Estonian Shale Oil??

[Carl Schwamberg]

In the National Review article linked below there is a reamrk or two about the Swedes mining shale oil in Estonia in the 1930s. I wonder: a. What the potiential production quantity was. b. If the Germans made any attempt to exploit it 1942-1944?

http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...tuttaford?pg=1

[Hetzer 15]

No, they did not. OKH, was concerned with these things...Timber, Manganese, Coal, Oil(in the Baku region), Foodstuffs, not really in that order.

Remember, there would be time enough to figure out those things later, once the Volga was reached and the USSR was defeated. It was not until 1942 mid, that they really took stock of where they were and what was happening. That is why a push for the Baku was made...a REAL source was needed and fast. Germany's reserves were about gone.

It was decided to make a offensive to go after the oil rich Baku region, there was just enough men, and resources available for this, but just barely. Operation Blue was a limited offensive with limited aims, at first and then got into trouble later as it was revised over and over again.

That oil you speak of, here, was of little to them, at this point.

They already had Romania, and their own synthetic Oil refineries, and the way you get shale oil was more trouble than it was worth...keep in mind, its 1940's tech, not today's tech...

They needed a ready source that could be shipped quick, and with as little trouble and time as possible...Baku, was the answer.

[AdrianE]

Originally Posted by Carl Schwamberg

In the National Review article linked below there is a reamrk or two about the Swedes mining shale oil in Estonia in the 1930s. I wonder: a. What the potiential production quantity was. b. If the Germans made any attempt to exploit it 1942-1944?

I have read something about the topic but I can't remember where. It obviously could not have been significant quantities otherwise there would be more references to it in the literature.

A quick internet search reveals this page http://www.kirj.ee/public/oilshale/Est-OS.htm
with a historical chart as Figure 6. It looks like less than 100k tons of oil was produced annually from extractions of 500k tons during the 40s. It also looks like it wasn't very good quality oil.

[johnbryan]

Originally Posted by AdrianE

I have read something about the topic but I can't remember where. It obviously could not have been significant quantities otherwise there would be more references to it in the literature.

A quick internet search reveals this page http://www.kirj.ee/public/oilshale/Est-OS.htm
with a historical chart as Figure 6. It looks like less than 100k tons of oil was produced annually from extractions of 500k tons during the 40s. It also looks like it wasn't very good quality oil.

With the German War machine proceding in so many hundreds of different wasteful, diverse directions, regarding war production, real and ersatz research and exploration projects, I can't help but think the quote of Abraham Lincoln would play nicely here. "There's too many hogs for the tits."

[The Exorcist]

Shale-Oil?
Better not let the Eco-Nazis hear about that.

Oops, sorry, wrong war.

[Chukka]

As Hertzer said, Germany already had her own substantial synthetic fuel plants in the homeland, fuelled from germany's plentiful brown coal. Shale oil was common enough an the small scale from the 1800's to the 1930's, with Plants in Australia and the US, not to mention Europe and elsewhere. The Small scale shale plants and refineries were wiped out by the scale of Big oil during and after the War, Until the advent of tadays Bulk mining equipment they just couldn't mine enough material to compete with conventional oil.

[Carl Schwamberg]

Thanks for the response. My first guess was since I'd seen nothing previously on this the exploitation was small. ...but I've been suprised before.

[String]

Actually petrol was produced from oil-shale in the '30s by the Estonian government. The production was heavily subsidied to make it competitive. IIRC the germans kept it going as long as they could.