URANIUM MINES IN THURINGIA, THE HARZ MOUNTAINS, AND THE ERZGEBIRGS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00046R000400260008-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 22
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 4, 2010
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: February 17, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Piet OernEmy
This ms$rlel contains lniormitiou aifeoting the Na-
tional Lifenle of the Vnited states within U w mean-
ing of the Espionage Laws. TWO 18. U.d.C. Aeon. 490
end 494. the transmission or revelation of which in
any manner to an unauthorised person is prohibited
by law.
REPORT
Uranium Mines in Thuringia, the Barz DATE DISTR. 17 February 1955
Mountains, and the Przgebirge
NO. OF PAGES 22
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
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SECRET REPORE
COUNTRY East Germany
SUBJECT Uranium Mines in Thuringia, the Harz
Mountains, and the Erzgebirge
DATE DISTR. 24 Nov 1954
NO. OF PAGES 21
DATE OF INFORMATION REFERENCES:
PLACE ACQUIRED
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
.1. The principal element in the ore mined in the pinpointed areas of
this report was uranium. No..special attention was paid to any
other element because of its low content.
2. Four of the Lichtenberg shafts (Points 5# 5, 7, and 8 of Attachment 1)
fulfilled their norms 100 percent and, occasionally, fulfilled.their
norms 110 to 115 percent. A norm consisted of digging a tunnel 27
to 35 M. long each month. All workers received additional money for
fulfilling the prescribed norm and were required to work 26 days
each month. Most of the workers were cite young their ages ranging
from 18 to L5-years. Although no oases of unusual 25X1
or recurrent illness a song those who worked on the surface,, a large
percents a ofthe underground workers suffered from silicosis.
g . ..
3. tke-mine6'Wer6 during each shift 'by a Soviet
g p d the uranium content of the mined ore, the
norm, fulfillment, and work attendance.
ese..ov a women were not permitted.
o 5500 a w' h he German nativna e... And, a were
ixilediately sent 'back to the USSR; ` when the 25X1
Soviet women first arrived, they wore g? black oo s, their hair
in- :braids , and " lacked style in their dress, however after about two
months, they out acid 'restyled their hair and boughs modern dresses.
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I
Attac
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Legend to Attachment 1
1. Shaft "Otticha". 80 is_ deem. Wan _, a,:,nkk in An1nh . 10RI
or ore, on a daily or monthly basi
a c a was worked in.-two' shifts from 0600 - 1400
hours and from 1400, to 2200 hours, a -ployed..'four women, 24 men,
four of whom were hewers. The w?men.performed only very light work.
No Soviet personnel were permanently-assigned to this shaft. OceasionJ
ally, male Soviet civilian geologists and topographers arrived to
inspect the line. They were dressed in mining uniforms which were
dark blue with gold buttons, light blue trimming on the hat, and a
light blue stripe down the leg of the trousers.. The German mining
uniforms were the same in style except instead of gold -trimming
they had light blue.. Women earned'about 400 aat Mark 7while the
men received 500 and 600 East, _Marks monthly. the output 25X1
counters,at the spot of excavation. It consisted of grades 1, 2, 25X1
a
d
a
d
3,
n
ccor
ing to uranium contents. The first grade contained a
maximum up to 60% uranium. The second grade between 20% and:40%,
and the third grade between 15%and 20%. The ore was put in,wooden
boxes, 60 x 30 x 30 cm. mailed o4 the top, and the type of ore grade
marked on the box. Boxes'were placed into metal buckets fastened
on a steel rope and pulled from the shaft. The boxes were then put
on trucks and transferred to the Teiohwolframsdorf (N 50-43, E 12-15
railroad station and put on railroad cars.
2. The town of Otticha which had about 158 inhabitants including workers
4. Shaft . "Loitsch", sunk in March.- 1952, was about 32 m. deep; excavation
was in two directions. Twenty-sit * mete, . four of whom were hewers,
worked at this shaft; there were no women employees. 25X1
5. Shaft "Lichtenberg" was sunk in Marsh 1952. Twenty-four
mete, four of whom, were ewers; and two women worked here. The shaft
was between 30 and 55 a. deep.
from shaft. Otticha.
shaft "Pohlen" was sunk in 1952 and was 80 m. deep, employed '20 men,
four of whom were hewers, and two girls. The shaft operated in two
shifts from 0600-1400 hours and'from 1400-2200 hours. Ore deposits
were in horizontal.layers; excavation took place in two directions.
The surrounding terrain was hilly with granite rocks., coniferous
and deciduous trees. The ore was graded in the same manner as
Shaft Ottioka.,The predominant element in the mined ore was uranium.
shaft "Lichtenberg_" Same descrintion as point
as point 5 above.
Shaft "Liohtehber` g" Same description. and i lformation
. ...............
Shaft "Lichtenberg" Same description as point 5 above.
9. Shaft "Lichtenberg" Same information as point 5 above.
Workers received their passes for the above shafts from Wismut A.G.
in Ronneburg (N 50-52, E 12-.l1)and Gera (w 50.52, E 12-~05) .. Passes were
-aade,'of 'light brown paper, 12 x 10 em., with a 3 x, 4 cm'. photograph.'
with passes were renewed every year. One Soviet military guard, armed
with carbine., was posted at each of the following points:1, 5, 6,, 7,
8,and 9. All the mines..in this-. area were enclosed by a two meter-high
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5 25X1
Legend to Attackment 1 cont'd 25X1
wooden fence. In March 1953 the entire population of Licktenberg was
evacuated. Hewers in the ekafts- d w
wki e w
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,.legend to Attaohaent 2
1. Shaft "Gessenthal", sunk in Ootober-November 1952, was 60-80 m.
deep. Two shifts were worked and employed 12 men, two hewers,
and no women
2. Shaft " aessenthal" . Same information as point 1 above.
3. Shaft "aessenthal". Sane. information as, point 1 above.
4. Shaft "Sohmirohau", sunk in Auguet 1952, worked two shifts, was
80 m, deep, and eup,i,oyed 24 uen(six hewers, and no women.
5. Shaft "Sohairohau''". Same--'iffbraiation as. point 4 above. Ore from
the above shafts was tranefei4r-ed in wooden boxes on trucks to
Teiohwolframsdorf to the transshipment depot.
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Attachment I
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Legend to Attachment 3
1. Area of "Ta ban" (or open workin
B) . From, July until September 1951
xo Soviet and 11 Oerwan topographists, surveyed this 25X1
area and uncovered uranium deposits; the area-covered eight square
km. They drilled a hole of-30 a. depth and the ore extracted was
sent to the Chemnitz.,research
cloth bags,
er a survey ng was co pleted, plans were 25X1
imade to evacuate the population from the, surrounding villages.,
Sorge, Settendorf, and ,,Satzebdorf .
An area of a one-half square ' kilometer where the top soil (Muttererde )
was removed until bard soil^-was reached. Hundreds of trucks were
utilized to clear the area and transfer the soil to the northern
border of point 1 above. More than 100 electrically-driven dredges
of German origin removed the top soil in points 2.and 3. Upon
reaching the hard soil,. usually between three and five meters depth,'
it was dynamited until the uranium ore was reached. Between 800
and ],200 persons worked at points 2'and 3 in three shifts. An
,unknown number of women loaded the soil onto trucks.
3. An area of 3/4 square kilometer: where work. was performed as described
i
2
i
n po
nt
above. The removal of top soil began in May 1952.
Holes. drilled by topograpkists for the purpose of discovering uranium
ore deposits. -Hand and'electric'boring machines drilled holes 1.80 m.
in diameter, 30 a. 'deep., and 50-60 mo apart. Soviet . geologists
acted as supervisors. The results of these explorations were promising,
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At ambment L.
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Braunsdo
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Legend to Attachment 4
1. & 2. Brick buildings, 40 x 10 x 6 m., which contained kitchens and
measballs.
Brick garages, 60 x 6 x 4 m., with tar paper shed-type roofs.
Administration building, brick, 24 x 8 x 8 m., with tar paper
shed-type roof; 40 men and women worked here including four
Soviet engineers, 12 male geologists, and five women geologists.
5. Mesh wire fence, two meters high. The area, indicated on the
sketch by a dotted line, was an open working area. Two hundred
men and women were employed in this area in the removal of the
top soil The admin stx'ative headquarters for this project was
located in Saalfeld (N 50-39, E 11-21).
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- 113 ; .~:. 25X1
Legend t o Attachment 5
1. Shaft "Taubenbaoh", sunk in January 1953, was 80 to 100 in. deep.
Horizontal tunnels were`being dug at the 40 m.. depth and 80 m. depth.
Thirty menu including four hewers and two women worked in each of
three shifts,
2. Shaft "Taubenbach". See information in point-1 above.
3. Shaft "Taubenbach". See information in point 1 above.
Explosive storage foe" "gelati ie dozarit" . `probably. a :.blasting ;:.gelatin) ,
on the surface, where a 400 kg. reserve was maintained.
Village.: of Schmiedefeld (N 50-32, E 11-13).. where most of the mine
workers lived.
Ore from the above shafts was transferred to the ore transshipment depot
in Bad Blankenbu'g (N 50-i1,.E 11-16). The administrative offices for
this region were in Rudolfstadt (N 50-143., E 11-20). 25X1
eight km. northwest of this mining area were several
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Attachment 6
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3
2
~,4ebersdorf
1_.
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Legend to . Attachment 6
1. Shaft "Lippelsdorf", sunk its July-August .1952, was 70-80 a. deep and
had horizontal ore.deposits Two-'shifts were worked. Of the 50 people
employed, 36 were underground workers -n ea,woman,working
at 25X1
2. Shaft 'aebers.dorf",. sunk in July 1952, was !0. tit. deep. Three shifts
were worked with a 60-man labor force.
Shaft "Oebersdorf", sunk in. July-August 1952, was 60-100 a. deep.
Three shifts were worked by 60 workers..
Mine workers in this area resided"in Grafenthal (N 50-32,.B 10-48) because
the village. of Gebersdorf was evacuated. Ore_froa these.-mines was sent
to the Bad Blankenburg transshipment depot.
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0
Attachment 7
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Scale 1.25,000
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Legend to Attachment 7
1. Shaft..
2. Shaft
Shaft
These sha to were sunk
in spring 1952 an wore n ree s s..
the"ore was rich in uranium content. ore 25X1
rrom ese s s was tran-s-terred to the Bad Blankepburg transshipment
depot;
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At tachment!;8
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25X1
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Legend to Attachment 8
1. Shaft "Kranich.", sunk in April-May 19-52, was approximately 60 a.
deep. Two shifts-were worked; the area was not fenced.
2. Shaft "Alauenwer k ", sunk. in June- 1952, worked two shifts . 25X1
an additional shaft - w is to be sunk in the near vicinity
of this shaft . Ore. was sent to an unknown destination.
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Attachment 9
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Legend to Attachment
1.
Shaft "Steinach" was 60-80 a.. deep and worked three shifts.
2.
Shaft. Same description and ififormation as poi
nt 1 above
.
3.
Shaft'. Same description and information as poi
nt 1 above
.
Over 300 people, both men and women)Were employed at these shafts. It was
rumored that the ore had excellent uranium! a extracted from
these shafts was sent to Bad Blanken"burg, eight more 25X1
shafts were planned for the area north of po n .
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