MINES OF OBJECT NO. 9 OF WISMUT A.G.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80S01540R006600040010-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 26, 2013
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: April 28, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/03/26: CIA-RDP80501540R006600040010-0
bUAl -HUM
?
C -On
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DAIE OF
INFO.
CLASSIFICATION
CENTRAL N I ELLIULNGL AU)...NeY
C-0--N-?7 -7-- \-E-N-T-I-A-L
INFORMATION ROOR1
East Germany
Nines of Object No. 9 of Wismut A.G.
-
THIS DOMINANT CONTAINS IN FORIATION AFFECTING vs NATIONAL DEFINED
or THS UNITED STATES. WITHIN THE NEARING 07 TITLE IL SECTIONS 751
AND 794. OF THE S. S. CODE. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION ORBITAL.
AMU OF ITT CONTIRTS TO OR !amain' NT AN IINAUTHORIZED PERSON
IS PROUIDITIO I* LAW WI REPRODUCTION OF THIS PORN IS PIOHIBITED.
kEPORT
CD NO
DATE DISTR, 28 April 1955
NO. OF PAGES 5
NO. OF ENCLS.
(USTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
50X1-H UM
50X1-H UM
1. In November 1954, Soviet chief of Object No. 9 was one Liyenov who had
his headquarters at the former Sachsenwerk Plant .(punching and enameling
r?Istallation) at Aue.
2. :dna No. 1b6/296 was located near Oberalberoda, near the boundaries
of the town of Oberschlema, about 503 meters from the railroad tunnel.
Approach to the mine was from OberalDeroda. Chi2.f of the mine was
Soviet mining engineer Verinov; specialist for uranium ore mining
activities was Soviet onc;ineor Seryev; kierman mine superviser was ileinz
Frank from Oberschlema; Chief or the ::ork Norms Department was Z.urt
Grosch who came from the vicinity of Dresden. The ulhe had a work
force of 1,250 men. The first shift employed 450 men, the two other
shifts 400 men each. The difference was due to the fact that
administrative personnel worked only durin,: the first shift.
3. No. 156/296 had six levels. The first level had 2 working panels,
te tArd and fourth levels 5 working panels each, the fifth level 4
workin,7; :lanels. The sixth level was still bein?; sunk. This level was
to reach a depth of 600 meters. Gallery boring operations were under
way at levels 1 through 5. :Anina activities 'ere fully mechanized.
YoLr ,obile loaders fitted with pneumatic motors were employed at
STATE
ARMY IV
CLASSIFICATION
NAVY #
AIR
MSR3
F61
DMTMOUTION A
II I OSI Ev
50X1-H UM
50X1-H UM
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/03/26: CIA-RDP80501540R006600040010-0
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/03/26: CIA-RDP80501540R006600040010-0
50X1 -HUM
the first level, 3 loaders at the second level, 6 loaders at the
third level, 4 loaders at the fourth level, and 6 loaders at the.
fifth level. Two electric locomotives wore available at each level
for the hau1eng of mine cars. The mine was also equipped with a modern
hauling engine.
4. The output of pitchblende per shift was 60 to 120 boxes which were
picked up at the mine. From 15 to 20 x 4-ton trucks loaded with
loose ore left Mine N. 296 per shift. ;Lines No.166 and 296 ehich
were about 1,000 meters apart, were interconnected on the first
level at a depth of 160 meters. The Iatter mine was used as an
elevator shaft. The ore storage bunkers for loose material were
at Mine No 296.
6.$ ?
Prior to blasting operatioes, all boreholes were tested with the
Soviet teepe Melonov set. After the Oorehole charges had been
detonated the ore obtained was tested with a Geiger counter.
Pitchblende was only to be picked by means of pneumatic hammers.
The ore was packed into boxes ander Soviet supervision.
Aine No.207 belonged to Object No 9
Schneeberg-jiederschlema-Aue area.
between 1948 and 1950. In 1953, the
banner, a challenee trophy, because.
o.207 was located about 700 meters
railroad station, 3O0 to 400 meters
railroad line.
?
which had its mines in the
The mine was reportedly built
mine :las awarded the Stalin
of its high ore output.- Line
south of the Niederschlema ?
west of the Niederschlema-Aue
Chief of the mine was Soviet mini ne engineer lerokov, (phonetic
spelling) the
chief work norms clerk was 'Nolfgane Baler
lived in
Wiederschlema; mine foreman was Gottfried
Gehmlich,
The personnel office of the mine was outside the fenced-in area. The
ration card distribution point, the pay office and the shop trade
union manaament were attached to this office.
7. In September 1954, mining activities at the mine were conducted at
four levels. The mine had no railroad connection. Its work force
was roughly estimated at T.:1500 men. From 800 to 900 men were assigned
to each of the three shifts worked.
The worn norms for gallery boring operations were fixed according to
the hardness of the rock to be handled. The boring of holes 105 to
120 cm deep took from 10 to ?20 minutes. Most of the rook found at
Mine No 207 was a clunatz material and belonged to hardness catefory
7 and 3. In. rock of category 10, a bri,3ade had to make an advance of
60 metrs 1:-,?er month, Which repreaented an advance of 40 to 45 cm per
man and ohift..The cross section of a gallery was about 160x250 cm.
The galleries were timbered only if iteyereabsolutely
the safety of miners. necessary for
50X1 -HUM
50X1 -HUM
50X1 -HUM
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/03/26: CIA-RDP80501540R006600040010-0
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/03/26: CIA-RDP80501540R006600040010-0
.41
50X1 -HUM
9. Ghieayore pockets. and so-called ;Saharan (a series of small ore
pockets) were found. at the fourth level of :eine No.207. The average
thickness of ore veins was three or four cm, but in some cases they
reached a thickness of 15 cm. Good ore looked dark blue to black
and had a 'smell like dung eater. Lo-quality ore looked blue-green
and was interlaminated by auartz veins. Only eitchblende was mined.
10. In August A954, a device designed to fecieinste boring operations
for galleryadvance work was introduoed by' Hero of Labor Gustav
auebnera The device consisted of an iron plate in the size of the
cross section of a gallery and made possible the simultaneous
boring of nine boreholes. The device was allaedly invented in. the
USSR. It was to be used at all mines of the Wismut AG. In September
1954, most of the boring operations at"Sane No.207 were performed by
hand and usually only one group of shots was fired in one shiftt in
the spring of 1951, experiments were made to accelerate adVanee
operations by placing metal sheets or tarpaulins at the and of driving
shields(advance'heading?) before blastieg oeerations. After firing
the charges of boreholes, these sheets Were pulled away so that
?boring or picking operations could be continued without delay. This
? method was diacentinued because it did not work. The blasted rock
was generally loaded on mine cars by means -of mobile loaders called
"Eiserner Gustav" by the miners. At the beginning of each Shift the
? advance heading had to be tested. If the reek hada 10 hardness,
16 to 18 boreholes were Prescribed. Prior to ?each blasting operation,
each borehole' was tested by the radiometrist. No charges were to be
used in radioactive- ore.
11. Mile mine No 207 had only one ore testing station and three old-
type storage bunkers for low-grade ore, a modern ore sifting plant
was erected near elevator shaft Ne 66a ,in July 1954. The sifting
plant was in a wooden building 30x40 meters and about 6 meters high.
The building had a gable roof and rested on a wooden platform about.
four meters high. Low-Quality ore of grade i through 3 was trucked
by German drivers escorted by Soviet, personnel toward Aue and
Niederschlema. - Ore boxes carried a slip with undetermined data.
The sheet metal boxes measured about 40x60x35 ca and were not locked or
sealed. One box filled with grade-1 ore weigher). 80 to 90 kg. Numbers
were chalked on the side walls of the boxes, which were taken to the
ore collecting point of the mine where they were weighed, tested and then
trucked to Bruenlasberg by Soviet drivers.
12. In mine district No 4 of Liine No.207, 20 to 25 boxes of high-
quality ore of grade 1 and 60 to 70 boxes of grade 2 and 3 ore were
produced per shift. No information was available on the output of
low-quality ore.
13. In the summer of 19540
50X1-HUM
plans have been made to
reroutethe village brook coming from the direction of Schneeberg
toward the East Settlement near Oberschlema because the water of the brook
was seepinej into some mines located between Schneeberg and Niederschlema.
A concrete bed was to be built for the brook.
50X1 -HUM
mom Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/03/26: CIA-RDP80501540R006600040010-0
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/03/26: CIA-RDP80501540R006600040010-0
41
t-.0-N-.-A -t
4
14, In Octobcr 1954, Line No. 207 had a work force of 3,200 men who worked
three shifts. One specific brieade produced up to 10 boxes of ore per
shift. Tee ore was taken by air hoist from the central working shaft
to a ealtery below where it was loaded on mine cars. One mine car
could be loaded with nine boxes of ore. For one box of grade I ore 25 -
to 200 VAL were paid; for one box of grade II ore 12 to 25 DUE, and
for one eox of eeado III ore 3 to 12 DEE. Low-grade ore was carried
away on the ore ehute and then loaded into mine cars which were hoisted
to the surface. aadioactive ore and waste material were separated at
an ore testing point above ground. Low-grade ore was trucked to the
ore. washing plant at Aue.
15, Mine No. 207 had five mine districts and six levels. The first district
had four levels, the fturth level being at a depth of about 500 meters.
Gallery 207/13 e.ictonded to the fifth level. Closed shaft No.76 gave
access to the second district. The second district was. on an intermediate
level between the fourth and fifth levels. The third district was on the
fourth level, and the fourth and fifth districts were on the fifth
level. ?
16. Tee individual hewers who pioked ore at lane No 250 were informed by
radiometrista cr the quality of the ore obtained. They put a slip
statin 6 the grade of ore, the gallery involved, the brigade and the
hewer responsible into each box of ore. Ore was classified, as
pitchblende, grade 1 through 3 ore, low-grade ore and active ore. Only
grade 1 through 3 ore was boxed under ground. A bonus of from 100 to 3
LAE was granted per box of ore, but very often only part of the money
was actualty paid.
17. Ore boxed under ground included pitchblende which was packed. into
lead-linalwooden boxesand grade-1 and 2 ore which was 'packed into
sheet metal boxes. The quality of the ore was determined by German
or Soviet radiometrists. The boxed ore was hauled to the surface by
mine cars. At the elevator tower, Soviet personnel directed the boxed
ore to the ore storage shed which was off-limits to Germans. Grade-3 ore
was loaded into special mine cars. it the surface the ore was checked
again by Soviet radiometrists and then taken to the store bunker for
grade-3 ore. Low-quality ore was treated like grade-3 ore. Ore of a
quality ieferior to Armerz (low-quality ore). was taken to a special
storage benker from where it was mechanically dropped on a special
conveyor )elt called "Rasband" by the Germans. 4. This conveyor belt
was fitted with an ore testing device and an automatic sorting device
separatine radioactive material from waste. Waste material was taken
by a secoed conveyer belt to a storage bunker for Masse, from where
it was talon on an inclined hoist, the so-called Terrakonik I, to a
distribution, point on the dump. Since the summer of 1954, two electric
locomotives an: eight dump cars have been employed at the dump of 1iiine
No.250.
18. .? mine NO 250, a 4.5-ton 2Ie-150 truck made three or four runs per
shift to tae ere sterage shed. In December 1554, about 115 truckloads
of grade-3 ore, low-quality ore and active ore were produced per shift.
The trucks used for heeling operations were 3.5-ton ZIS,150 and 2.5-ton
eolotov trecks. From 12 to 15 truckloads ofeorade-3 ore were produced
p8r shift..
C-O -1-W-T _1
50X1 -HUM
50X1 -HUM
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/03/26: CIA-RDP80501540R006600040010-0
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/03/26: CIA-RDP80501540R006600040010-0
^ C-0 -N-F-I-D-E-N-=P-T-A
50X1 -HUM
19. Boxed ore produced at the mine was probably shipped to the ore washing
plant at Bruenlasberg. All grade-2 ore, low-quality ore and active
ore was shipped to the "Graessler" Eezhof (ore storage plant) at Aue,
which was enlarged in the mauler of 1954. From the "Erzhof" the are
was shipped on shuttle trains consisting of flatcars to the ore
washing plants at 0rOssen on the Lulda River and Freiberg. The scale
of the Erzhof at Aue was fitted with an ore testing device oeerated
by Soviet personnel. Depending on the quality of the ore, it was sent
either to storage bunker I or II. The driver of the truck which had
brought ore to the storage plant at Ave was given a stamped slip on
which the quality and the weight of the ore on his truck was stated.
20. ,:.ost of the ore which left the mine was met. or this reason the ore
was trucked to the "Graessler" Erzhof as soon as possible.
If the storage bunkers of the Graesuler installation at Aue were full,
low-quality ore and active ore was dumped. :evality-3 ore was always
sent to Aue. Before ore was dumped on the 10w-quality ore dump, it
was again checked by a Soviet radiometrist. This precautionary measure
was taken by the Soviets in order to prevent sabotage acts by the
ermans who might be inclined to drop quality-3 ore on the dump for
low-grade ore. The dumps for waste material were also re-checked by
Soviet radiometrists.
21. In 1954, Mine No 250 had a work force of more then 2,000 men who worked
three shifts. The mine was guarded by Soviet soldiers. out 25
soldiers were stationed at the guard room in the so-called "Garderoben-
gebaeude";*and a sergeant and four privates were detached for guard
duties on the four watch towers every four hours from the barracks
installation on Wiederschlemaer Weg at Aue. Every worker entering
the mine turned in his identity paper and received a special mine pass.
The procedure was reversed when the workers left the mine. All workers
were then checked for radioactive oreewhich they might carry on them..
1.
,Comment. RAS may stand for the initials of "Radioaktive Sammelstelle" 50X1-HUM
(collective point for radioactive me). 50X1-HUM
50X1 -HUM
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/03/26: CIA-RDP80501540R006600040010-0