Member-only story
The Untold Tales of the WWII Weather War
How the Axis and the Allies fought mightily for control of the forecast
World War II was the largest conflict in human history and it brought with it a globe-spanning tale of fighting, espionage and scientific advancement. Underpinning all of the stories of heroics and gratuitous violence is something far more mundane — the weather. For much of the war there was a struggle between the Axis and the Allies for control of the weather forecast. It turns out, it is hard to make sweeping military plans if you did not know if it was going to rain tomorrow or not.
World War II took place just before the advent of the satellite. There were no orbiting probes capable of forecasting the weather. Meteorology had to be done the old fashioned way. Pressure had to be measured by hand. Clouds and systems had to be observed by the naked eye. The information had to be transmitted to military meteorologists so they could use it to craft their forecasts.
The problem was, each side didn’t want the other to be able to take their measurements.
Weather in the North Sea
The most important forecasts came from the North Sea. Much of the climate along the northern coast of Europe is dominated by the fickle whims of the North Sea. Planes flying out of Great Britain had to know the forecast. Ships plying the important trade routes between the USA and Great Britain had to be aware of any adverse incoming weather. All of these things had to be deduced from the behavior of the North Sea.
What followed was a cold war of attrition and secrecy between Germany and the Allies with each side trying to secure the most up to date and accurate weather forecasts. Meteorologic intelligence, as it was called, wasn’t sexy but it was imperative. The United States Weather Bureau said that meteorologic intelligence was “indispensable” to the ongoing war effort. It affected everything.
Fighting the weather war
