How Germany Concealed A WWII Project On North American Soil Without People Even Realizing

The Allies had been registering some significant victories in 1943. They’d overcome their German and Italian enemies in North Africa, for example, and the Italian regime collapsed during the summer. The Soviets, meanwhile, had managed to drive back the German forces who’d invaded their territory.

At sea, the German navy was running into trouble. In the earlier stages of the war, it’d been extremely effective. Now, though, it was increasingly finding itself on the ropes. It needed to come up with a way of regaining its strength, or Germany risked losing the entire conflict.

There was a massive problem facing Germany, though, and it wasn’t something that could be easily fixed. Basically, many of the territories controlled by the Allied side were positioned in very special locations on the globe. And this quirk gave the Allies a big edge over their enemies.

So, the Germans acted. They set up a secret program that involved some very sophisticated technology for the era. Things weren’t as simple as just producing this high-tech gizmo, though, as it could only really function properly when positioned in North America. And that meant the Germans had to secretly travel behind enemy lines.

World War II wasn’t just fought with guns and bombs, as the gathering of sensitive information played a massive part, too. It’s even been argued that the conflict marked the beginning of a totally new era of warfare. In other words, there are those who describe it as being above all an “intelligence war.”

As the conflict was kicking off, most of the main players were nicely equipped to enter into this war of intelligence. On the Allied side, the British, Soviets, and French had each developed their own systems, with Britain’s being particularly well established. Among the Axis powers, meanwhile, the Germans, Japanese, and Italians had all created their own advanced means of intelligence gathering.

You may have noticed a considerable omission there. Well, that’s because the United States’ intelligence machine was far less advanced than the systems developed by the other powers. That’s maybe surprising to hear nowadays, considering that America’s intelligence apparatus eventually grew to become the most sophisticated in all of human history.

At the start of World War II, though, it was the other powers that were really at the center of the intelligence war. Even before soldiers had directly engaged with one another, sensitive information was already shaping the conflict. In 1939, for instance, Poland provided Britain with materials to help them unscramble German messages that’d been encoded with a gadget known as Enigma.

Poland had cracked Enigma years before the war, but as the conflict was beginning, the country saw the need to share its information with Britain. The British, in turn, established a team called Ultra, which was tasked with deciphering codes and learning about Germany’s plans. It was led by the math genius Alan Turing and gave the Allies a significant edge over their enemies.

The intelligence war was fought in many different arenas throughout the course of World War II. In Britain itself, for instance, Germany had managed to embed more than 100 spies. The Ultra team was able to learn a lot about these secret agents, which helped to neutralize the threat they posed.

The British intelligence agency MI6 also sent its own spies overseas. These agents were based all over Europe, often in places controlled by the enemy. One prominent British spy from the era was Bill “Biffy” Dunderdale, who actually knew James Bond author Ian Fleming and is rumored to have been the inspiration for Bond.

Another important arm of British intelligence during the war was known as the Special Operations Executive. Winston Churchill had great expectations for this organization, hoping that it would “set Europe ablaze.” Its main function was to undermine the enemy, be that through information gathering, supporting resistance forces, or outright sabotage.

Another important organization that significantly contributed to Britain’s intelligence operations was the Joint Intelligence Committee. This group was responsible for putting together documents that helped to contextualize the reality of the war. For example, the data it gathered ultimately helped in the planning and execution of D-Day.

So Britain’s intelligence system greatly helped the country’s war effort, and the U.K. also exported its expertise to its allies. The United States, as we’ve seen, was far behind the other powers at the time when it came to this field. But once it entered the war at the end of 1941, the U.S. looked to its British ally for help.

The Soviets, meanwhile, were utilizing their own intelligence systems and achieving some impressive results. The French were also making their own efforts, but they were occupied by German forces for a large portion of the conflict and could only do so much. That’s just the Allied side, of course, as the Germans were naturally very active themselves.

In many ways, intelligence and the efforts to gather it could be quite complex during World War II. At the same time, though, any information that seemed remotely useful became extremely important. So, even something as seemingly simple as forecasting the weather could prove essential. And when it came to doing that, the Germans were in a pretty bad position.

When it comes to the northern hemisphere, weather systems typically travel from a westerly position over to the east. As such, lands situated in the west know what conditions will soon be like in places to the east. Within the context of World War II, then, we can say that the side based further west held a distinct advantage.

In practice, this meant that people in North America — which was controlled by the Allied side — could observe the weather and inform the British of what was coming. So, when these weather conditions then hit Europe, the Brits were prepared while the Germans were caught off guard. This advantage was huge when it came to planning military actions.

Because North America was controlled by the Allies, the Germans were forced to take special measures to try to keep on top of the weather. Their vessels were dispatched to the Atlantic Ocean, where they were meant to survey the elements. But the craft were regularly spotted by the Allies, so more drastic action became necessary.

The Germans realized that they’d have to set up clandestine weather observatories in North America, right under the noses of the Allies. It was a bold plan, but they were desperate. So, in 1943, a team set out to do the job. And they actually managed to set the base up, hiding it so well that it was only discovered decades afterwards.

This weather station had been designed with a number of important specifications in mind. It had to be small and easy to move around, but it also needed to operate unmanned. Eventually, such a device was created by the Siemens Corporation, and the Germans were then ready to use it in the field.

The Germans opted to place this new weather station somewhere in the north of Canada, in a really isolated location. In fact, the site they picked out was so secluded that it’d been surveyed for the first time just a decade or so prior. That was in 1931, when the National Geographic Society had flown over and taken pictures of the territory.

The area in question is situated along the eastern edge of the Labrador Peninsula, which is undoubtedly a challenging environment. Features such as inlets and fjords abound, while massive, steep obstacles prevent people from traversing the landscape easily. These natural obstructions are no doubt why the area was left unexplored for so long.

The National Geographic Society had then been alerted to the potential importance of this region in 1934. This was due to news that a vessel had managed to moor there in a natural harbor that’d seemingly never been discovered before. The society recognized how important such a site could be for trade between North America and Europe.

The National Geographic Society then sent out a ship to look for this harbor, which it discovered in a region called Martin Bay in 1935. But what has all of this got to do with the German intelligence war effort? Well, this was the area identified by the Germans as the best place to set up the secret weather station.

The Germans loaded the weather station onto a submarine known as U-537, the construction of which had been completed in January 1943. Just nine months later, on September 30, this sub was sent on its way to Labrador to complete the vital mission. The vessel was captained by Peter Schrewe, who was overseeing 48 others on board.

Time was of the essence in this operation, as the weather observatory had to be set up by the end of October. That’s because the route the ship needed to sail through was still open at the start of the month. As winter approached, though, the water would freeze and the ship would be prevented from sailing through. That was beneficial, in a way, as it lowered the chances that the Canadians would find the device.

The Germans had other worries to deal with, too. Not only did they have to complete the mission on time, but they also had to contend with the attentions of British intelligence. The Brits were listening in on the submarine’s communications, but they couldn’t quite figure out the nature of its mission.

On top of everything else, the submarine was battered by some brutal weather. The wind and rain were intense, plus temperatures had plummeted. The upshot of all this was that many onboard suffered from terrible seasickness. The stormy conditions also meant that the sub could only travel at low speeds.

Despite the terrible challenges facing U-537 and its crew, the submarine made it to its planned destination by October 22. That evening, the vessel entered Martin Bay and moored up. Now, all the crew needed to do was to set up the weather station and get out of there.

Captain Schrewe ordered some men to move onto land to search for a good spot to set up the observatory. So a number of the crew stepped onto the shore, which marked the solitary instance in World War II when armed German soldiers were operating on North American soil.

On October 23, the Germans spent the day setting up their weather station, which had been given the title “Kurt.” The assembly was a little arduous, given the amount of components involved. Kurt, in essence, was a combination of various gizmos that included a 30-foot mast, batteries, and other high-tech weather-measuring devices.

Upon completion, a fully functional Kurt was capable of noting the humidity, air pressure, and temperature of its surrounding environment. It’d also be able to track the direction and speed of the wind. The station, in short, would provide the Germans with precious info essential to its war effort.

Once Kurt had been completed, the Germans littered the surroundings with cigarette packaging from the U.S. They also marked it with the words “Canadian Weather Service,” just in case the station was ever discovered. Perhaps these touches would trick people into thinking that Kurt wasn’t a threat.

When the job was done, the Germans boarded their sub and left the bay. While they were still pretty close, though, they checked to see that the station was functioning properly. Their test was successful, so they set off again. But not long after, they discovered that Kurt had failed.

The whole mission had been in vain, then, as Kurt was no longer transmitting information about the weather. The Germans were left frustrated, but they resolved to try again the following year. Again, a weather station was put onto a sub that set off for Labrador. This time, though, the sub was destroyed by British planes long before it made it to its destination.

After all that, then, the secret Kurt weather station never came to fruition. In the case of the first attempt, the Germans had almost done everything right. They did all the hard work to secretly set Kurt up on enemy soil, and if the device hadn’t malfunctioned, it probably would’ve helped them. After all, nobody ever discovered it — well, at least not until long after the war had ended.

In 1977, a scientist by the name of Peter Johnson discovered Kurt, though he presumed it was a Canadian station. So it’d be another four years before the site was visited by someone who knew that it was actually a German installation from World War II. This time, Kurt was dismantled and packed away.

Kurt was eventually sent to Ottawa’s Canadian War Museum, where it could finally be seen by the public. After so many decades of seclusion, the weather station was now out in the open. But its legacy, in the end, was ultimately very minor. World War II, it seems, had no shortage of strange and incredible stories that the history books somehow left out.

No American saw the attack on Pearl Harbor coming. That's why when pilot Shigenori Nishikaichi crashed his plane in Hawaii following the raid, locals welcomed him to their town and celebrated his unexpected visit with a luau. Once officials learned of his role in the bombing, a firefight ensued that killed the Japanese airman.

People from all walks of life joined the fray — including Queen Elizabeth. Back when she was just a princess, Elizabeth enlisted as a driver and mechanic in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. Reporters from the 1940s described, "One of her major joys was to get dirt under her nails and grease stains in her hands, and display these signs of labor to her friends."

The atomic bomb ended World War II, but that wasn't the only unusual weapon that government scientists were developing in the 1940s. Japan sought to build a "death ray" that would send out lethal electric waves at enemy forces. This sci-fi invention didn't pan out — but it wasn't the only unconventional idea on the Axis side.

Looking to cripple enemy supply lines, German officials considered infesting British farms with the invasive potato beetle. Scientists began breeding the pests, but later abandoned the project when they calculated they would need to somehow transport 40 million of the bugs across the sea.

It's incredible how almost all American manufacturing turned to the war effort. In auto industry, for instance, companies pumped out 3 million cars in 1941. But while the United States fought in World War II, they only built 139 for domestic use!

In a modern-day David and Goliath twist, the tallest German soldier surrendered to one of the shortest British soldiers. Britain honored Bob Roberts, who reached only 5'3", for capturing gunner and former circus performer Jakob Nacken, who at 7'3" towered over everyone else on the battlefield.

World War II took a heavy toll on every nation involved, though many Westerners don't realize that Russia made the biggest sacrifice of all. In the Battle of Stalingrad, 1.1 million Soviet soldiers and 40,000 civilians lost their lives. Those are more deaths in one battle than the United States or Britain suffered throughout the entire war.

American foodies thought it was unpatriotic to eat foods with German names during the war, so they coined some new terms. Chefs dubbed hamburgers and sauerkraut as "Liberty Steak" and Liberty Cabbage," respectively. Meanwhile, another treat became viewed as quintessentially American during the war.

American servicemen fighting overseas couldn't get by without their Coca-Cola. General Eisenhower worked with Coke executives to ensure that soldiers could buy one of their favorite beverages for as little as five cents, no matter the circumstances. As a result, Coke built bottling plants near the various fronts, which helped spread the drink's popularity all over the world.

Surprisingly, dogfights and air raids were usually deadlier than battles on the ground. The typical life expectancy for a newly enlisted Spitfire pilot around the time of the Battle of Britain was just four weeks. Even on the American side, the Air Corps saw more casualties than the Marines.

The U.S. Navy awarded a Purple Heart to a British-born mate named William Hitler. Though his superiors initially thought it was a joke, he was actually the half-nephew of the German dictator and even worked for him in the 1930s. William wisely changed his last name following the end of the war.

Winston Churchill proved himself to be a brilliant wartime leader, though he wasn't the easiest man to work with. The Prime Minister insisted on bathing twice a day — no matter how busy he was — and often consulted with close advisors and secretaries while in the nude. Fortunately, when it came to key meetings like the Yalta Conference, he made sure he was fully dressed.

Against the advice of her loved ones, American photographer Lee Miller left Vogue to become a war correspondent. She became one of the most celebrated journalists of her time, in no small part to her pictures of women contributing to the war effort. After the Allies took Berlin, Miller stuck it to the enemy by photographing and sleeping in Hitler's bed.

Bombing raids often caused collateral damage that nobody could have planned for. The very first bomb that Allied forces dropped on Berlin, for example, didn't serve much tactical purpose. That's because it missed and killed the only elephant in the city's zoo.

Although some historians dispute that he even existed, a Korean man named Yang Kyoungjong supposedly fought for three different armies throughout the war. Initially, the Japanese pressed him and many of his countrymen into service. After the Soviets captured him, they forced him to risk his life in the Red Army until the Germans captured him yet again and brought him into their own ranks.

War heroes weren't just in the armed forced. Polish midwife Stanisława Leszczyńska found herself incarcerated in Auschwitz, where she personally delivered about 3,000 babies. Although the concentration camp guards killed most of the infants, Leszczyńska's intervention likely saved the mothers' lives. She survived Auschwitz and lived until 1974.

Lesley McNair got a promotion in the worst way possible. The American field general — along with 100 others — was killed by friendly fire in France when a group of errant bombers dropped their payload well short of the intended target. After his death, the U.S. government promoted him to general.

Japan formally surrendered after the United States detonated nuclear bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki — that's common knowledge. But if the Asian nation had refused to give in, the American government secretly planned to nuke Tokyo as well.

The youngest service member in World War II was 12-year-old Calvin Graham. After lying about his age, Graham fought and was wounded in the Battle of Guadalcanal. He received multiple medals for his heroism, but these honors were revoked after his family revealed that he belonged in middle school, not on a battlefield.

As the Germans took over more and more of Europe, deciding whether to cooperate was a serious dilemma for many. On one hand, many resistance members were executed or imprisoned for their efforts. On the other, some who collaborated out of fear lost everything, including these French women. Their countrymen stripped off their clothes and shaved their heads in the town square.