Nazi U boats landed 'sabatours' on US soil

SteamWake · 09-14-10, 10:33 AM

in 1942. First I have heard of this story..

Quote:

The Daily Mail states that this surprising information come from a German documentary titled Attack on America - Hitler's 9/11. The documentary shows how Nazis, using their U-boats, successfully landed four saboteurs near Manhattan, the men carried "armfuls of weapons, explosives and primers."

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.ac...81474978515554

tater · 09-14-10, 10:54 AM

They did this more than once. The first group was tried by military tribunal and executed even though they did no sabotage. The later group was not executed.

We should have solved the gitmo issue by doing the same long ago.

Jimbuna · 09-14-10, 03:17 PM

IIRC there was a film made of this many years ago...black and wide unfortunately.

bookworm_020 · 09-14-10, 06:39 PM

Like most of Germany's WW2 spy efforts, it was a total failure.

TarJak · 09-14-10, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbuna

IIRC there was a film made of this many years ago...black and wide unfortunately.

I saw this on youtube the other day. It was very black and quite wide.

Capt. Morgan · 09-15-10, 04:12 AM

CBC's The Doc Zone broadcast a very good documentary-The Spies Who Came From the Sea last spring (http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/docz...ame/index.html)

It covered the mission of U-537 to build Weather Station Kurt in Northern Labrador in '43, as well as a spy insertion by U-518 into Quebec in November '42. Their submarine set looked just like it does in SH3

.

The spy was arrested a couple of days after landing, in part because he still stank of diesel from his voyage - even after showering. He also paid for his hotel with a wallet full of currency which had been out of circulation since 1917.

An earlier German spy simply took all the cash he'd been given to maintain his operation (equal to about a hundred thousand today), and went off to try and spend the war night-clubbing in Montreal.

Alas, I think the show is no longer available for viewing on their site, probably because they're selling it as a DVD (http://www.cbcshop.ca/CBC/shopping/product.aspx?Product_ID=FTSRC00464&Variant_ID=FTSR C00464〈=en-CA). CBC does tend to re-broadcast a lot so it may come around again.

P.S. I am in no way affiliated with CBC, etc.

Rhodes · 09-15-10, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TarJak

I saw this on youtube the other day. It was very black and quite wide.

Damn, you beat me...

Jimbuna · 09-15-10, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TarJak

I saw this on youtube the other day. It was very black and quite wide.

LOL

Penguin · 09-15-10, 05:04 PM

Actually two of the 8 spys turned over, the other 6 were fried.
The whole operation was called Unternehmen (Operation) Pastorius. Some infos and pics of their equipment are on the FBI site: http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/f.../nazi/nazi.htm

Very interesting facts about the unmanned weather station, never heard of it before. The last Germans who surrendered were on a (manned) weather station in Spitsbergen, their capitulation was on September the 4th 1945.

TLAM Strike · 09-14-10, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tater

They did this more than once. The first group was tried by military tribunal and executed even though they did no sabotage. The later group was not executed.

We should have solved the gitmo issue by doing the same long ago.

I think one guy from the first group wasn't executed. He turned himself in to the FBI.

A lucky Coast Guardsman spotted the first group coming ashore, they bribed him to stay quiet and he pretended to agree. He went back to the barracks and called his superiors. Then as I said one guy didn't want to go through with the mission and turned him self in and helped the FBI capture the others.

All the saboteurs were selected because they had lived and worked in the US before the war.

Also the Germans set up a automated weather station in Canada that wasn't discovered until several decades after the war.

tater · 09-14-10, 06:47 PM

Yeah, the one guy testified in return for not getting bumped off.

bradclark1 · 09-14-10, 07:57 PM

I believe there is a section on this in the book 'Operation Drumbeat'. About the Uboats off our coast.

TLAM Strike · 09-14-10, 08:04 PM

Here is the Wikipedia page on the German weather station I mentioned.

GoldenRivet · 09-14-10, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradclark1

I believe there is a section on this in the book 'Operation Drumbeat'. About the Uboats off our coast.

it receives mention in "Torpedo Junction" by Homer H. Hickam

09-14-10, 03:17 PM	#3
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,461 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	IIRC there was a film made of this many years ago...black and wide unfortunately. __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

09-14-10, 06:39 PM	#4
bookworm_020 Navy Seal Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sinking ships off the Australian coast Posts: 5,966 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Like most of Germany's WW2 spy efforts, it was a total failure. __________________ "There is always one person in any organization who knows whats going on, That person must be fired"

09-15-10, 04:12 AM	#6
Capt. Morgan Commander Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Just east of the west coast. Posts: 463 Downloads: 423 Uploads: 0	CBC's The Doc Zone broadcast a very good documentary-The Spies Who Came From the Sea last spring (http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/docz...ame/index.html) It covered the mission of U-537 to build Weather Station Kurt in Northern Labrador in '43, as well as a spy insertion by U-518 into Quebec in November '42. Their submarine set looked just like it does in SH3. The spy was arrested a couple of days after landing, in part because he still stank of diesel from his voyage - even after showering. He also paid for his hotel with a wallet full of currency which had been out of circulation since 1917. An earlier German spy simply took all the cash he'd been given to maintain his operation (equal to about a hundred thousand today), and went off to try and spend the war night-clubbing in Montreal. Alas, I think the show is no longer available for viewing on their site, probably because they're selling it as a DVD (http://www.cbcshop.ca/CBC/shopping/product.aspx?Product_ID=FTSRC00464&Variant_ID=FTSR C00464〈=en-CA). CBC does tend to re-broadcast a lot so it may come around again. P.S. I am in no way affiliated with CBC, etc. __________________ There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet. -- Admiral William Halsey

09-14-10, 07:57 PM	#12
bradclark1 Ocean Warrior Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Connecticut, USA. Posts: 2,794 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 0	I believe there is a section on this in the book 'Operation Drumbeat'. About the Uboats off our coast. __________________

09-14-10, 08:04 PM	#13
TLAM Strike Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Rochester, New York Posts: 8,633 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 6	Here is the Wikipedia page on the German weather station I mentioned. __________________

09-14-10, 10:54 AM	#2
tater Navy Seal Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New Mexico, USA Posts: 9,023 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 2	They did this more than once. The first group was tried by military tribunal and executed even though they did no sabotage. The later group was not executed. We should have solved the gitmo issue by doing the same long ago.

09-15-10, 05:04 PM	#9
Penguin Ocean Warrior Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Rheinische Republik Posts: 3,322 Downloads: 92 Uploads: 0	Actually two of the 8 spys turned over, the other 6 were fried. The whole operation was called Unternehmen (Operation) Pastorius. Some infos and pics of their equipment are on the FBI site: http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/f.../nazi/nazi.htm Very interesting facts about the unmanned weather station, never heard of it before. The last Germans who surrendered were on a (manned) weather station in Spitsbergen, their capitulation was on September the 4th 1945.

09-14-10, 06:47 PM	#11
tater Navy Seal Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New Mexico, USA Posts: 9,023 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 2	Yeah, the one guy testified in return for not getting bumped off.