Almaty heavy engineering plant: history of creation

The article considers the history of the evacuation, accommodation and establishment one of the first factories of the defense industry in Kazakhstan – Almaty Heavy Engineering Plant. . The article analyzes the process of the material and technical base creating, production and social infrastructure, the difficulties and the results of the enterprises creation and development. It also describes the role and place of the defense plant in during the Great Patriotic War. 

In August 16, 1941 the "Military and economic plan for the IVth quarter of 1941 and 1942 for the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia" classified as "top secret" plan, was approved by CPC of the USSR and CC of the CPSU (b).

It was intended to deploy as soon as possible the main military-industrial base in the eastern parts of the country: to organize the mass production of the tanks, tank armor, aircraft, aircraft engines, small arms, all types of artillery, mortars and ammunition[1].

In summer of 1941 according to Professor N. Simonov, in fact, it had to been dismantled and taken out 1,360 large industrial enterprises from the expanding range frontline, 455 of them were located in the Urals, 210 - in Western Siberia, 250 - in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

At the mills and factories evacuated to the East arrived workers, technical and engineers employees  (TEE) and their families. In 1941, over 10 million people have been evacuated to the rear [2].

From the first days of the war Kazakhstan became one of the largest suppliers of military products to the front. During the period from July 1941 till March 1, 1942 came 22 enterprises of the defense industry evacuated from the front line. Many of them were immediately put into operation [3].

In August 16, 1941 Council People’s Committee (CPC) and the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) approved the Military-economic plan for the IVth quarter of 1941 and in the 1942 for the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia. According to the plan, there was a task in the shortest possible time to deploy in the eastern parts of the country the main military and industrial base: to organize mass production of tanks, tank armor, aircraft, aircraft engines, all types of artillery, mortars and  ammunition.

The People's Commissariat of Heavy Engineering (PCHE) of the USSR take an active part in carrying out the orders of the People's Commissariat of Defense terms of military production. According to the plan of the Defence Industry department of the CC CP (b) of Kazakhstan in March-April, 1942, six plants were placed  in the city of Alma-Ata. Among them was also the Alma-Ata Machine Plant of PCHE USSR. PCHE plant was a part of the evacuated ammunition factory of the "October Revolution" Voroshilovsky plant. In November 17, 1941 the new independent plant with significantly expanded product range was created on the new location. From the application №1 to the Resolution of People's Commissariat of the USSR №1433- 707s (August 26, 1942) the priority activities of Alma-Ata plant followed[4]:

"... 94. To organize the production of equipment of ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy in the Alma-Ata plant was obliged to PCHE(с. Kazakov) to finish to construct the main building of the factory area of 12 000 m, 2000 m forge, build foundry in 2000 m and deliver them to the operation in April 1, 1943.

95. To instruct the General Directorate of labor reserves (с. Moskatova) to send 300 workers from the completed trade schools and schools to FPT of PCHE for the construction and production of the Alma-Ata plant of PCHE in III-IVth quarters
96. To instruct c. Undasynov the Chairman of People's Commissars of the Kazakh SSR to send, through the mobilization of the local population until 15 September of 1942 - 350 people, in the IVth quarter 1942 - 300 people, in the I quarter of 1943- 200 people to Alma-Ata Machine
97. To instruct the USSR State Planning Committee to allocate and Machine-tool construction Commissariat (с. Ephraim) to put the Almaty plant of PCHE in the IVth quarter of 1942 - 60 machines and in the Ist quarter 1943 -35 machines for PCHE
98. To instruct the USSR State Planning Committee (c. Saburov) to provide the plans of the distribution for the supply of Almaty plant of PCHE with the necessary construction materials and equipment in the IVth quarter 1942 as well as funds in the amount of 4.5 million rubles for the construction to expand the

99. To spread to Alma-Ata Machine Plant of PCHE decree of State Defense Committee (SDC) №1596ss from 13.04.1942, and the restoration of the Stalin Novo-Kramotorsk plant in Elektrostal
100. To require the Secretary of the CC CP (b) of Kazakhstan c. Skvortsov and Chairman of People's Commissariat of the Kazakh SSR c. Undasynov PCHE to provide all possible assistance on the organization of equipment production in the Alma-Ata plant for ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy, staffing this plant with personnel, providing technical and engineering employees (TEE) with housing, allocating the local building materials, catering workers and TEE, as well as to establish a systematic monitoring of the decree implementation”.

The first chief of construction and plant director was Makeev. According to Makeev preliminary summaries, for the plant facilities construction, according to a government decree of August 26, 1942, 1250 people was taken, including 855 skilled workers, unskilled workers - 395 people. The construction was planed for 3.5 months or 88 days[5].

The construction of the plant was carried out unevenly. Due to the ambiguous attitude of the government and local structures there were many problems with the allocation of capital investments, with the supply of construction materials and equipment, construction and provision of engineering and technical workers. The following facts are of evidence.

So, in a memorandum "On the work of the Alma-Ata Machine Plant (top secret)" of April 21, 1942 to secretary of CC CP (b) of Kazakhstan Skvartsov the director of the Alma-Ata Machine Plant Makeev noted that the plant produces exceptional ammunition of small and large caliber. It would have to be provided by a dedicated gasoline array especially, but in practice it is not so, and in each case it is necessary to take  gasoline only after the appeals to the secretary of the party comrade Kulitov then to secretary CP (b) of Kazakhstan comrade Koyshegulov and to the CPC Chairman Deputy c. Zagovelev and their lengthy negotiations with the management Glavneftesbyt[6].

In the correspondence of the deputy director of the plant of the USSR PCHE Bekmuhametov of August 2, 1942 with the secretary of the CC CP (b) of Kazakhstan Koyshegulov it is also states that for the implementation of the military orders supply of the plant by the CCF decree, in August 2.5 tons of aviation fuel is allocated, which must be is issued by Republican Bureau Glavneftesbyt.

Despite repeated requests to the comrade Sharov, the latter categorically refused to distribute aviation fuel. In order to ensure SDC order to produce defense products industry, the assistance in the immediate distribution of aviation fuel was requested[7].

One of the biggest challenges that had to be solved since the first weeks of the war was the problem of labor mobilization. The need for the opposition to the aggressor the quite numerous quantity of the army led to a sharp decrease in the number of workers in the home front. The situation was complicated by the fact that the occupation of the western regions of the Soviet Union significantly reduced the total number of its population. Particularly the special issues were urgent in staffing the companies of the eastern regions that were responsible for the severity of military production.

From the very beginning of the war, millions of people from among the farmers, unexperienced employees engaged mostly in personal subsidiary plots, mainly women, young people, pensioners, voluntarily entered the manufacture instead of the qualified workers went to the front. The problems with the staffing were remained. “In September 15, the CPC of KazSSR had to mobilize 350 people for the construction work at the plant by the decision of the CPC. So far, we have received no one. In that case, if   we even got those of 350 people and in all subsequent periods there would be the number of only unskilled workers and none of qualified ones. To use rationally those labors and then to teach them the qualifications it is necessary the presence of the specialists in the construction field... "[8].

An integral part of the war economy was the whole system of the Main Directorate of reformatory camps and colonies of the USSR PCIA (Gulag), where along with a large number of criminals was the army of the innocent people declared as the "enemies of the people."

The scale and complexity of the work with that "contingent" result in the declassified documents. Therefore, by the inquiry "On the Alma-Ata Machine Plant" (September 22, 1942) the Director of the plant Makeev reports to N.A. Skvortsov the secretary of the CC CP (b) of Kazakhstan: "1. Until now, all the construction work in the factory had been carried out by the colony RC PCIA. Recently, I demanded to increase the number of workers from the chief RC PCIA - comrade Berner, instead of 400 people to 600 people, but this number is not only increased and on the contrary decreased with each passing day and decreased mainly due to the skilled labor. In September, the average number of prisoners participation in the work was 270 people, with a sharp decrease in quality. For example, the total number of 210 people included the laborers. Previously there worked 15 people of carpenters and then only 7 people. There is absolutely no fitters, masons and other specialists needed in the plant qualifications...” [9].

Despite of the fact that the local authorities have made efforts to provide food for the workers of home front during the war period, especially for those who was working in the military plants, the problems remained as it was. The documents showed an extremely serious state of the evacuated people from the Voroshilov plant. According to archival data, in January 1942 among the 270 workers and TEE arrived from the factory, 59 people were housed in six rooms with a total area of 60 m. Due to the lack of beds, sundeck chairs the workers and TEE slept on the floor. There was no any common place for the kitchen. In the administrative building of the former Machine Plant, 100 people had the accommodation of some  200 m. The most basic rules of sanitation were broken. The lunches from the dining room of the plant were not distributed to the family homes and it was not possible to cook food, as there was no kitchen stove[10].

Under the conditions and difficulties of the wartime, the government took the system of economic and administrative measures aimed at solving the main front task it is to supply the things needed. Manifested above meant the suppression of any infringement (theft of the gifts for the soldiers from the cars, drunkenness, unauthorized departure from work, desertion, etc.) in the workplace.

An analysis of the declassified archival documents showed how severe was the punishment [11]:

Copy

Sentence

In the name of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics 

The Military Tribunal of the PCIA troops in the Alma-Ata district in Alma-Ata in the room of workshop №2 in the plant AHEP in August 29, 1944 consisting of: Presiding Justice Colonel Suslov and Assessors Sil and Pokapaev and the secretary of administrative service junior Lieutenant Tuimebaev with the  representative of the public prosecution of the Military prosecutor Justice Colonel Ponomarev, the lawyer Yusov, examined the case in the open court against c. Sytyi Petr Filippovich, born in 1926., an inhabitant of the village of Dubrovka Kalchanskogo district of Sumy region of the Ukrainian SSR, Ukrainian, single, having education of 7 classes , not a party member, twice convicted by a court of the 8th section of the city  of Alma-Ata for absenteeism by the decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Prezidium of 26.04.40 a total of 12 months for remedial works, punishment served only 3 months, accused by the decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Prezidium of 26.12.41. By that pre-trial investigation materials the Military tribunal

Ascertained:

Defendant Sytyi had been worked at the plant AHEP since October 7, 1942 as a turner, and in July 18, 1944 willfully left his job at the factory and deserted in July 26, 1944, he was detained and arrested. Based  on the above, recognizing the Sytyi guilty by the decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 26 December 1941 the Military tribunal, guided by article 319 and 320 of the CPC.

Sentenced:

Sytyi Petr Philippovich is subjected for six years imprisonment on the basis of the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 26, 1941 without disqualification, to absorb the unserved punishment by the Court sentence on the basis of article 49 of the CC.

Chair, Justice Colonel Suslov Secretary, junior Lieutenant Tuimebayev

Since 1942 the government had stated the task of plant start-up to full capacity for the team of builders and manufacturers. In the early production (March 1942) the product range was of 203 mm concrete-piercing ammunition and concrete-piercing aviation bombs. During the year the range of products had increased to  six titles. At that time the main production areas of the plant had been already clearly outlined. The largest ammunition plant of the Republic that was under the construction had composed a number of productions: 203 mm concrete-piercing ammunition, concrete-piercing aviation bombs, 82 mm bombs, ZAB-2.5 FAB-50 and 90.

On the work report of the factory of 1942 it was shown that, despite of all the difficulties and problems, the whole range plan was exceeded [12]:

The plan of implementation in 1942 

By the table it is clear that the implementation of the plan on the goods output was 205.9%, i.e twice as much and on the gross output was 186.9%.

In 1942 the 17 different improvements were also introduced and it gave the conditional economic effect  in of 400 thousand rubles.

Thus, in the first years of the war the construction of the one of the largest enterprises of the defense industry in the capital of the Republic the PCHE of the USSR - Almaty Heavy Engineering Plant was started. Under the difficult conditions of the World War II it was not only to be managed to evacuate, keep the plant and people, but also to organize the military production much-needed in the home front. That was the simple act of bravery of the Soviet people in those hard years. Those were the first steps towards our great victory.

1. CА RК F. 1137, l. 1, l. № 9, division – special part, 242
2. Симонов Н.С. Военно-промышленный комплекс СССР в 1920–1950-е годы: темпы экономического роста, структура, организация производства и управление.
3. // http://militera.lib.ru/research/simonov_ns/01.html - lib.ru 4 PA RК. F.708, l. 6/1, f. № 611, sh.23
4. 5 PA RК. F.708, l. 6/1, f. № 1717, sh.36
5. 6 PA RК. F.708, l. 6/1, f. № 1717, sh.1
6. 7 PA RК. F.708, l. 6/1, f. № 632,св. 273, f. 1737, sh.107
7. 8 PA RК. F.708, l. 6/1, f. № 1717, sh.5
8. 9 PA RК. F.708, l. 6/1, f. № 631, sh.33
9. 10 PA RК. F.708, l. 6/1, f. № 631, sh.34
10. 11 PA RК. F.708, l. 6/1, f. № 631, sh.25
11. 12 PA RК. F.708, l. 6/1, f. № 1747, sh.62; f.10, sh. 78
12. 13 PA RК. F.708, l. 6/1, f. № 612, sh.15-16.