PRODUCTION OF STORAGE BATTERIES BY PRAZSKA AKUMULATORKA, NATIONAL CORPORATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R004800310007-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 10, 2013
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: May 15, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

CLASSIFICATIONfirdic115/barTnoL u.s. 1FFICIAT3 0111LY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized CopyApp I
Approved for Release 2013/09/10: CIA-RDP82-00457R004800310007-5
INFORMATION REPORT
1/40ONFIDEN
COUNTRY Czechoslovakia ?
CD NO.
DATE DISTR. 15 MAY 50 50X1
SUBJECT Production of Storage Batteries by Prazska NO. OF PAGES
3
Akumulatorka, National Corporation
?
PLACE
NO. OF ENCLS.
ACQUIREC
(LISTED BELOW)
50X1 -HUM
DATE OF
SUPPLEMENT TO
INFO.
REPORT NO.
' 41-4:2-? cwt.-a-Xi:wit:ill -#. ? ?
1915 00201111107 COR WIN IXTORDAT10114PTECTIVI2 THE NATIONAL onrost
07thT UNITED OTITIS 017102 TWO 0622120 OP tIlt 20111011AGI AC' CC
O. s.c.. 21 ACV $2. U ?011111/21). 112 1IA/3001111100 02 1111 ITMLILTICTI
09 ITT COLITTOTO 10 LOT 11111011111 TO At1 IMIAOTOOLITID 1.211200 IC POS
1110111M ST in. 1110201)11CTION DT Tais nn is 120111111TID.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
50X1 -HUM
1. The Ceske Lips factory was established in 1944 as a branch of the Sonnenschein
factory in Berlin. From the end of the war until the end of January 19414 it
was under national administration; later, it was nationalized and joined to
Dateria, a national corporation which is headed by Ing. Polivka, director, and
has its seat in Slany at the former Palaba factory. (Pala, the owner of RaLabat
was irrerisoned for collaborating with the Germane during the war
Bateria united all Czech production oi storage
batteries except those made by the firms of Lorene and Saint, Vera, and th50X1-HUM
Ilvobodove Bros., all in Prague, ani Sloinilana in Tynan. Those latter firt50X1-HUM
have ransined under private ownership but they probably will be liquidated.
2. As of 1 January 1950, the .factories engaged in the production of dry batteries
and their comnonents have continued under Bateria, but the storage battery
factories have been formed into a now national corporation known as Prazeka
Akumulntorka, with its headquarters at Made Boloslav. These storage battery
factories are as follows:
a. Main factory at Banda Boleslav, which produces automobile batteries of
all sizes, motorcycle batteries, plates for repairing batteries, and
station batteries for telephones, post offices, emergency lighting, etc.
This factory produces 20 percent of the Czech mr-ply of alkaline (steel-
nickel) batteries.
b. Elks firm at Usti nad /atom; headed by Frantisek Krejcik. This factory
produces small telephone batteries, radio batteries, and .parts for auto-
mobile batteries.
Former Sonnenschein firm at Ceske Lipa; the head position is note vacant.
It produced 10,400 batteries having a rating of 105 ampere hours and 4,800
batteries of 150 ampere hours. In addition, it produced 2,500,000 plates
for the Made Boleslav factory and 1,000,000 plates for use in repair work.
d. Acta at Radotin, headed by Ambrcv. Thin factory produces
traction batteries for electrically-run vehicles and train batteries for
illumination. It also produces 20 percent of the Czech supply of alkaline
batteries (the Dire factory produces the remaining 60 percent).
CLASSIFICATION /ft) 'efttniefl
1
OFFICIALn ONLY
STATE
NAVY NSRB
DhEIBN-
?
ARMY
I
AIR FBI
*
I I
This document is hereby regraded to
CONFIDENTIAL in accordance with the
letter of 16 October 1978 from the
Director of Central Intelligence to the
Archivist of the United States.
Next Review Date: 2008
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/10: CIA-RDP82-00457R004800310007-5
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release-2013/09/10 : CIA-RDP82-00457R004800310007-5
/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY.
CMITTZAL L1TELLIGMICE AGENCY
-2-
? e. Varta battery repair shop in Prague, headed by Ant: Blazek.
f. Repair shop and engineering office in Brno, headed by Bulleek.
3. Prnzska Alrunulatorke belongs to the "Automobile and Aircraftindustry", of
which the general director is one Horak. The director of Prazeka Akunula-
torka is Antonin Klapste, and the technical leader is Frantisek Nalivka.
? Other officials are Srb, the factory economist; Jaroslav Wolf, the factory
planner- and Salavec, the social and "competition" secretary. Vaclav Steelier,
a Communist, is the cadre man and the real ruler of the factory.
4. For the year 1950 the Prazska Akunulatorka was allowed a budget of 360,000,000
crowns to cover production costs of ampere hours, Of this sum the Ndada Boleslav
factory was allotted 180,000,000 crowns, Elise about 560000,000, Ceske Lipa
83,000,000 and Asta the remainder.
5. From 5 to 10 percent of yearly production of storage batteries goes to the
military. Factories producing automobiles and airplanes, especially the Skoda,
Let-sick? savody, and Avla Cakovice factories, take about 40 percent of produc-
tion. About 20 percent goes to other national corporations, and about 25-30
percent, which is for civilian use, is distributed through Metotechna, a na-
tional corporation in Prague which has united all automobile commodities.
6. In December 1949, the Plzen Skoda Works received about 600 batteries which had
a rating of 105 ampere hours and were intended for heavy artillery. The Mili-
tary acceptance commission took over these batteries and sent them to various
places in Czechoslovakia. For example, about one hundred each went to Olomouc
for transport of heavy artillery, to Hradec, to Nilovice (for tanks), to Bratis-
lava, and to like places. In the near Altura, Skoda was to acquire about another
hundred batteries, evidently for the same uees. Tho Ceske Lipa factory is the
only one in Czechoslovakia producing this type of battery, Which is designed
for new Skoda products such as traction equipment for heavy artillery or tanks.
These tanks are probably of German origin, since the Germans left much material
in the Skoda factory after the war. p
. .
7. /n 1949 the Ceske Lips factory delivered about 250 batteries to military units
at Now Jicin, where an air force unit and a motor vehicle battalion are sta-
tioned. Another delivery is to be made here sometime in 1950. Also in 1949,
about 1,000 of these batteries were sent to themotor vehicle battalion and
arsenal (AZ-1) at Prelatic, to be used for rebuilt vehicles of both Czech and
foreign make.
8. The most important material used in the production of storage batteries is
pure smelting lead. Prazska Akumulatorka needs about 2,003 tons of lead a
year, but it is unable to obtain pure lead from Czech sources.v.,Before the
war lead was imported from Belgium, Canada, and Germany. After 1945, it was
procured also from Yugoslavia and to a small extent from Poland. In 1949,
nearly all of the lead used in the production of storage batteries was Im-
ported from Austria From the lead
received from Western Germany, only the Ceske Lipa factory obtained an alloca-
tion.--about 200 tons during 19 9 a
_ lthe transaction
was nanalea try the transport company Metranoit in Bratislava.
9. Tho lead now at the dispenal.of Ptazska Akumulatorka is sufficient for the
production of storage batteries during the first half of 1950. A shortage
/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
50X1
50X1-HUN
50X1-HUN
50X1 -HUM
Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/10: CIA-RDP82-00457R004800310007-5 ?
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/10: CIA-RDP82-00457R004800310007-5
SEC ObONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
CENTRAL INCLLIGENCE AGENCY
-3-
of lead causes a real bottleneck in production, and quality is seriously
threatened if lead cannot be acquired from the West. Such a
situation could seriously affect the economic life of Czechoslovakia.
The lifetime of a battery manufactured with lead of good quality is four
years, while the lifetime of a ;battery made with Czech lead is two to three
months. The USSR does not supply. Czechoslovakia with any lead..
10. Another handicap to production is the lack of lead powder of good qnnlity. .
From 1946 to 1949, lead powder was obtained from Austria through barter ar-
rangements, but these arrangements ware forbidden in 1950 by the Ministry
for Foreign Trade. To make up for prohibited imports, a new mill for lead
powder is to be established at the ore and graphite mines in Pribram, and
the mill is expected to produce about 1,000 tons. Another 1,000 tons are
to be produced at the Mlada Doleslav storage battery factory, assuming it
will have on hand a sufficient quantity of soft blast lead. The remaining
300 - 400 tons are to be furnished by the company (sic) for chemical and
smelting production. This plant produces a very poor quality of lead pow-
der. The quality of lead powder depends on the quality of thesoft:blast
lead used, and if the latter is inferior, tbe batteries have a short life.
11. All factories of Prazska Akumplatorka suffer from a lack of workers, es-
pecially responsible ones. The morale of workers is low because of the
system of paying workers in accordance with the "state wages catalogue"
which means more work at lesser pay.
12. Nearly 80 percent of the personnel of the Ceska Lipa factory belongs to the
Commdnist Party. The majority of those workers who am not members are either
juveniles or.harriod Oilmen? Real supporters of the party do not number
more than 20 percent, however. Although it cannot be said that terrorism is
practiced in this factory, the Communist Party and the cadre commisSion
re-
quixe that all personnel participate nearly every day in the various meetings,
in classes on Communist ideology, in labor brigades, etc., so that nearly
all the free tine of workers is taken over by the party.
13. ROH, the compulsory and uniform trade union, is completely under the influence
of the Communist Party.
14. A workers' militia has been formed only in the main Made Boleslav factory,
and it is compnsed of four men equipped with pistols.
15. Production at the end of the Five Year Plan (1953) is to be increased in pro-
portion to 1948 production by nearly 40 percent. The production described in
this report represents nearly 110 per cent of production since 1948.
SEC CONTROL: U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/09/10: CIA-RDP82-00457R004800310007-5
50X1