In one of WWII’s strangest missions, German U-boat U-537 secretly landed on the coast of Labrador, Canada, in October 1943, and set up a fully automated weather station, codenamed Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26.
U-537 delivered the secret German weather station In Canada, only it was only discovered in 1981. Canadian Coast Guard shore party making the first examination of the remnants of German Weather Station Kurt on the Hutton Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada on 21 July 1981.
To throw off suspicion, they stamped the equipment with fake U.S. markings and even scattered American cigarette packs around the site.
Why? Accurate weather data was crucial for U-boat operations and planning attacks, especially in the Atlantic. The Allies had superior coverage, so the Germans needed a way to monitor weather in North America without detection.
The mission was a success, and no one discovered the station during the war. In fact, it remained hidden until a Canadian archaeologist stumbled upon it in 1981, nearly 40 years later.
