WW2 German weather station - in from the cold in 1981

[KevinTheCynic]

Was generally trawling the net for pictures of the Rhodesian military after reading a thread here at IMF and came across the following article in a blog devoted to bizarre history. Basically, in WW2 the Germans set up remote weather stations in the Artic Circle and one of them was 'rediscovered' in 1981, I thought some of the members here might find it interesting.

http://www.strangehistory.net/2010/06/27/nazi-kurt-captured-in-arctic-circle-in-1981/

 

[MontyB]

I wonder when it stopped sending data.

 

[KevinTheCynic]

I wonder when it stopped sending data.

Second that. I'd love to know how long the batteries were expected to last, I have some absurdly romantic notion of the station transmitting for years after the end of the war with nobody knowing just what they were hearing and never knowing where it was coming from.

 

[MontyB]

Second that. I'd love to know how long the batteries were expected to last, I have some absurdly romantic notion of the station transmitting for years after the end of the war with nobody knowing just what they were hearing and never knowing where it was coming from.

Ok looking into it a little further:
According to U-Boat.net the system had 10 Cannisters:

U-537 left Kiel, Germany on September 18, 1943. She made a brief stop in Bergen, Norway and headed out to sea again on 30 Sept. The boat went on patrol in the western North Atlantic under Kptlt. Peter Schrewe. Its task was to set up an automatic weather station on the coast of Labrador. U-537 carried a scientist, Dr. Kurt Sommermeyer, and Wetter-Funkgerät (WFL) number 26 (the sixth in a series of 21 such stations) manufactured by Siemens. It consisted of various measuring instruments, a 150-watt Lorenz 150 FK-.type transmitter and ten canisters with nickel-cadmium and dry-cell high-voltage batteries.

and another site has:

WFL-26
Using the region’s infamous fog as cover from air patrols, the spies went out into the cold and set up the transmitter on a high point overlooking the ocean. They then left some empty American cigarette packs, hung a simple sign stating the station belonged to the non-existent “Canadian Meteor Service” and das booted it out of there again.

The battery-powered station, which included complex measuring instruments and weighed around 100 kilos (220lbs), was meant to broadcast two-minute radio transmission back to Europe every three hours. But unfortunately for the Nazis (now there is a sentence you don’t come across too often) the automated station only broadcasted reports for a few short days before falling silent, likely killed by the Arctic cold. A second submarine was sent to conduct repairs but was sunk en route by Allied torpedoes, meaning it was curtains for Kurt.

http://andrew-fleming.suite101.com/the-inglorious-nazi-invasion-of-canada-a192876

And just because I can here is a Youtube video.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPQ-sZ5UsjM"]Germans Submarine landed in North America. Secret Weather Station U-537 Labrador Canada - YouTube[/ame]

 

[KevinTheCynic]

Hey great piece of research Monty! Thanks for digging this up, it makes the whole affair an even more interesting read

 

[MontyB]

I agree it is interesting, I am looking at getting a copy of the "Weather Wars" book they mentioned as well which sounds interesting.