MID - 15 PRODUCTION HALTED IN EAST GERMANY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A002800050001-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 6, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 30, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY ?
INFORMATION REPORT
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
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.
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SECURITY INFORMATION
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COUNTRY East Germany
SUBJECT MEG - 15 Production Halted in
East Germany
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
REPORT
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
30 November 1953
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THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
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1. Following the "New Course" in East Germany, HV Transportmaschinenbau in. Dessau
(Main Administration for Transport Construction) which had been given the spe-
cial mission of manufacturing military', aircraft, was dissolved in June 1953.
2.
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when, on 1 January 1953, the Ministry-for Transport and Farm Machinery-Con-
struction was established in East Berlin, the HV Transportmaschinenbau was
set up in Dessau as a. subordinate unit of the Ministry. The HV was accommo-
dated in the building complex at 35/36 Koethener Strasse in Dessau. It -
included the Main Administration, the Organization Section and the 050X1 ..HUM
Section with a total staff of about 350.
3. Miller (ftu), who. had teen manager of the HV, resigned in late March because'
? of poor health and was suCceeded by Meister (fnu). Engineer TOMS. a member
of the former Junkers aircrart firm, was managing. engineer.
Toppe was the key person at the -HV who, among other things,. selectedthe
subsidiary firms for the.hanufacture of air armament. His assistant managing
engineer was Albert Kempf, also a former Junkers man, who. had been in the 50X1-HUM
USSR and, until late 1952, in Pirna.
4. Hornoff, who was Hutskyls predecessor as head of the Materialamt in Pirna, was
chief of the department which controlled the administration and finance sec-
tions. Kuehnef1(fnu) was head' ofthe finance section which drafted the'finam-
cial plans for allatr armament subsidiary plants and, therefore, was aware of.
the firms which produced aircraft components.
5. Herbert Stephan was head of the central procuring section which was responsible
for the supply of raw material and semi-finished products to the subsidiary
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STATE
#x ARMY
NAVY AIR
FBI
AEC
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air armament plants. Wherever possible, he preferred private firms for such
deliveries. He was well informed about the situation in the raw material market.
6. Walter Haas and Brabant (fnu), two engineers, were members of the personnel
section. They had been in the USSR.
7. The central construction staff of the HV, also called investment section,
closely cooperated with Topps and was responsible for the erection or expansion
and the mechanical equipment of air armament plants and subsidiary works. The
managing engineering section of the HV selected supply works, determined the
manufacture, and submitted requisitions for new buildings, mechanical equipment
and similar requirements.
8. The HV was ordered to submit a financial plan for the new production by 30 Ju--
1953 to coordinate the old budget and the new budget for the subsidiary air 50X1 -HUM
armament plants.
the previous non-air-armament production at the air armament plants would be
continued under the HV Transportmaschinenbau control, at least until the next
fiscal year; that air armament production would begin next fiscal year in addi-
tion to non-air-armament production; that the two kinds of production would be
combined into one budget; that the budget would be organized into comparable
production (old production) andnarcomparable production (aircraft production),
and the the complete budget would be submitted for approval to a government
commission in July 1953,
9. The main administration had headquarters in the former Juno administration
building. Meister (fn u) was head of the main administration. He was assisted
by Topps and managing engineer Liebscher (fnu) as deputy. Kreutzburg (fnu) was
production manager and chief of the Reichsbahn Ausbesserungswerk (Railroad Re-
pair Shop) (RAW). Johannes (fnu) was chief technologist and head of the pro-
pulsion plant section. Hauber (fnu) was head of the investment section and
Kempf (fnu) was head of the investment section for the manufacture of machine
tools. Schulz (fnu) was chief quality inspector, engineer Maedebach was in
charge of material tests, Becker (fnu) headed the radio and equipment section
and Bormann (fnu) was head of the research and development section. The sections
had a personnel of about 250.
10. Since the former IFA building was still under construction, only a few rooms50X1 -HUM
were used by the organization section. No information was available on the
productianof the RAW by late June 1953.
a turbine rotor test stand for a thrust of 3'00050x1-HUM
kg without silencers and a high-altitude test stand were being designed at the
project office which was in the former Sanar leo-building. Jaensch (fnu) drafted
a high-speed wind tunnel for up to 1.2 Mach and a tunnel for between 1 and 3 Mach.
All these projects were still in their initial stage.
11.
12.
Bormann (fnu) would become head of the flight test depart-
ment, once Professor Guenther Bock returned from the USSR to take over the 50X1-HUM
research and development section. The flight test department was planned on
the north side of the area near the old wind tunnel. Two low buildings, each
42.5 by 12,5 meters, and a gear shed, 10 by 20 meters, were the first erected.
They were completed but not yet used in early July. An aircraft hangar, 25 by
20 meters, which was under construction, was scheduled to be surrounded by a board
fence, 2.5 meters high, and amtylt, a watchtower, 8 meters high, manned by VPs.
In August, it was planned to send. MiG-15 from Pirna to Dessau to the flight
test department for the training of the ground personnel. The first Mass-produc-
tion MiG-15-type airplane, built at the RAW, was scheduled to be delivered by
December 1953.
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operation manager Scheffel had designed
the flight test buildings and also worked on the flight operation shed, which was
scheduled to be completed on the Site of the former flight operation shed in
the southwestern section of the airfield by July 1954. This steel-concrete. shed,
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100 by 75 meters, was planned to have annex buildinas an three sides. -The
storage tank installation of four underground tanks, each with a capacity a
240 cubic meters was planned in about its previous place near the hairpAna
curve. The construction close to the flight test building of a large shed
100 by 45 meters, with annexes, each 12.5 meters long, to be used as office
rooms, commenced in early July. The runway was planned to be lengthened from
2,200 to 2,500 meters.
13. After the rebellion in June, it was rumored that the HV would be dissolved.
At 9 a.m. on 25 June 1953, Meister (fnu)? manager of the firm, informed the
personnel that on orders of the government the HV would be dissolved, all
orders placed would be cancelled and all documents would have to be kept safely
at places still to be determined. He also said that the personnel would be
dismissed and be re-employed at industrial plants, while the buildings would
be used by other public offices.
14. German airplane specialists hired for work in the USSR who had been Sched-
uled to return to Dessau by late June;were retained-because of the dissolution
of the HV. No news had been received from Podberezye at the time. The latest
information received indicated that, by the end of June, all Germans had left
Lukovtse airfield and returned to Podberezye,: where they were told by General
Lukin that together with their families they would be transferred to a camp
in Servolovo on the right bank of the Volga River opposite Kimry. General Lukin
had added that the Germans would stay there for a year, as there was no work
for them because of the new situation in East Germany. The Kuybyshev InRoole
were also scheduled to be transferred to Servolovo. 50X1-HUM
15. When the HV was being dissolved 26 special offices had
been in existence. They included offices for the manufacture of instruments
and other equipment in Leipzig and Magdeburg, a branch section of the
craft building plant for the construction of Yak-type training planes IL UKI-HUM
Schkeuditz and numerous small subsidiary firms in Thuringia and Saxony, such
as the VEB clothing plant in Seifhennersdorf, which was making parachutes.
All documents, records, drawings, appliances, templates, and component parts
more than 60 percent complete, were forwarded to and safely stored at Schloss
Sonnenstein near Pirna on and after 15 July 1953. trucked
26 boxes with about 2,500 blueprints and technical data and -a -set of panel
templates for MIG-15 to Pirna.anCin31,,July1153i 'mo't Of tile 50X1-HUM
HVp1o9ige 50X1-HUM
31zAtiadifinewina thgeWosIt'cill'31-6 31 LLJt W wind 1.11. ho
wo." 50X1-HUM
16. In late 1952, dependents of personnel of the Junkers firm who had been trans-
ferred to Kuibyshev, were informed by the town administration in Dessau that the
deportees would soon return. On about 5 July 1953, they were told, however, that
the return had been postponed. Dwellings which had been reconditioned and
equipped with furniture to accommadate returning specialists were released for
other purposes.
17.
18.
19.
stopped and
the reconstruction work at the Junkers plant in Dessau was
the employees and workers were gradually dismissed. 50X1-HUM
A
Dessau had refused to take
over aircraft designers from the Pima office and that the VEB Shipbuilding,
Design and Project Office in Berlin had refused to take over for ship design
20 aircraft designers, who could not be employed there.
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reconstruction work at the Junkers plant and preparations for the return of
these specialists had been dis ued, a liquidatianoffice 50X1-HUM
would work until 31 July 1953, he houses reserved for the returning
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4 ? OUA I
20.
21.
22.
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specialists were returned to the housing office in Dessau, and some of 50X1-HUM
the engineers at the Sonnenstein Institute in Pirna had been signed up for
Communist China.
On 25 June 1953, the secret office of the Junkers parent plant at 1, Bnruh-
strasse9 Dessau, was dissolved and the personnel was either transferred to
their previous offices or dismissed. The office rooms were sealed with seals
showing the inscription DIR, HVT and all records and drawings were trwOrPa
nunv ThP IrPnwhn hnd thp nffinn were withdrawn in early jui50X1-HUM
drawings and devices for the con-
struction of jet pumps for aircraft had been prepared at the secret office.
The barriers on Junkerstrasse, which had been set up to bar access to the
secret office, were removed on 25 June 1953, and bus traffic, which had been
detoured previously, moved again through Junkerstrasse.
the RAW shed in Dessau
was returned to the State Railroad at a cost of 3,500,000 eastmarks. the 50X1-HUM
machines which had been removed to make room for other equipment had to be
reinstalled.
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German aircraft specialists feared new depor-
tations to the USSR. It was rumored that the trains which had been used for
the deportations in 1946 were kept ready between Dessau and Bitterfeld and
between'Elsnick9 Koethen and Bernburg. 50X1-HUM
23. During early August 19539 the Materialamt in Pima was being dissolved. About
30 percent of the personnel had been transferred to their former working places.
24.
the organization of and key positions at the Materialamt in Pirna as of 11 July
1953 was as follows:
Plant Management:
Manager: Heinz Horloff,
Deputy Manager:
.Hutzky (fnu)
Managing Engineer:
Hans Eiseler, Eng3ne-6.1e
Deputy Managing Engineer:
Anders (fnu)
Assistant to managing
engineer:
Achrader (fnu)
Personnel (Cadre) Section:
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a specialist who returned from
the USSR and was transferred to HV Transportmaschi-
nenbau in Dessau in February 1953.
Section head and personnel
chief:
Betnara'(fnu)
formerly cultural manager.
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who returned from Chimki,USSR
and had been transferred to HV Dessau in January 1953,
in e ruary
Former head and personnel chief was Rudolf (fnu)
Purchase Section:
Section head:
Stephan Lange
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He was transferred to HV Dessau
who returned from the USSR and transferred to HV
Dessau as special purchasing manager in February
1953.
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Work Preuaration Section:
Section Head:
Wiesenmueller (fnu)
Quality Testing Section:
Section Head:
Schandera (fnu)
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a specialist, who had returned from
Upravlentcheskiy-Gorodok, USSR.
Material Testing _Section:
Section Head:
Roesner (fnu)
Aguslynagol_ggail2n:
Section Head:
unidentified
Standard Section:
r,
an engineer and specialist who had re-
turned from the USSR.
Section Head:
Schurz (fnu), engineer a specialist, who returned from Podbe-
re0e,
Plant Section:
Section Head:
Boehnisch (fnu)
Subsections Heads:
Neidhardt (fnu), Kempler (fnu)
Party Cell:
Key members:
Baade (fnu)? Naetzold (fnu)
Zimmermann (fnu)
&luatozd.,..afigg:
Head:
Reinhardt (fnu)
Workshop.:
Chief Foremen:
Heinz Knittel
Kempf (fnu)
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a specialist who had returned from Chimki,USSR.
who was transferred to HV Dessau in January
1953 to buy machine-tools.
The personnel of the Materialamt in Pirna numbered between 850 and 900 per.-
sons; about 75 percent of the staff members and specialists were returnees.
The others came from various special plants, such as VEB-EMW Eisenach (IC-engime
specialists) and Junkers in Dessau.
25. Between early May 1952 and October 1952, the Mhterialamt Pirna had to develop
a Klemmotype plane, which was completed only as a model. New sections)which
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were set up while source had been detached to attend a course of instruction
at the Zeiss works in Jena from October 1952 to December 1952)included the
standards section, the technical management, the power plant section and the
political cell. In early 1953, the institute was ordered to translate from
RUssian into German the specifications, drawings, technological data and
aerodynAmical characteristics of the Soviet MiG-15 jet fighter. Both the
drawings and the min-15 jet fighter came from Bad Schandau. The most Important
manufacturing plants for airplane construction included the Zwickau-Harten-
stein factory for power plants, the Leipzig factory in Schkeuditz near Leipzig
for fuselage production, the Leipzig factory for landing gear, the Halle
factory for empennage and the State Railroad Repair Works in Dessau and the
Lowa works in Dessau for assembly work.
26. Prior to January 1953, orders were placed by a sort of Ministry for Aircraft
Development which later became the Ministry for Transport and Farming Mach-
inery Construction.
27. Four MiG-15 fighters were scheduled to be completed by East German manufac-
turing plants by late 1953. 50X1-HUM
28. Soviet engineers assigned to the Materialamt worked as advisors to help with
the translation of the technological description (specifications), drawings
and aerodynamical Vdata,
50X1-HUM,
29. in the field of airframe, including fuselage,
wings, empennage and landing gear the translators, were
farmers, 'barbers and teachers andAlthough they spoke Russian, were incapablg,
of translating technical-specifications. technical terns or technical data. 50X1-HUM
classification of the measuring instruments 50X1-HUM
was given a definite code number, which did not correspond to the number
of component part for which it was to be used. The Russian translation differ-
entiated between code letters S and SD, with SV signifying 90 and SD signifying
92 as code names of the engine components. The code number, the component
part number, and the assembly number of the engine, were given as 3000940009
5500 following No 90 or 92, i.e. either S or SD?which indicated the component
part referred to. The component part number was J.Pllowed by the serial number
and partial number of the engine. The sub-groups indicated the measuring in-
struments, cutting and non-cutting tools, punching machines, drilling and
boring machines and check instruments. This code number checked with the
indexnumber of the sub-groups corresponding to the various component parts.
The code numbers of the jigs carried Soviet designations, Shkk meaning standard
gauge?,Shek meaning check gauge and Gshk meaning counter jigs for checking
contours. Since the tolerance fits, which had been in accordance with ISA
standards (International Standards Association rules) were made according to
COST? atandafds; nd-odere for measutint-iri-
struments? snap gauges, jigs and thread gauges could be placed, because the
firms in East Germany, as well as those in the satellite states, were still
unable-to manufacture machine tools for ? II ? .-a-uring instruments
in conformity with E.,GOST , standards, a conversion 50X1-HUM
would cost several million eastmarks? and the production of the new in-
stmenis could at the earliest start in the fall of 1953. It was planned to
order certain measuring instruments and the required threads for the thread
fits on the machines in the USSR.
30. After the specifications had been translated, some of the material was supplied
according to classes of hardness as, for example, sheet metal fromMettstedt.
Since February 1953, these orders for sheet metal and measuring instruments
were handled by HV Dessau to assure a smooth supply to the plants.
31. A power plant was disassembled by Winter (fnu), Lass (fnu) and Naumann (fnu)
at house 14 for the training of designers and the translation of drawings and
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specifications. Frame work was disassembled at house 42 for training purposes
and the checking of errors in translation which might have occurred in the
specifications (technological descriptions) and drawings.
32. Except for the factories in Schkeuditz and the RAW in Dessau, the plants could
not start producing for lack of adequate mechanical equipment, which was stored
in Pirna and was to be distributed to the various plants. Some of the measuring
instruments required for workshop use and quality inspection were available,
however. Precision measurement rooms had still to be erected at the various
plants. The precision measurements rooms at the RAW in Dessau were planned in
such a manner that all templates would be kept under a constant temperature
to serve as standards for all measuring purposes. The precision measurement
rooms at the other plants were for checking the measuring instruments. Available
were 3 universal measuring instruments (U)N)? 3 optical dividing devices, 3
universal lengthmeters, and 2 sets of stop measures. The other optical devices
were delivered by the Zeiss works in Jena on the basis of a government order.
33. The tools required were distributed according to a percentage scale either by
the Materialamt in Pirna or, in some cases, individual plants. The tools
which were lacking were ordered by the purchasing sections of the individual
plants through the HV Dessau and were delivered through the DHZs by Zeiss in
Jena and Keilpart in Schmalkalden.
34. Materials were analyzed centrally by the material testing section of the
Materialamt in Pirna and could be ordered following specification and success-
ful analysis. Since test samples had also to be submitted, processing of low-
grade material was definitely impossible.
35. Bottlenecks in sheet iron developed from shortage of ores and rolled material
and goods not imported from satellite countries. Sheet metal was made in
Hettstedt. Four railroad cars with sheet metal had arrived at the RAW in
Dessau prior to 11 July 1953.
36. Orders exceeding 2,000 eastmarks were considered government orders and had to
go through official channels, while other orders could be forwarded direct
through the DHZ.
37. In July 1953, it was announced that the Material Testing Office would be dissolved.
All employees believed that the reason was the rebellion on 17 June, especially
as the workers at the RAW in Dessau had declared that they wished to build
houses, rather than make weapons and work for armament. They were aware
that the RAW had slowly prepared for mass production of airplanes, as loco-
motive pits in large sheds had been filled up and been given concrete floors,
and some other important changes for aircraft production had been
I -r1.65(1-HUM
38. Regarding the possibility of resuming the activity of the institute
an the whole, the institute had served its purpose and mass
production of S 90 and SD 92 could be started without delay, the
tranalation bfc.the_teohh al-katerial on the MiG-15-type jet fighter
was finished completely., the only difficulty for starting 50)(1 -HUM
production was the procuremen o e mechanical equipment and the necessary
special gauges and testing instruments. With these procured, he was quite
certain that mass production could begin in less than two months.
39. In February or March 1953, HV Dessau, Land- und Transportmaschinenbau (Main
Administration for the Construction of Farming Machinery and Means of
Transport) was established and placed under the control of the Ministry for
the Construction of Farming Machinery and Means of Transport. The organi-
zation of the HV was as follows:
Management of plant:
General manager Topps (fnu), a specialist,
who had been in the USSR.
Deputy general manager Kreuzbuit (fnu),
a specialist, who had been in the USSR.
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Technical management:
Quality inspection:
Purchase:
Standards:
Personnel section:
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Managing engineer Liebscher? a specialist,
who had been in the USSR.
Schurz (fnu), Reuter (fnu) Retzlaff (fnu)?
Traber (fnu) and since May 1953 source.
Stephan (fnu).
Schurz (fnu), since May 1953.
Betnara (fnu).
The HV Dessau had about 250 employees.
40. In early May 1953, preparatory work for production had so advanced at the
Materialamt in Pirna that the various groups could gradually move to the
production shops. to the best of his knowledge, both complete
MiG-15 -type jet fighters and piston engines for the Yak-17-type airplanes 50X1-HUM
were planned to be manufactured in East Germany. the 50X1-HUM
production of other flying equipment required for the Volkspolizei was being
prepared in East Germany.
50X1-HUM
41. On the morning of 25 June 1953, all preparations at the car factory were
suddenly stopped and all documents were collected to be taken to the central
office at the Materialamt. An official announcement indicated that pursuant
to new government orders, the entire production would be shifted over to the
manufacture of commodities and that therefore the aviation building progran50X1-HUM
would temporarily be suspended. the postpone-
ment would last about one year. Almost all members of the Materialamt were
transferred to factories which manufactured civilian goods.
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