JAN SVERMA PLANT BRNO ARMAMENT WORKS BRNO

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Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2
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RIPPUB
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S
Document Page Count: 
8
Document Creation Date: 
December 21, 2016
Document Release Date: 
July 31, 2008
Sequence Number: 
1
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Publication Date: 
March 7, 1955
Content Type: 
REPORT
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Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 cuasslFlcAno~1 s~cR~r CENTRAL INTEi.~IGENCE AGENCY REPORT ?C7uN`, R~ t;aa~:hosl~k~a ;)ATE OISTR j D~farch ].,, 55 5i16.lECT dF_,-, Sverma Plant, ~:~o Arr~;ne'nL Wc-~Tcs? Brno ~t0. OF PAGES ~'IACE CQ'Jf REt~ ':iATE 1~6 ~~~ FO ,- t+i1S UOCUNEN7 CON~AINf +NFORNiT10N AIP[CTNY fXt NATIONAL Dii7Nyi 0'' i9i UN!RD fTATSB. MIRlIN TNi NEAPINi Of TITLi 16, liCTN1N9 7~i !l9 ANENORD. /Ti TiANfN19510N OR NEYii? CODs . AAO Iii Of TN[ Y. 9. ni!OM O~ 'TD CONTiNTt 10 OR t[Ci1/R R AN UNAUTNONIZED ~iNlO~ . +a -RONIBIRD 1'f LAW TNi BEtNODUCTION 01 TMti ~OYN If rNONI?~t EDa NO.OF ENCLS. dL1STF.0 BE~C?Mfe SUPPLEMENT Tf~ REPORT N0. THIS IS UNEVALUATED I~~IFORM~~fiON Ilex l:l,ght maChine____unn .At t}ia beginx:i~.g of 1.9~1t the Brno Armament WarkS (~bx~ojarvkn Arno) I:an ~;vsrma Plan c in &ruc-'Lid:3r~icP, La.,.,aret~z~i Street; ws.a Q?,r =, ,RAd ir. `.ha con struct~ion of several pro`.~~types of a nex iight? machine gun vrt-3rh rese~nhl.r~s a scaled-doom version of *,?he ~+ell knoxn i~l';Rl (lino-L~Vfia:tc ~ZUie mhe near LIAR xeighs apuraxia~a tsl.y 6 kgs and its overall length (i.ncluding the butt ) is same 8S to 90 cer~tir~eters / i~ev ~shortc~r than thc~ Wause*_" r~~fle.? The barrel of the LAC is easi"Zy interchangoable~ and althon~ it is sir-~coalc~ciy -..ns no cooling ribF; the ~rhols outside surrace of the barr~al is emwottx :. The length of the barrel is Fnproximately ~5 c:~-~~ One I~f floe rnmin innovations is ~~.hat the Lll~} can f_tre both magazines and be7.ts. The rate of fire { s nd~ust- able from 800 to 1~ 5cx'i r.~un.ds per minute, '1'z~.e sigh tss fixe~ci rn ~t:ae lef*,-hand 'side! can ba set from lOC~ Go 1~ 200 metsrs. Some 10 cm. A.rom tro muzzle is a co:ll at~sibla and ex~tendfb ~.e ty:l.escopis? `aipod moon': which sir.ppc;-ts the I.tdG :gin ~~rittg position on ~~ie ~!~r~rd, 'lYhe L~~ aperatas automatic:slly on the prin?~- ci.ple of ~;as pressures FanptS cartridges are effected domlxr~rds. Far manual tensioning of the Baring, c~ec:~anisru a handle is provided on t~t;.? bolt. I3ei'ore operating the belt (fox~r~rd axzd bxc?~ward Fu?:1 on the h.ar-dle~} ~, button on the lef~hand side has to be ~~r~sad, thus freeing the bolt--1!xlurt; spring, The rate-of-firing regulator is +,~n tre ri.+ght-"?hand aide of the LJ~e The precise calibre of the new LPrIG is not icnc~m but is estiarat$ci a~, bet79!eEf1 ~' a;~d 9 mil-- i.imeters (most pa~obattly 7.a 62 ~e The gt?,:;pe of the ammunition resembles that used in the German submachine guns. Sir~ul,taneously xith the ,~r~'atot3/pe of the Lt~G a nex mecha~iism fo: t'he loading of firing belts far ~,;~~.~ weapor, xas constructed, This is a funnel-shaped cont;~iner xhich ?caices fi.va to ~?e~vFn ro4nds of ammunition whi.cli than acs prassed in one go into the belts The maw aMG teas alrea~.dy se 3.n use b troo s 'who tools art ix~ tk~.~: 3ut~::~ :naneu-- vers at Libava tP50/OU7 _ _Ci~.ASSIFiCATION _ _ _ $TATE~_~X: ~_tiA~r,: ,~~ NSRB ~~ .~~, ~ IR FBI AktM _ Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 25X1 i Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 S ~CRFT/ ^'he Arno .q:-rnattient ~~~rks currently nrrxiuee Bun carriages for ttw taraanice h 2< Oun~carriara for eals ~~.~~ti,t:~nk weapon ~~` Thy, gun ~arria ;a is mounted on spiked wooden w ;aEasurinp, some ~0 cntsin diaa~eter~ Tha average daily output is stout 2U of ?tt;ose Lndercarriagesa The taraanice itself is a steel tube aonb }U cra long, calibre approximately l0 c~r+. T}?,e a,,ghta are ad justatle to ;~C?0 meters. The frame of the taraanice gur- carriage is welded toga a projectile of the taraanice pierca and turn the taraanice pro~ect:.t.1e -~s caparle of piorcina and burnin.~ through a concrete block 15U centimeters 'sic) thick. The taraanice pro~pctiles are said to be a combination of ti.t;e projectiles of the U`~ bazooka anu the 0araan Panaerachreck The ~:har~;e is said to ba similar to that used in pro3ectilPS of tht. Russian rocket- i.aunchers (prol;ably ''triolit"). i~hrnn~h an armored elate 20 c?ntim~eters (sic) thick. ~;cdinr machine for ~e Armor. 25X1 25X1 ~t present the Ilrno Ar.~aamer-t ~.orits arP also working on the prototype of a r:c~dina Trechine far the Army. This machine, constructional fu'id other data Christ~ras 19~ ~ . As? ear' ier A teu~ ?o construct such a machine by the end of 1953 failed due to faulty blueprints and the nero~ prototype had to be t.art?d from comaletely new deai~;r-s. 1ycn~~militarY production -r!on~ non military items produced at the Prno Armament ,~orics 25X1 'P}:e I%iesel c~t~;ines have been ordered by the U55R. They are elpht-cylinder '>(.Kr-i?P ;rwtors mounted on a welded sledge~tyne stand which houses t2^.o . The length of the c:ornplete motor is about seven meters, 25X1 r oolin~ systean . _ ~fidth 1..lt m-and hei.~,krt tyro meters. The output norm is taro units per day a.:d is uaur~lly :net providing there is a timely supply of component parts ;.,r,d -ratorial, Tt?e ~aotors are .run~in on brake in the aasernbl~? shop for shout ;~:; hours.. ".ate?rial is suprlisd by the Vitkovice lU.esnent Gottt~e-1d Isom ;.orks, and co*rpanert parts }~y the 4ra:Zkovka factory in Prno which is a :~utsiuiary of ~hr s?rno Arma~.~ent ~~~orr:. The finished en;ines are tested cy `;us~ian civi~iar~ ir~G?~ertor (nu) aril thrt?n loaded on Itrt !'reir~ht carts, ape unit per car '~:henc?ve3r tho delivery terra is not met foe rea5ona other ;,i;:~r. delay in ~thc supply of ~tussian :;~aterial., t}:e a`actorv has to pay a pe- ~~.:1 ~,7 '..o t}:e i755Ii. i~~xr:ing the tests of the3 engii~ea, tt~a (tussian inspector a~ uall;~ requires the disrnantlint; of Borne parts of the :rotor and meaasures ?c~~e te?~pPratura of the bearint s. ..henever he discover's a soviet-made bearm i~:r; in the engine he orders it z~eplacad This is hap- 25X1 ~~r.~ning in spite of deliveric?s of :xsviet bearings to CSft fac ries.. ~'he :~~ ~~!~ also exaorts bearing metal. to the (.:>k bt?t its quality is interior and T;tc 1,Earir.~;s rr~3de of it overheat_ earrily. It is not uncoe~on that engines ~:-ins these bearin,;s bind ~ aver during test runs. ::orders often sabotage f::c,r~ te:,ting of the Jiesol engines ty cooling the tearin?s with urot ray;E to .ct~fn their te.7,~erature 1rithin the nr~sscribed limits, .~~:e caterpillar tractor Leto err 1 ne,and the factory only dust ~~ ~,arted its serial nroducti.on 25X1 sr~ould be ready for testing by s~.cFr~ ~~ Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 SF~CRrT: -3= 5, :'roduction difficulties. Tre whole production of the Brno Armament .corks suffers from supply dif- ~'iculties. There is espPd.ally a great shortage of hi~?epeed cutting steel (ry~ahlorezna ocel} and of grinding nheRla, since the home production of the latter is unable to meet the needs of the engineoring industry. Currently tests are being ^-ade in the Lrt-o Armament -'rorks wity~ various hardenir>~ materials, the chLsf in~-redient of which fa cement, for the pro- duction of machine tools. So, for instance, (raise heads are :wade of iron ai:td then the cutting surface is cemented to the dimension of 5/10.2 6.. Labor policy. .'~ t present the Frno 1rmament ~.orks, Jan Sverma Plant, employs at~ut L9C,^~ workors. Last sprin? a recruitment campaign o? volunteers for the ..~ir~ing industry was conducted asaonl; the ,~or;cs' Communist Party and Trade U:rion officials , The campaign was a complete failure, a1,1 the officials discovered some ailment which prevented them *'rom volunteering for the mines. Some time later these same functionaries launched a recruitment drive for the min?s among the workers .very worker ur to the age of 1~U pas called to the office and if he refused to "volunterer", he had to write a ~~etailed pz~otocol statin, the reasons of refusal. Thies drive was concluded in the first week of uctober sand no reprisals against those who refused had been doted as of rnid-October. Concurrently with the sending, of skilled rwrkera to the mines, new labor Y+as being; recruited by the subject plant, Applicants had to pledge t~hoir w3Zlin~ness to titlark in three shifts (youngsters under lfl in two shifts). ?'hiQ new labor is to reolt-ce in part those rlorkers who had been sent to the r~iraes or to some other long-ter: "briF,ado a~ork" Fend in part the peasants :+:~o had been taken on in the 1952 "industry first" campaign and sent tick to till their land last year when the "new course" was introduced ty the rc~:-i:~ne, The present policy is not to Force the peasants out of their facto- ry ;lots any more but to let them ~;o if they pledge themselves to farm land =tn the border re~*ions. 25X1 a cozmulsory *neeting of all the e;aployees at which the speakers at'..e:npted `.o popularize the socialist corsspoti tion movement, output pledges, acrd hiP.,har rlor:-~s~ AS the r:eetir-g; was held after working hours ~sost of the corkers ~~.airted to po home. 5o~s~e of them started drifting out only to discover that ~:~~e :.orks' gate was closed. All of a sudden the workers left the :nesting r:n ;Hasse and forced the Hate. T2tQ guards were unable to stop the angry crowd ~~rt managed to take photo;raphs of tt~e spoarhoad of the fugitives. several dozen workers were arrestod on the following days, 7 ~, :'. Orkin; morale. T:~e- ~rorale of the ~vorkers is ver;~ 1a~r+p B, :?J membership fees. ?'he automatic deduction of IN from the wagcss for Trade Union membership feQs ~s at:olished rt the beginning of 1957.1. wince then it was lest to the dis-- crc~tion of r.;emhers to pay their dues in voluntary contributicns. Tho result ~xas such a sharp decline in Trade Union income that the 1U Council (1180) had bo issue a warni.n~; threatenir>g to cancel all TU privileges should the situat- ion not improve. 111thou;h there waft no response to this warning, no steps had been takes so far against locF-paying members said no privileges (e. pn re- creational facilities, financial support during long illness) had 1_~rn vii thdrawno Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 /.h.CR ;T~ S~eurity measures. The Khole ;~~? of the Brno Armament t.or;cs, Jan 5ver:aa Plnnt~ is en- closed by a 2,2C~ne,t~ers-high wall of concrete, brick?and Hood, topped by t one nester high 'oarbed~.xire fence. Inside is anothe; 1.5-meter high ba.rba~d-wire fence which runs parallel with the wall. The 1? to~:,$-mater--~ amide space between the wall and the fence is raked. The whole area is surveyed from watet.trnrers manned by members of the Interior Cuard (V~). uu~rdawin th watchtowers arr~ changed every two hours. They. carry rifles. all other imnorta iastr ~ P,~~ ?3~no are also gimrde :~ the '~ 25X1 ,~. All the e-~ployees of "the Arno Armament ::orks must carry special r.orks~ Icentity Cards which,, ho-vever, entitltjt them only to enter thei?~ ovrn ~~~hpn or departmdnt, as srl~kciPied on t?~ IC ~y number. ti'~hile lersvinr the '~',orks, workers nre occasionally checked to determine vrY.~ther they do not s:rn~Y;?le out some -:~trrial or product< ~Yr-ployeps :,re allowed to take brief cases or parcels into the factory only if these contain food. Lwc~rythin;; e1sP }its to be deposited with the ~;atekesper.? ~Co~sdnpntd C~ecr version oche bazooka, belii3hr'e~l to be very ~:ffectivea ~ ~ ~Comr~nt. Local factory c~ification not corresponding t~ internationa staadar~d no~rtns. ?~~,,., Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 CLASSIfICAT1t3M 3~CRET '~~~_~ ,t~-JTi~. ~tJT~LLiGEN`CE A~6p .+ REP INFORII~ATION RL~ORT cD COUNTRY SUBJECT PLACE ACQUIRED PATE OF INFO- Jan Sverma k'lant, Brno Armament Works, Brno DATE DISTR. 7 March 1955 N0. OF PAGES 4 NO.OF ENCLS. (LISTED BELONn SUPPLEMENT TO REPORT N0. TMIf DOCYY{NT CONTAIMf INFONYATION AI/[CTItl{ TNt NATIONAL DLF[Nft" OF TNt YNIT{D fTATtf. ?ITNIN TNt Y{ANtll{ O- TITLt 1{, {~CTN)N{ 7q AND 7f1. OR TN! Y. f. N{t. A{ AitN{tP. 1Tf TMN{Yl{{1ON ON N{VtL- ATION OF ITf CONTINTf TO ON IItRIK R AN YNAYTN.M2tD -t{fOtl If fNONI{ITtD {T LAr TNt {tM0{YCTNNI O- i11i6 FORA If -{OMI{IT{{.: ~ ~~ THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION 1. New li t ~. - - -- - _ 25X1 y.. Ate the be ! ? an Suer struction ? a scaled-down version of the well l(;fao'm ?~' lfit~' (B&no-ffi~Ifield LkifTi weighs approximwtely 6. kg. and its ovepall length ~includi~ng . is some 85 to 90 centimeters, i.e? shorter than the '~1[auser' r ?~: barrel of the Li3~ is easily interchangeable, and although it is , has no cooling ribs; the whole outside surface oY the barrel is smooth. The length og the barrel is approximately Its cm. One of the main inno~ationa ie that the LD[3 can fire both magazines and belts. The rate of fire is ad~uat- able from 800 to 1 er minute. The ghts, fixed on the left-hand side, can 200 me 0 em.from the muzsls is a collapsible scopic which supports the Lk+~3 in firing p d. The s,aatomatiaally on the prin- ciple of gas pressure. k~npty cartridges are effected downwards. For manual tensioning of the Firing mechanism a handle is provided on the bolt. Before operating the bolt (forxard and backward pull on the handle) a button vn the left-hand aide has to be pressed, thus freeing the bolt-locking spring. The rate-of-firing regulator is on the right-hand side of the LII~. The precise calibre of the new LkIiG is not known but ie estimated at between ~' and 9 ffil- limete-rs (most probably ?.62 mnl. The shape of the ammunition r~ae>iablas that used in the German submachine guns. Simultaneously with the prototype of the LkIdC1r a new mechanism for the loading of firing belts foot this xeapoa xas constructed. This is a funnel-shaped container _ xhic h takes five to s eyen rounds of amnetnition which then are pressed in_one go into the bmlt. The new L1~G was already seen in use taroo s who took part in the autumn mansu- 25X1 25X1 ~.~...~.: TIC. .1w..~.~v~..~'.'n"?.M..~.'gl~l.~.~? NAVY x NSRB DISTRhBUTIOfV -r-7-- AIE Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 25X1 SIDCRI~ and is usually met providing there is a timely supply of component parts nrren~ly produce gun~~arriages for t ameter~ The avggrrage daily output is~a~out 20 25X1 cages. The ~'"tarasniae~-3taelf is a steel tube some 2. Qua-carriage for ~ ~arasnicg`~. the '' asnioe?' pro c le width 1.1~ m. and height, two meters. The output norm is two Waits per dsty 50o-;xP motors mounted on a welded .''sledge-type;' ;stand ti-hich hour ~-25X1 cooling system. The length of the complete ,motor. is about seven meters, The Diesel engines have been ordered by the USA. started its .serial productio the testing of the Dieae~, ~ ~~ooling the bearings with wet rags to keep their temperature within the prescribed limits. 25X1 .~ The caterpillar tractor ~,getor 35 is anew line and the factory only ~uat subsidiary of the Brno Arma The f s eng~iies are tested by a Russian civilian inspecto ,then loaded o cars, one unit per ear. Whenever the. term is not me sons other than delay in the supply of material, the ~ o pay a pe- nalty to the USSR. .During the tests of the engines; ~s an inspector usually requires the dismantling of soma parts of the motor and measures the temperature of th~f bearings. Whenever he discovers aSoviet-made bear- ing in the engine he orders it replaced This is hap- 25X1 pening in spite of deliveries of Soviet bearings to CSR. factories. The USSR also exports bearing metal to the CSR but its quality is inferior and the bearings made of it` I,_ ~ ly. It is not uncommon that engines using these bearings bi ~ ng test tuna. Workers often sabotage b8 hours. Material is supplied by tie Vitko~ic iNorirs, and component parts by the ;"bankovka`" to and material. The motors are tort-in on brake 3. through an arsiored plate 20 centimeters (aic) thick. 150 cm.long, calibre approximately 10 ~. The~aights are adjustable to 200 meters. The frame of the ' tsraenice~'~ ~gur~arriage is welded to ether w n ? r fi ea sic During the stutu~ maneuvers ate Libava~ a projectile of the ~` tarasnice' 'pierce and burn the pro~eetilea of the tIS bs~tooka and the Berman ' Panaerachreck' The charge is said to be similar to that used in pro~ectile~s of the Russian rocket- launchers (probably "triolitr). 25X1 25X1 is capable piaro g an ~ ong a concr4te block 1.50 centimeters (aic) thick. The '' nioe" 'projectiles are said ,to be a combi-~ation of coding machine for the Army. This machine, constructional and other data Coding machine for the Armor. At present the Brno Armament Works are also working on the prototype of a should be ready for testing by Christmas 19 An earlier attemp to construct such a machine by the end of 1953 failed due to faulty blueprintsyand the new prototype had to be started from completely new designs. !~. Non-military production. Among non-.military items produced at the Brno 4rmam Diesel engines and caterpilLr tractors of SECRER~ Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 SECRET Working morale. 5. Production difficulties. The whole production of the Brno Armament Works suffers from supply dif- ficulties. There is especially a great shortage of high-speed cutting steel (rychlorezna ocel) and of grinding Wheels, since the home production of the latter is unable to meet the needs of the engineering industry. Currently tests are being made in the Brno Armament Works with various hardening materials,, the chief ingredient of which is cement, for the pro- duction of machine~~tools. So, for instance, fraise heads are made of iron and then the cutting surface is cemented to the dimension of 5/10.2 6. Labor policy. At present ttze Brno Arnan~nt ltor b,f?o0 workers. Last spring a rec mining industry was conducted among a or st party and Trade Union officials. The campaign was a complete failure; all the officials discovered some aiLnent which prevented them from volunteering for the mines. Soma time later these same functionaries launched a recruitment drive for the mines among the workers. Every worker up to the age of !t0 was called to the office and if he refused to "volunteer", he had to write a detailed protocol stating the reasons of refusal. This drive was conclu t'~rs~_~N~-~d l s;Id M !`against those who refuse~j r - -- Concurrently with the sending of skilled workers to the mines, new labor was being recruitedby the subject plant. Applicants had to pledge their willingness to work in three shifts (youngsters under 18 in two shifts). This neR labor is to replace in part those workers who had been sent to the mines or to some other long-term "brigade~?arork".-sand in part the peasants who had been taken on in the 1952 "industry first" campaign and sent back to till their land last year when the "new course" was introduced by the regime. The present policy is not to force the peasants out of their facto- ry fobs any more but to let them go if they pledge themselves to farm land in the border regions. to popularize the socialist competition movement, output pledges, and higher norms. As the meeting was held after working hours most of the workers wanted to go home. Some of them started drifting out only to discover that the Works gate was closed. All of a sudden the workers left the meeting en masse and forced the gate. The guards were unable to stop the angry crowd but managed to take photographs of the spearhead of the fugitives. Several dozen workers were arrested on the following days. a compulsory meeting of all the employees at which the speakers attempted The morale of the workers is very low. 8. TII membership fees. The automatic deduction of 1~ from the wages for Trade Union membership fees was abolished at the beginning of 195~t. Since then it was left to the dis- cretion of members to pay their doss in voluntary contributions. The result was such a sharp decline in Trade Union income that the TU Council (URO) had to issue a warning threatening to cancel all TU privileges should the situat- ion not improve. Although there was no response to this warning, no steps had been taken so far against lour-paying members and no privileges (e.g. re- creational facilities, financial support during long illness) had been withdrawn. Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2 9. Security measures. _-~~ _;., The who +~the Brno Armament Nork~a~ closed ~ n~ters~igh wall of cone lIM s one meter fiigh barbed wire fence. Inside +s !~! 1.5-meter~~gh barbed-wire Pence which runs parallel with the wall. The 1-to 1.5-meter- wide apace betwee~_ .wall and the fence is raked. The whole area is surveyed from wa . I J ed by members of the Interior Guard (DS). Guards in the wa Y~' a changed every twro hours. They carry rifles. other important industrial plants in Brno are a so guar e e All the employees of the Brno Armament Yforks moat carry special 1Norke' Identity Cards which, hw-ever, entitle them only to enter their own shop or department, as specified on the IC by number. llfhile leaving the 1Porks, workers are occasionally checked to determine whether they do not s~ggle out some material or product. Employees are allowed to take brief..caaes or parcels into the factory only ontain food. Lberything else has to be deposited with the ga 1~~Comment. Czech version of the ba$ooka,believed to be very 25X1 effective. Comment. Local factory specification not corresponding to nternational standard norms. SECRE~ Approved For Release 2008/07/31 :CIA-RDP80-00810A005800990001-2