Does anyone have details of WWII Soviet armament industry in the Urals

[AGRICOLA]

I've been looking for details behind the general statement that "In 1941, the Soviets dismantled entire factories in Ukraine and Belarus, moved them and their workers to the Urals/Siberia, built new cities and then produced 15,000 tanks annually".

I've done a search of the Net and the best I've come up with is the following pitiful snippet of info:

A few years ago I did some investigating of the VVS in the opening stages of the GPW. I came across these figures: from July to December 1941 there were 1523 factories evacuated, including the jigs and tools as well as many of the most skilled workers. To do this, over 6,500,000 railway waggons were loaded. That is a stupendous achievement. It saved much of the aviation industry and the heavy machinery (tanks, locomotives, engines) industry for war production.

Certainly these were not all of the factories, that would have been impossible. What could not be evacuated was destroyed before it fell into German hands. However, the GKO did succeed in saving most of the most crucial factories, and this made a big difference in 1942 as the new tank factories in Chelyabinsk, Nizhnij Tagil, Omsk, Gorkii and other centers moved to full production.

Does anyone know where I can find hard information on
- what new factories were set up
- where were they set up
- did the Soviets actually found new cities rather than expanding existing ones (this sounds like BS to me)
- any other relevant data


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Zeekater]

There waren't many new ones set up, just old ones, from places that were in danger of being overrun by the Germans
I have a nice map, but I would have to scan it in.
Here are some nice parts:

By the end of November 1941, the area of the Soviet Union already occupied or under threat contained over half the pre-war coal-mines, two-thirds of the heavy metal production plant and over 300 ammunition factories. Had all this fallen into German hands, Barbarossa might well have brought the successes dreamed of in Berline

Between July and October 1.500.000 trucks and 915.000 railway wagons had shifted over 1.000 plants eastwards -455 to the Urals, 210 to Western Siberia, 200 over the Wolga and over 250 to Kazachstan and Central Asia, together with the men to rebuild the factories, instal the machinery and then run it. From Leningrad nearly 20.000 scientists and technicians were flown out to Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Kazan; in all over 100.000 men accompanied this diaspora of soviet industry

Ten weeks after the last teams of engineers left Kharkov the tank works prduced the first 25 T-34's

Despite the biting cold and rudimentary shelter the new factories produced over 4.500 tanks, some 3.000 aircraft, 14.000 guns and over 50.000 mortars during those winter months. They were to play a vital part in the battles immediatly ahead

 

[AGRICOLA]

Thanks for your info, it adds some pieces to the puzzle. I understand your point about there being very few new factories. Instead there were amalgamations such as that of the Komsomol tank plant from Kharkov with the existing tank factory in Nizhnij Tagil.

There would have been the added complication that the concrete for factory floors had to be poured well before the onset of the Siberian winter. Concrete needs above freezing temperatures to cure properly.

To me, your number of railway cars looks considerably more realistic than the number in my quote. My number of 6.5 million wagons works out to nearly 40,000 a day. Assuming very long trains of 200 cars, that would in turn require 200 trains a day. If a line was double tracked, with 10 minutes between trains (rock bottom minimum from what little I know about trains) the line could at best handle 120 trains per day. A single tracked line with traffic in both directions could handle much less. Was the Trans Siberian line double tracked?

Are there any railway buffs out there who can set me straight?

If you think that the source of your info might be of use to me and if it is not too much trouble, perhaps you could identify it as well as the map that you refer to.

 

[Zeekater]

Well, the book I used is:

"The Chronological Atlas of World War II" by Barry and Francis Pitt

One of the best books in my collection, a real beaty
It depicts a world map each month, with some 'inzooms' and explanations of battles during that month It's a big book, 30*40 centimeters I guess.