Chief Directorate of Railroad Construction Camps
The Chief Directorate of Railroad Construction Camps (, GULZhDS) was a directorate of NKVD (later MVD) in charge of Gulag labor camps which manned railroad construction during 1940-1953. It was created on January 4, 1940 under the title Chief Directorate of Railroad Construction (GULZhD). Since 1941 is has become known as GULZhDS. Its main task was railroad construction, with other occasional projects, such as construction of highways in Ukraine and Volga Region, some plants, airfields, mines and housing. Its best known project was the construction of the Baikal–Amur Mainline. Ditrectors January 1940: Naftali Frenkel April 1947: major general August 1948: major general of engineering August 1951: subcolonel of engineering (later colonel of engineering) References Gulag NKVD 1940 establishments in the Soviet Union 1953 disestablishments in the Soviet Union Chief Directorate of Railroad Construction Camps