Mechanical Plant No. 1 of Kuibyshev Tram and Trolleybus Administration During the Great Patriotic War

Abstract

This article dwells on the establishment of a regional enterprise that manufactured ammunition components in the town of Kuibyshev during the Great Patriotic War. The purpose of this paper is to reconstruct the history of the Mechanical Plant No. 1 that was operating on the premises of Kuibyshev Tram and Trolleybus Administration in 1941–1945. The paper studies the prerequisites for the establishment of this enterprise and describes the products manufactured, the equipment and the production structure as well as the changes in the plant’s affiliation over the years. Based on unpublished documents from federal and regional archives, it was determined that a specialized workshop was created on the premises of the carriage repairing workshop at Kuibyshev tram depot in 1941. It produced rocket warheads for BM-8 launchers and bodies for the 45 mm fragmentation shell. In 1942 the workshop was reorganized into the Mechanical Plant No. 1. The same year the plant was separated from the tram administration and renamed Kuibyshev Mechanical Plant No. 1. Despite its formal independence from the tram depot, the plant was located on its territory and often used its workforce as well as infrastructure by agreement. In 1944 the plant was reincorporated into Kuibyshev Tram and Trolleybus Administration, and in June 1945 it was closed down.