THE GERMAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM AND THE ROLE OF JÁCHYMOV URANIUM (1938–1945)
The discovery of uranium nuclear fission in December 1938 by Otto Hahn and Fritz Straßmann, theoretically explained by Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch, fundamentally changed the significance of uranium. It became clear that the fission of the isotope U-235 releases enormous amounts of energy and emits neutrons capable of initiating a chain reaction.
Shortly thereafter, Germany launched a project known as the Uranverein (Uranium Club). Its initial objective was not exclusively the development of an atomic bomb, but primarily the construction of a so-called Uranmaschine (“uranium machine”)—a device capable of sustaining a controlled fission reaction, in other words, a nuclear reactor. The project involved leading physicists, including Werner Heisenberg, Kurt Diebner, and others.
Following the annexation of the Sudetenland by the German Reich in October 1938, the Jáchymov deposits came under German control. Their administration was assumed by Joachimsthaler Bergwerke GmbH. The uranium ore was processed, among others, by the company Degussa, which possessed extensive experience in the chemical processing of metals and radioactive substances.
Mining output increased gradually between 1939 and 1944. The figures vary according to different sources, but approximate production levels were as follows:
1939 – approximately 4.8 tonnes
1940 – around 6 tonnes
1941 – around 5.5 tonnes
1942 – approximately 9.5 tonnes
1943 – approximately 10.5 tonnes
1944 – around 11.5 tonnes
Although these volumes were relatively modest compared with post-war production, they were of strategic importance. However, the German nuclear program failed to solve several key technical challenges, particularly the choice of moderator (graphite versus heavy water) and the industrial enrichment of uranium.
Following Germany’s defeat, the Soviet Union gained not only access to the Jáchymov deposits but also to part of Germany’s uranium stockpiles (estimated at around 40 tonnes) and to information obtained from interrogations of German scientists. These factors accelerated the Soviet atomic program.
Jáchymov therefore played a role in two nuclear projects—first in German nuclear research and later in the Soviet nuclear weapons program.
