NEW KLEMENT GOTTWALD FOUNDRY, KUNCICE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A000300290010-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 10, 2009
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: March 3, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2009/09/10: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA000300290010-6
CENTRAL. INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SECRET
Czechoslovakia
New Klement Gottwald Foundry,.Kuncice
This Document contains information affecting the No-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
DATE DISTR. 3 March -1953
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NO. OF PAGES 6
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. The New Klement Gottwald Foundry plant at Kuncice mad Ostravice is situated. 25X1
south of the city of Moravska Ostrava.near the Ostravice River on an area of
2* by 3 kin., bordered on the south by the railroad, from. Ostrava to Frydek,
with a station at Kuncice nadOstravice. East of the foundry are open fields,
.in the northt. is the village of Bartovice and in the west open fields again.
The construction of this 'oundry was commenced during World-War 11 in 1940.
From 1945 until 191+8 the building went very slowly. Qnly in 1948 was work
.intensified, upon Russian orders. Now this foundry is to replace the Vitkovice
Klement Gottwald Iron Works,.which are to be closed down because they have
been undermined by coal fields,
2. The Electrical Installation Works (Elektromontazni zavody) of Prague has a
branch in the New Klement Gottwald Foundry. Eng. Simek (fnu) was an inspector
of this branch, and Bradac (fnu) was chief fitter.
the number of employees of the foundry at 10,000; about 5% 25X1
of them are women.
4. Wages differ a lot according to employment, i.e. whether one receives time or
piece wages. Average wages of brigade workers are 13 Kos. per hour. The best
paid group are electric-fitters, whose wages amount to 6,000 to 12,000 Kea.
per month, according to ability. A decorator in the main switching centers and power-
station received the average monthly pay of 7,000 to 9,000 Kos. Extra premiums
for finishing jobs ahead of time are also given. These are rather hggh, amounting
to as much as 100000 Kos. 10 Koo. to URO (Central` Council 25X1
of Trade Unions), 100 to 60?'Kcs. health insurance and 200 to 300 Kcea income tax.
5. A worker ft o did, not get,;extra:l:ratio& eafda for. jiea labor was not ahtdtled.to
,eat in the canteen. He had to bring his ration cards from home andbuy additional
snacks.
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6. -A man working in the main power station aftd in the switching, centers subordinated
.to it did not have access to the production workshops
the.daily output
in the pipe rolling mill (Deparmen 28 was to 7 tarloadsof 12 to 15 meter
metal oil.pipesfor export to the USSR .mnarked.,with.Russiafl letters nd wh te::stripes.
Thepir was loaded-on flatcara and shipped direct to. the USSR.
The following workshops were in production:
a. Blast furnace n
b. Steel shop.
c.. Pipe rolling mills.
d. ; Foundry
e. Machine room (conttructed during World War II).
8. The foundry is powered..by electricity, only, which.is supplied by its.own
power station . and. the power stations.of Vitkovice Elektrarny. Voltage is
6,QOO.V. and.low.voltage 5007-
The foundry was not: damaged.during.World War II During the war the foundry had only
one machine room. All other parts were built after 1945. The foundry is being
,constantly enlarged.and.employs about 5,000 workmen. .Its,completion.is planned
within 20 years. Individual departments, such..as;.Pr6f1le roll ng mill,` .heet
rolling mills, wire workshop, etc., are to be put into production in the near
future.
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10. Security is in the hands,of the works militia, who guard the foundry during, the
night. Two:or.three guard's in black . uniforms,., equipped with pistols, are in.the
gatekeeper's. room. Admission of employees to the production workshops is permitted
.only, after producinga pass issued by the security.department.
ll. The morale of.employees in the foundry is:not high. It improved before Christmas
1951, when they. were to get large premiums, but afterChristmas,when the promises
of premiums were tanly. partly...f"'U1f i.lled, working morale deteriorated s Christmas
1,951.was the dead,,.line for finishing certain tasks according.to the plan. Workers
.of some departments worked .overtime,, sometimes .even 36 .hours .without interruption,
in order to beat the deadline. Such hurried work resulted,in defects and the
Ministry of Eeavy,Machinery gave instructions to cancel all time limits and:also
premiums for finished jobs This made the workers Ivee . enthusiasm.
1L.. A great number of workers steal.non-ferrous metals, precious metals and other
building and production material. One Communist, for instance, who needed copper
for repairing his laundry boiler, used every, opportunity for stealing it from
the works. Such thieves usually escape throuh gaps in the fence. Sabotage in the
funace.
works,occurr6d frequently. On 1 May 1952 steel was spilled from a. Martin
itk
Employees-blamed defective equipment but it was ,common knowledge among works s that.
.was an act of sabotage. Another case occurred in the switching; center. Instruments
were filled with glass, which prevented their working: and., caused delay: in
production until they were cleaned and.tested.
l. 'tt+her time, electric cables :to measuring instruments in the switching ?center
of the castings shop were out. Cables had to be replaced.
14. in
the departments working for export to.the t there was a spec a. s w o 25X1
controlled finished products. This person was responsible for the quality
and therefore marked each single product with his number and marks During
.inspections,.in the plant one could often hear,Russian conversation.
15 . The switching center of the castings shop was badly planned and began to collapse
so that it had. to be supported by, braces Even today; the .floor is not quite level
and, cracks are noticeable
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16. In.one of.the-buildings.a.boiler was. to be installed, but it was discovered
that the.building,was too narrow and had to.be rebuilt. Almost all-material
comesby.rail~from the Kuncice station in the northeast; in the center of the
building: area. there j .a passenger railroad station which also handles raw
.materials.and..finished.products. These tracks run in the direction of.Fryden,
and-on the other side in_. the direction of,Moravska Qstrava,, to .the main,Ta.ilroad
station..at Privoz, whence goods are shipped to the USSR.
17. In.the.area of the foundry there are narrow-gauge tracks , for. transporting material
to the building site. For moving light .products.,in.the production halls.:e.lectrle
. cars .are used.
There is. fairly goodrailroad.service to the works.for employees, but,most.of
them.commute by.bus, Permanent workers, are.accommodated in well equipped,masonry
huts with bathrooms and.washrooms. Two to six men live in..one room, .wh' le
temporary workers, lent-by,other 'plants-as brigade workers,or experts,.live in
poorly. furnished hutments. Very few of them have a. bathroom;. one washroom is.
shared,by all. and-the toiletsare not sanitary. 8 to 10 men sleep in one room,
and.in the space where permanent workers had one bed only there .a a three bunks
,one above the other. In.these 1491 gs live about 3,O00 employees, wh le.the
rest.are accommodated in the so-called Osada Miru.(Peace. Colony), which is on.
the road from Kuncice to.Ostrava.and.linked with the foundry by, bus. The
management deducts.5 to 10 Kcsa per day from.,wages for. accommodations.
.19. All . the staff, officials and :.women, eat in the canteen. . ,Ration ,cards .have to ..:tae
surrendered.for.meals,- with the exception of brigade workers,,who.areallowed
.free .mea,ls.forone month. There are about. eight canteens.in the plant. Quality
,of food is poor. Only.a.few workers buy breakfast;, they mostly save their cards
for. other. meals . The heavy workers ,havean abau dance of ration.cards . and often
.sell them to ..-tubers.
2.c., Parisoners.are working.on the.construction of the plant.. A -wooden prison .camp
is situated on the .banks , of the River Ostravice, about l . ktm., from the foundry.
21.. The production program was generally, fulfilled 100%..
22k There is-.no regular political -schooling ,on ace punt ,of the chaos ,and rush
in the.,foindry., Communists were of course urged to take part,in various
lectures . but they . mostly avoided them with: the.,excuse t]i;..they worked
12,to 16 hours per day.
23. Greatstress:is laid on professional courses: to, train. qualified'w.orkers
such as, carpenters, masons, :etc.
::Annexes
(A) Legend to sketch oi' the New Foundry 1r. Gottwald)Ostrav6:-KUAcice
(B) Sketch of the New Foundry.. K1.Gottwald,Ostrava -Euncice (1 ;page)
1 pap)
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1. Railroad station OstravaKuucice.
2.,. Machine -shop.Kuncice (old part).
3 Camp for brigade 'orkers:and some old-employees4
4. Administrative building.
5. Prook.
6. Works security. department.
7. Masonry.buildings (for civilians).
8. Mill
9. Canteen...
10. Gatekeeper's lodge..
11. -Pond .(drained at the end of..May).
12. Gatekeeper's lodge.
.13. Store of wooden material.
.14. Works management offices.
15. Wooden buts workshops,. cloakarooms, storage of material.
.16. Store of. EZ Works and,their offices.
17, Coolers h'c o perat.ign and under construction.
18.. Workshops, cloak-rooms.
19. Main power station.
20.. Storage of"bohl-dust and. feeder of coal to the power station.
21. Canteens, offices, stores of tools.
22. Foundations to new building.
.23- Storage ,of building.material; concrete, iron.
24. Offices.
25.. Masonry. building, six c seven stones :high.
26. Offices,of individual :departments.
28. Pipe rolling .mill.,
29. Unknown building.
30. Unknown building.
31. Switching :center of the steel . workshop.
32. Steel mill.
33. Gas,container.
34. Coolers.
35. Switching center of blast.furnaces.
36. Blast furnaces,
3.7. Pre -heaters of air..
38. Electrical cleaner of blast furnace gas.
39. Castings,dpt?.
40. Switching.,center.of the castings dot.
1. Fou dry and miscellaneous buildings.
4+2. Private masonry houses
(NOTE: There is 'no No. 2'7 in the above legend).
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