Operations

Special Operations

On these pages we'll collect operations that can be considered special or unique among the thousands of U-boat patrols undertaken during the war.

The first 3 articles cover the only 3 landings that I know of in Northern America. If you know of any other I'd love to hear about it.

There were at least 4 uneventful agent landings in Iceland in 1942-1944 (7 men all in all), I'll cover them when I get the chance.

1942

Agent landed in New Brunswick, Canada

An agent from U-213 was landed near St. Martins's in Bay of Fundy in May, 1942.

Saboteur landings in America in 1942

Two teams of 4 men each were landed in America by 2 U-boats during June, 1942. Their mission was to destroy key industrial facilities in the United States.

Landing at Baie des Chaleurs, Newfoundland
On 9 Nov 1942 U-518 (Kptlt. Friedrich-Wilhelm Wissmann) landed an agent, Werner Alfred Waldmar von Janowski, at Baie des Chaleurs (e. Chaleur Bay) in Canada. The agent was successfully landed on the beach and the boat then headed out to open waters. The agent was arrested witin days and some sources state he was "turned" on his German masters. (Blair, Clay. 1998. Hitler's U-boat War, vol 2)

1943

Weather Station Kurt in Labrador, Newfoundland

During the fall of 1943 a German U-boat landed a team and erected a weather station in this remote region.

1944

Gulf of Maine, 1944

When U-1229 was sunk on 20, Aug 1944 she was on a mission to land an agent, Oskar Mantel, in the Gulf of Maine, USA but the boat was sunk on the outbound route from Norway. Mantel was among the survivors captured by the Allies.

German agents in late 1944

The German U-boat U-1230 landed 2 agents on the Maine coast at Frenchman's Bay, USA in Nov, 1944.