products for
army foundries or for first-class is smaller shops, I did notice that the
machines were copied from patents stolen from abroa:. They mere maaufact,a?ed
very cereleaely and vithont precision. ~uat prior to Norld Har II the only
precision machines in our pl1-nt were those imported from Germany and the GIC. All
others were very gg~iek to rust sad fai:i apart. Hhen one wanted special fire
bricY. for a Foundry such as oar's, it had to ~ obtained oa the black market and
the price was about .750 rubles for one-half toe.
u. 1 saw very modern foundry equipment facilities in Poland but only at the COP
(Central Industrial Area in Silesia), and again the ma,9ority of the machines
were imported from the UK and Germany.
5. Before 1939, villages, togas, and other aettle4eats on the Soviet-Polish border
were separated fry the border by either a high brick, atone, or vrooden Pence.
Soeletimaa ?oarbed-wire vas also oa top of these fences. An area about 200 ft vide
vas cleared of trees and brusa and t~san ploughed and smoothed to make visibility
clear, (fn rh. c?oiet Bide, border gus.~" -- prababl;, ,~ -- eeec~mpani~ci.? oy
watchdogs, per3ormsd guard duty. Some of 'the regions had A ?ten-mile Seep eo-called
"no-man's land". All honsea, trees, and other obstacles were removed from thi3
CLASSIFICATION ~~~,/~~
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040024-1
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040024-1
CONP'IArTQTIPJ~SEC~ITY II~L'OR'+~ATION
.
g
ese rep ace-
1
ments caused a great deal of excitement among inhabitants, they were fuL~illed
by the Soviet administration without effort. Special brigades, especially trained
far this type of task, were used. They_slso had epeciel equipment such as small
windowless freight care and large truck vans.
7. Roads in this area were of a soft surface without gravel oz atone topping and
were impassable during most of the early spring and fall.
- 2 _
6. .D~zrirg ly^40, the inhabitants of all settlements of $OO people or over-iu the
Boviet-polish border area were skipped to central Siberia; and in their place;
Soviets from other Polish territories were nettled
Althou
h th
eery strictly. No civilians were allowed in thc~border-zone.- A14~ v~fyyVi1~LL
de rtin 1 arriving and
pa g persona to and from border. villages were checked, searched, and had their
documents examined.. Naturally all houses 1n these settlements were under consts.nt.
control of NKVD border guards.
9? Tkere were ao Diesel or fuel oil burning l~:.omotives oa Polish railroads. They
did have a Diesel driven motor called "I.uctorpedoea". The only Diesel locomotives
used by the Soviets were in oil well areas suck as $aku and Datun. TaiQ vn,_ld
indicate that there was definitely a shortage G'. :.squid fuels, lubricants, and
~,reasea for railroading. All oil products such as Diesel oil, gasoline, greases,
etc, were under a careful distribution plan. All oil products for automobile and
truck use worn distributed under a plan and with permission of the ch1eP director
~f "Naphtha Products Distribution Administration". Of course, poorly made
subetitutee were sometime~tsed; but inasmuch ae theg~ were destructive to vehicles,
their ueere were accused of sabotage and severely punished. Certain lubricants and
greases often found, their way to the black market. Those conducting such a black
market, received severe puniuhment vhen caught.
10. In 1940 and 19+1 the Soviets built a so-called naphtha base. This vas located ato-a
five miles east Prom the center of the city of Chortkov ~ee aecompanying sketch -
Encl (A)~. One aide of the naphtha base wen bordered by the railroad station
"Wyhnanka Horishaa". On another aide of the base vas the Chortkov-Kopyczynci high-
way, Three concrete underground teaks were built, each of about 400 cubic feet.
capacity. This vas only one of many standard-type bases which were built in many
placeF -- usually near big cities. For example, I aaw another such Naphtha Pase,
"Palahiche?, a railroad station on the Chor~kov-Staaislsy railroad about twenty-five
miles from Stanislav. Fatrolenm sad gasoline stored in these naphtha bases were
mostly products brought in from ache U7SR; (9aku aaa' Batuin).
11. Railroad gauge used in this area vas 3aviat gauge rsbu~I't from European and U.5
gauge.
12. The only type of field kitchen used by the Soviet Army aad~or Air Force was one
large kettle oa a tvo-vhealod cart or trailer. It vas uead mostly .by"the Army
Rifle Divieione. Fuel ran wood and coal in as o:~en underneath the large kettle.
I did see several small portable or hand-carried field kitchens, bnt only at e
distance sad I could not sea erhat type et fuel vas used.
1,3. On the Chortkov-Jagflnica higtsvay, about five miles from Chortkov, the Soviets
began building a large airdrome. This was in 1940_41. In July 1941 work was haled
on concrete ruaraya when the Carman Army approached. Bunvavs were not comntwtwA
and not in use, but i NONI.d gather from the width and thickneee of the completed
portion and from t'~e length of the graded dart that. the largest of Soviet airFi.9nes
could use this field.
- sad -
Encl (A): - Sketch of city of Chortkov showYng the Naptha Base
d01~'IDENTIAL~SECURIT7 II~ORMATION
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 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040024-1
Se~z;;:, ~aformatic~.,
cor~rn~rzar./sECt~=~r ~ox~n~ox
SKETCH OF CITY OF CHOR'PKOV SHOWIAK3 THE NAPTHA BASE
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