SUPPLY OF DOMESTIC AND IMPORTED IRON ORE FOR EAST GERMAN INDUSTRY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A006800640005-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 28, 2008
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: May 27, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2008/07/28: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA006800640005-5
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
S-P-r-g?F m
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
East Germany
Supply of Domestic and Imported
Iron Ore for East German Industry
REPOR7~
((
DATE
DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT
REFERENCES
27 May 1955
XtZ
1. General
a, During 19519 the supply of raw materials for the iron industry was
inadequate, It originally had been planned to increase this supply,
but after 19538 priority in the country's economy was given to the
production of consumer goods, As a consequence, East Germany will
be forced to depend on imports to an even greater extent than during
the period of the previous Five Year Flan,
b, Stocks of iron ore and coke in particular are insufficient and are
being exhausted, The present production quotas can only be reached
by increased imports, mainly from the Satellite Countries,
2, Supplies to iron plants
a, It is possible to supply from East German sources only a bare 60% of
iron ore to VEB Eisenhu3ttenkombinat J. W, Stalin,Stalinstadt (Oder);
VEB Maxhuette, Unterwellenborn9 and VEB Eisenwerk West., Calbe/Saale,
The percentage thus supplied in 1953 was 59% and in 1951 ? 60%. The
Stalinstadt plant, for instance is almost antiml- ' ed from
imported ores, which can only be
used after concentration, the other hand, VEB Maxhuette Unterwell$-
enborn and VEB Eisenwerk West obtain most of their iron ore from East
German mines,
b, Since the end of 1950, the considerable stocks of pit heap ore, which
then amounted to about 1,000,000 tons., have been exhausted.
3,
A. Inadequacy of technical. installations and the necessity of concentrating
the ore are putting a brake on an increase of output of iron ores., even
when the relatively considerable chamoisite ores in Thuringia are taken
into consideration.
L
(Note: Washington distribution indicated by "* ; Field distribution by
INFOR-MATION REPORT. INFORMATION REP`
Approved For Release 2008/07/28: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA006800640005-5
 Approved For Release 2008/07/28: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA006800640005-5 25X1 '
R rte,
SCR
b. In 19528 total reserves an Fast G.niany were estimated by the State
Geological Commission to be from 4809000,0(0 to 240,0009000 tons,but
this is now considered tc be Esc high a figure. The amount is probably
8080009000 to 120,000,000 tcns, In 1936kthe estimate was
about 8590009000 tons.
4, Location of deposits,, type of ore, and disposal
a. Schmiedefeld (near Saalfeld),- iron silica clay with less than 30% Fe content;
delivers u ar:4ixhuette.
b. Wittmannsgereuth (near Saalfeld); iron ore with an average of 30% Fe content;
sent by cable railway to Unterwellenborn; delivers to Maxhuette,? .
co Kamsdorf (near Saalfeld); carboniferous iron ore and limestone containing
iron; deliveries before 1953 to Stalinstadt, after that to Maxhuette,
N.B. Schmiedefeld, Wittmannsgereuth, and Kamsdorf constitute the main
sources of supplies of iron ore,
d. Schleiz (Thuringia); brown iron stone with less than 15% Fe content; deliveries
partly to Maxhuette and partly to Eisenwerk West,
e, Buechenberg and Braunesumpf,- iron ores with about 1% sulfur content., 1%
phosphorus; delivered to Eisenwerk West.
f, Tangerhuette; iron ore 30-40% Fe content which is raised about 50% by
concentration,
g, Helmstedt and Halberstadt areas; dispersed deposits of Lias formation ores
(offshoots of the so-called "Salzgitter" ores); open cast mining,
h. Voelpke (1 km. south of Bardeleben); open cast mining,
i, Ueplingen (3 km, south of Voelpke); acid iron sandstone,
j. Sommereschenburg; iron ores with approximately 25% Fe content and traces of MgO,
k. Ohrsleben (20 km, northwest of Oschersleben). A deposit of approximately
2,000,000 tons of workable self fluxing ores with approximately 20% SiO2 and
25% CaO have been discovered. After some delay, the deposits began to be
worked during the first half of 1954,
1, Schwarzenberg (Erzgebirge), Rottleberode, and Gottesgabe (Harz). Prospecting
operations have been suspended because it does not appear to be worth
while to work the seams, However, because of the urgency of obtaining new
ores, new drillings are to be made at these places,
Planning
All current geological exploration, with the exception of test drillings already
underway in different parts of East Germany, was suspended with the introduction
of the New Course, It is not known whether there will be a return to former
plans in view of the new tasks to be accomplished and the necessity of increased
product Lon. The planned target for iron ore., and in particular that for 1955,
has frequently been changed. The Five Year Plan envisaged an output of
3,650,000 tons for 1955, but this has been reduced to 2,120,000 tons, This
figure should be reach.
Approved For Release 2008/07/28: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA006800640005-5