OSS reports on Bergkristall and kellerbau tunnel systems in Gusen Austria (National Archives and Records Administration)

This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=NARA-NGC-2022-001117&type=request)

* Tracking Number: NARA-NGC-2022-001117
* Requester Name:
Tino Von Struckmann
* Date Submitted: 04/25/2022
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

WW2 German / Austrian underground factories for manufacturing and research
Bergkristall and Kellerbau tunnels reports, videos and photos. (German code names Esche I and II)
From 1944 to 1945 the OSS produced very detailed reports of the construction of the underground tunnel systems in St. Georgen Gusen near Linz in Austria. these reports included aerial photos from both 1944 and 45. There was detailed photos and reporting as to the production inside these tunnels. Some of these reports were released without the Aerial photos and other photo material attached, thus I would like these. Including all aerial photos taken from this area throughout the war until 1946
After the liberation of the tunnel systems in May 1545. The OSS produced detailed reports including photos of every piece of machinery inside these tunnels. Extensive reports were produced as to the production and research that took place inside during the war. Also it was documented what machinery the US removed before handing over the area to the red army. I am looking for all these photos, videos made and reports made of these sites.
Also the OSS had contact with the SS General Hans Kammler who was in charge of these, any mentions of these interrogations, surrender reports and later collaborations I would like.
Other agencies including British and Air force as well as technical services took part of making reports and gathering materials, information and photo documentation of these sites. These of course I would also like to see.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Tino Von Struckmann

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/

Dear Tino Struckmann:

Thank you for submitting your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via the FOIAonline
website. We received your request on April 26, 2022. Your request
concerns 1944-1945
OSS reports, aerial photos, photographs, and video.

Our office uses the FOIAonline portal for FOIA and Privacy Act requests for
the National Archives and Records Administration's operational records
(records created by this agency). Because your request is for records that
may be textual archival records (records created by or originated in a
different agency but that may have been transferred to the legal custody of
NARA), we are forwarding it by this email to our Office of Research
Services, Textual Reference (RR2RR) staff, Cartographic branch, Still
Photos branch. and Motion Picture and Sound branch who handle FOIA requests
for such archival records.

Since Research Services does not process FOIA requests through FOIAonline,
we removed your request from the FOIAonline website. All of the Reference
units will assign you a new tracking number and respond directly to you.
In the future, if you need to follow up with that office, please contact
them at the address below, or electronically via email (email is preferred).

National Archives and Records Administration
Research Services, Textual Reference Branch (RR2RR)
8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2400
College Park, MD 20740

Phone: 301-837-3091
Fax: 301-837-1752
Email: archives2reference@nara.gov

Cartographic branch, Room 3324
8601 Adelphi Rd.
College Park, MD 20740

By phone: 301-837-2036
By email: carto@nara.gov <carto@nara.gov>

Still Pictures Branch, Room 5360
8601 Adelphi Rd.
College Park, MD 20740

Phone: 301-837-837-0561
Fax: 301-837-3621
Email: stillpix@nara.gov

Motion Pictures and Sound, Room 3360
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740

Phone: 301-837-3540
Email: mopix@nara.gov

For your reference, a copy of your request is below.

Please visit our website at www.archives.gov/foia for further information
about submitting a FOIA request to NARA. On our main website,
www.archives.gov, you can learn more about the resources we offer to the
public, and you can access our online catalog.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your FOIA
request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your
understanding and patience.

Sincerely,

Jodi L. Foor

Deputy Freedom of Information Act Officer/Archivist

National Archives and Records Administration

Office of General Counsel

College Park, MD

301-837-2099

Jodi.Foor@nara.gov

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <admin@foiaonline.gov>
Date: Tue, Apr 26, 2022 at 8:03 AM
Subject: FOIA Request Deletion: NARA-NGC-2022-001117
To: <jodi.foor@nara.gov>

Below is an export of the submitted request information for the FOIA
request NARA-NGC-2022-001117.

- *Name and Address*
- First Name: Tino
- Middle Initial: Von
- Last Name: Struckmann
- Organization:
- Mailing Address Location: United States/U.S. Territories
- Address Line 1: MuckRock News DEPT MR 127729
- Address Line 2: 411A Highland Ave
- City: Somerville
- State/Province: MA
- Zip/Postal Code: 02144-2516
- *Contact Information*
- E-mail Address: requests@muckrock.com
- Phone Number:
- Fax Number:
- *Agency and Fee Information*
- Assigned Agency: NGC - Office of General Counsel
- Will Pay Up To: $0.00
- *Description*
- To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the
following records:

WW2 German / Austrian underground factories for manufacturing and
research
Bergkristall and Kellerbau tunnels reports, videos and photos.
(German code names Esche I and II)
From 1944 to 1945 the OSS produced very detailed reports of the
construction of the underground tunnel systems in St. Georgen Gusen near
Linz in Austria. these reports included aerial photos from both 1944 and
45. There was detailed photos and reporting as to the production inside
these tunnels. Some of these reports were released without the Aerial
photos and other photo material attached, thus I would like these.
Including all aerial photos taken from this area throughout the war until
1946
After the liberation of the tunnel systems in May 1545. The OSS
produced detailed reports including photos of every piece of machinery
inside these tunnels. Extensive reports were produced as to the
production
and research that took place inside during the war. Also it was
documented
what machinery the US removed before handing over the area to
the red army.
I am looking for all these photos, videos made and reports made of these
sites.
Also the OSS had contact with the SS General Hans Kammler who was in
charge of these, any mentions of these interrogations, surrender reports
and later collaborations I would like.
Other agencies including British and Air force as well as technical
services took part of making reports and gathering materials, information
and photo documentation of these sites. These of course I would also like
to see.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public,
and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would
inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my
request. I would
prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment
if available
or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter.
I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20
business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Tino Von Struckmann

Upload documents directly:
https://www.muckrock.com/
- *Fee Waiver*
- Fee Waiver Requested: No
- Fee Waiver Reason:
- *Expedited Processing*
- Expedited Processing Requested: No
- Expedited Processing Reason:

4/28/2022

Tino Von Struckmann

MuckRock News DEPT MR 127729
411A Highland Ave
Somerville, MA
02144-2516

Dear Tino Von Struckmann,

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act request of
4/25/2022 for records in the custody of the National Archives and Records
Administration. Your request was received in this office on 4/26/2022 and
assigned FOIA tracking number 22-36791.

You requested access to Cartographic records 1944-1945 aerial photographs
of the area in St. Georgen Gusen near Linz in Austria.

Foreign aerial photography during the 1940s can be located within RG 373. The
aerial overlays for RG 373 have been fully digitized and are available to
view online in the National Archives Catalog. These overlay indexes are
filed by degree square. To see if an overlay for your degree square is
available, you may enter the coordinates directly into the main search bar
in our catalog as shown in the following examples. Latitude must be two
digits; longitude must be three digits (Examples: 43N072W or 00N049W or
02N043E). You can access our catalog at https://catalog.archives.gov/.

For example, St. Georgen Gusen near Linz in Austria noted in your inquiry
is 48N014E, and the overlay indexes can be located here in our catalog:
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/44221026.

To search for coverage of your area of interest using these index overlays,
locate your area of interest on the map and place the overlays to line up
the 30 minute line and corners to match the map. Each overlay represents a
flight or part of a flight and each square on the overlays represents a
single exposure. The scale, date and mission number are almost always
included at the top of the overlays.

To do this, first locate your area of interest on the map near the
beginning of the series of images. Typically, Image 2 contains an
explanation about using the aerial overlays and Image 3 contains the base
map to use with the overlays. After locating your area of interest, make
sure your map is reset to its original position. A reset button is
available next to the download button. We suggest placing a Post It typed
note or other marker onto your computer screen to mark your location. Next,
scroll through all of the images to see if any of the boxes overlap the
area you have marked. Click “load all” to view all of the overlays for each
degree square. Note the spot number and exposure number, as indicated on
the 2nd image with the instructions. The spot number is handwritten on the
top left line labeled Orgn. And Sortie or in the top margin and can either
begin with a GX designation (Example: “GX-1943-F4733-SK”), or a letter and
number combination usually in parentheses or (Example: “A1905”). The spot
numbers are used to locate the photographic prints or reel of film
containing the images. A can locator is available in our research room.
Please remember that you will need both the spot number and the individual
exposure numbers. You may also wish to note the image number from our
online catalog for easy reference in case you need to refer back to the
actual overlay sheet.

Full instructions, along with photos illustrating each step of the process
to locate aerial coverage within RG 373, are available on our aerial
photography website
<https://www.archives.gov/research/cartographic/aerial-photography/foreign-photography>,
as well as our blog at
https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2019/09/11/researching-foreign-aerial-photography/
and

https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2019/10/23/researching-foreign-aerial-photography-captured-german-aerial-prints/
.

The vast majority of our aerial photographs are original negatives (ON can
numbers) located on 9" by 9" rolled acetate film. Due to the unstable
nature of acetate film, it has to be stored in climate controlled rooms at
temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit at our facility in Lenexa, Kansas.
Researchers may request up to 20 specific cans of aerial film to be shipped
to College Park per week via email to consultation.carto@nara.gov. The
turnaround time for these shipments is typically one week before the aerial
film can be made available for use by researchers in our research room.

We have light tables available in our research room to view rolled aerial
negative film. Reproductions of rolled aerial film can be made by taking
photographs of the rolled film using privately owned cameras and tripods
that can be brought to our facility. Researchers may also bring their own
laptop to connect to a flatbed scanner (Epson Expression 11000XL Photo
Scanner and Microtek Scanmaker 9800XL Plus) with the capability to make
digital scans of rolled aerial film. Please note that we only have two
aerial scanners available and use of these scanners may have to be limited
and shared among researchers during your visit. We do not have the ability
to make any type of printed reproductions of rolled aerial negative film
within our facility.

These records are identified as Record Group 373: Records of the Defense
Intelligence Agency/Aerial Photographs, 1935-1970. As reviewed under the
terms of the Freedom of Information Act, there are no restrictions on
access and these aerial photographs are open and available for research.
The stack location varies based on if the cans are in the cold storage
facility in Lenexa, Kansas (ON cans) as noted above or stored on-site at
Archives II (DN cans).

This concludes the processing of your request. If you have additional
questions concerning my review of these records, please contact me directly
at lindsay.muha@nara.gov.

If you are not satisfied with my action on this request, you have the right
to file an administrative appeal within ninety (90) calendar days from the
date of this letter. Appeals must be in writing and may be delivered by
regular U.S. mail or by e-mail. By filing an appeal, you preserve your
rights under the Freedom of Information Act and present the deciding agency
with an opportunity to review your request and reconsider its decision. If
you submit your appeal by regular mail, it should be addressed to the
Deputy Archivist of the United States (ND), National Archives and Records
Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 4200, College Park, Maryland
20740-6001. Both the letter and envelope should be clearly marked “FOIA
Appeal.” If you submit your appeal by e-mail, please send it to
foia@nara.gov, addressed to the Deputy Archivist, with the words “FOIA
Appeal” in the subject line. If you exercise your right to appeal, please
explain why you believe this response does not meet the requirements of the
Freedom of Information Act. All communications concerning this request
should reference FOIA tracking number.

If you would like the opportunity to discuss my response and attempt to
resolve your dispute without initiating the appeals process, you may
contact our FOIA Public Liaison for assistance:

Acting FOIA Public Liaison: Rebecca Calcagno

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740-6001

Email: dc.foia.liaison@nara.gov <DC.foia.liaison@nara.gov>

Telephone: 301-837-3190

You may also contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS),
the Federal FOIA Ombudsman’s office, for assistance. OGIS offers mediation
services to help resolve disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal
agencies. The contact information for OGIS is:

Office of Government Information Services

National Archives and Records Administration

8601 Adelphi Road–OGIS

College Park, MD 20740-6001

Email: ogis@nara.gov

https://www.archives.gov/ogis

Phone: 202-741-5770 or 1-877-684-6448

*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal
operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work
while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of
our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may
experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a
substantive response to your reference or FOIA request or appeal. We
apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and
patience*

Sincerely,

Lindsay Muha

Archivist

Cartographic Branch
--
Lindsay Muha
Archivist
Cartographic Branch
National Archives at College Park, MD
lindsay.muha@nara.gov

5/10/2022

Tino Von Struckmann

411A Highland Ave

Somerville, MA, 02144

Dear Mr. Struckmann,

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information Act request of
April 25th for records in the custody of the National Archives and Records
Administration. Your request was received in the Moving Image and Sound
Branch on May 3rd and assigned FOIA tracking number 2236977. You requested
information regarding underground factories/tunnels in Germany and Austria
and SS General Hans Kammler.

This response replies to the holdings of the Moving Image and Sound Branch
only. The other NARA offices listed below will reply separately.

-

National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference
-

National Archives at College Park - Cartographic
-

National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures

We searched the Moving Image and Sound Branch’s records and finding aids
and unfortunately did not find any records that appear to be responsive to
your request.

I searched within our Record Group 226 (Records of the Office of Strategic
Services)
<https://catalog.archives.gov/search?q=*:*&f.ancestorNaIds=553&sort=naIdSort%20asc>,
Record Group 342 (Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and
Organizations)
<https://catalog.archives.gov/search?q=*:*&f.ancestorNaIds=654&sort=naIdSort%20asc>,
and Record Group 18 (Records of the Army Air Forces)
<https://catalog.archives.gov/search?q=*:*&f.ancestorNaIds=347&sort=naIdSort%20asc>.
I searched our catalog, internal inventories and finding aids provided by
the agency for the names and locations you provided as well as more basic
searches of the terms “tunnel” and “factory” and “Hans Kemmler” and was
unable to locate any relevant records.

This concludes the processing of your request. If you have additional
questions, please contact me directly.

We do not consider this response a denial under the Freedom of Information
Act. However, If you are not satisfied with our action on this request, you
have the right to file an administrative appeal within ninety (90) calendar
days from the date of this letter. Appeals must be in writing and may be
delivered by regular U.S. mail or by e-mail. By filing an appeal, you
preserve your rights under the Freedom of Information Act and present the
deciding agency with an opportunity to review your request and reconsider
its decision. If you submit your appeal by regular mail, it should be
addressed to the Deputy Archivist of the United States (ND), National
Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 4200, College
Park, Maryland 20740-6001. Both the letter and envelope should be clearly
marked “FOIA Appeal.” If you submit your appeal by e-mail, please send it
to foia@nara.gov, addressed to the Deputy Archivist, with the words “FOIA
Appeal” in the subject line. Please be certain to explain why you believe
this response does not meet the requirements of the Freedom of Information
Act. All communications concerning this request should reference FOIA
tracking number 2230541.

If you would like the opportunity to discuss our response and attempt to
resolve your dispute without initiating the appeals process, you may
contact our FOIA Public Liaison for assistance:

FOIA Public Liaison: Rebecca Calcagno

8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500

College Park, MD 20740-6001

Email: DC.foia.liaison@nara.gov

Telephone: 301-837-3190

You may also contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS),
the Federal FOIA Ombudsman’s office, for assistance. OGIS offers mediation
services to help resolve disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal
agencies. The contact information for OGIS is:

Office of Government Information Services

National Archives and Records Administration

8601 Adelphi Road–OGIS

College Park, MD 20740-6001

Email: ogis@nara.gov

https://www.archives.gov/ogis

Phone: 202-741-5770 or 1-877-684-6448

Sincerely,

Nick Schwartz

Archivist

Moving Image and Sound Branch

To: <requests@muckrock.com>
--
*Nicholas Schwartz*
Archivist
Research Services (Motion Pictures)
National Archives and Records Administration

[22-38172] Freedom of Information Act Request - Tino Von Struckmann

Dear Mr. Von Struckmann:

This is in reply to your April 26, 2022, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
request concerning your interest in locating U.S. Army Office of Strategic
Services (OSS) records pertaining to various tunnels (Bergkristall and
Kellerbau, Esche I and Esche II, and tunnel systems in St. Georgen Gusen
near Linz, Austria) housing German equipment that were part of the special
weapons program directed by General Hans Kammler.

Your FOIA request was received by my office on May 2, 2022 and assigned
internal tracking number *22-38172*.

The Records of the OSS (Record Group 226) are some of the best indexed
records in the custody of the National Archives. We conducted a search of
the Personal Name Index, Topical Index, Index of the OSS History Office and
the finding aid for the Records of the OSS Washington Director’s Office
(Microfilm Publication M1642), but we were unable to locate references to
any of the abovementioned individuals or subjects.

In your request, you also mentioned your interest in “[o]ther agencies
including British and Air force as well as technical services [that] took
part [in the] of making reports and gathering materials, information and
photo documentation of [the abovementioned] sites.” This portion of your
request is not reasonably specific enough for us to easily locate documents
responsive to your request. A preliminary search of the finding aids that
are available to us reveals that, in the case of U.S. Army Air Force (later
U.S. Air Force), your request could conceivably contain information in any
one of four record groups. These record groups are: Records of the U.S.
Army Air Forces (Record Group 18), Records of the Office of the Secretary
of the Air Force (Record Group 340), Records of Headquarters U.S. Air Force
(Air Staff) (Record Group 341), and the Records of U.S. Air Force Commands,
Activities, and Organizations (Record Group 342).

For British military records, we suggest you contact The National Archives
of the United Kingdom, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU, United Kingdom. The
website is located at the following URL:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/.

We make reasonable efforts to assist researchers with their work. As a
matter of policy, the National Archives is staffed to assist researchers
with their work, including but not limited to pointing researchers to
helpful finding aids to begin their research. However, given the
limitations on staff resources, we do not generally conduct substantive
research in response to requests filed under the Freedom of Information
Act, except in circumstances where documents are easily locatable.

We do not consider this a denial of your FOIA request. However, if you are
not satisfied with our action on this request, your options for appeal and
dispute resolution are outlined in the attachment.

Sincerely,

PAUL B. BROWN

Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)

National Archives at College Park, MD

Attachment