ACTIVITIES AT THE LAUNE-WERKE, MERSEBURG

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R000200280010-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 10, 1998
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: December 26, 1946
• Content Type: IR

Approved For Release 1999/00200280010-2
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CENTRAL INTELEGFNC ROM'
INTELLIGENCE REPORT 25X1A2g
COUNTRY Germany (Ru,s an Zn
25X1A6a
SUBJECT Activities at the Lewe
Merseburg
ORIGIN
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DATE:
INFO
Dist 26 Deomber 1946
PAGES 2
SUPPLEMENT
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Even superficial insp ction by t avellers on the adjacent :Nailroad
line reveals that the Leuna-Work (D01) near Aerseburg has been
dismantled to a great extent, Most of the production pints havo
disappeared, with only a few of the numerous chimneys left standi
Only about one-third of tha former factory grounds contain build-
ings, most of them _old ones in the northern section.
At the end of October 1946,, employee strength .was estimated at
25-300000. Of this number, some 7,000 experienced workers wore
occupied with plant tasks; the others liqore engaged in disms:zsta
activities or were maintained extras svbjsct ,to distribution az
required in various sectiont f amber 0; women Workers were to
that they would be relaaemd during the Zirst week in. Nov embe
During the recent SED oartTaign? Keck aJA other party leaden
appeared at Leuna and promised vot only th reconstruction of the.
plant but the productlor,i for ti7icultural use, of 300,000 tom(
of nitrogen. This is doubted by soma or.vloyees.
Future Production at TA,una Involves
Th e coke =MAY
-
b) The repair of vital part.
C) , Maintenance of production (res at pr e) in the
faoe_of the breakdown of vital
The chief raw matorial'needed at Louna is coko former , obtainee
frbm the Ruhr, alesia and the Zwickau arey, 'ihe huge coke stock-
piles ilhich were visible a/Ong the railpoad lzmediately after the
war have ,disappeared. Although 7,7, fisurol, azo available on fuel
con it Is believed that it is tmnoSsibl#-'ror'the factory
to prod asciine under present con-
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5. The fuel lack was so marked la October 1946 that the synthetic
gasoline plant was operated for some nine days because there was
no reserve to supply plant vehicles. This section was then closed,
but there are still five chambers (Kammern) capable ofgasoline
production. Five chambers will remain for nitrogen production
after the dismantling of the more modern installations in this
section of the plant. Present raw material stocks would permit
these five chambers to produce 300,000 tons of nitrogen, but it
would be technically impossible to'keep all five chambers working
at the same time.
64 The Iteuneerk tlfaa so constructed that Zull c,apacity
of'. its installations was never used,- Some of theplants were
always laid up for repairs, substitution of equipment, etc. This
situation was further compliested by the scarcity of high grad
metal in Germany, neceseitattne the use of poorer grafAes and the
testing of possible substitutes in special laboratories at Leuna.
One of the chief technicians employed waa a Doctor Wyszomirski, who
has been sent to Euseia. Cna of his assistants Informed source that
there is no longer any reserve metal stock for the necessary steel
and iron pipes, and other machine parts.
7. There is also a shortage of expert per m,e1 Technical construction
of I,O,Varben in Central Germany, using experience of the Leuna
-
Werke, was carried out by the URGE group of engineers. These
specialists worked on the decentralization of Leuna and the con-
etruction of several hydrogeaation plants (at Magdeburg, Zeitz,
Piesteritz, etc). All these.UHDE people are said to have been de-
ported by the Russians.
8, In 19281 Leuna employed 20,000 persons in its fertilizer production
plants and some 2,000 in the sections handling coal liquifaction.
At the peae of Soviet dismantling operations, 30,000 persons were
used, It is believed, however, that in the near future the in-
stallation will not be able to support mcre than 6-7,000 employees.
9. Since the Russians regard any qualified worker as a specialist,
? and such specialists will be needed as soon as the dismantled
Leuna installations are set up in the USSR, it is believed that
further deportations of personnel may occur. Rumors to this effect
are now circulating at Leuna.
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Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R000200280010-2