Tayler W.

Dangerous Times: U-537's Armed Invasion of Canada

Tayler W.
Prince Edward Island Provincial Heritage Fair
Charlottetown, PE

This is the only officially recorded armed landing on North America by the enemy during World War Two. U-537, a German submarine, left Kiel, Germany on her first combat patrol September 18,1943. On October 22, she arrived at Martin Bay close to Cape Chidley at the north-eastern tip of the Labrador Peninsula to minimize the risk of being discovered by Inuit. There they offloaded and assembled weather station Kurt, code-name for Wetter-Funkgerat Land-26, an automatic weather station designed by Germany to broadcast weather formations travelling West to East across the Atlantic. Kapitanleutnant Peter Schrewe and the crew of about forty undertook the mission along with Dr. Kurt Sommermeyer and his assistant Walter Hildebrant. There had been several landings on North America by the enemy, but they were usually by unarmed spies. In pictures of weather station Kurt, machine guns can be clearly seen, indicating German determination and a danger to Canada's coast. Weather station Kurt provides an important example to today's politicians of the dangers of an insufficient coast defence. Even recently there have been threats to Canada's boarders. We must not ignore the lessons history has taught us. 

What sources and evidence did you consult for your project? What different perspectives did they provide on your topic?

I used history websites, Wikipedia, and old news reports for my research. 

The old news reports provided a close-up perspective while the other history websites had a more general approach. 

What is the historical significance of your topic?

Weather station Kurt was a direct challenge to Canada's sovereignty. It was a breach in Canada's defence. Had Germany followed up with more landings it would have cost Canadians their safety and ultimately their freedom. It provides an important example to today's politicians of the dangers of insufficient coast protection.

Why did you choose this topic? 

I chose this topic because I felt it was relevant in our current time. With multiple threats to our nation's boarders and a growing concern for our country's freedom, we must look back at similar instances in history that warn us of what a bold and powerful country might accomplish.