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Holzauge ([ˈhɔlt͡sˌʔaʊ̯ɡə], "wooden eye", nickname for aspotter)[1] was aWehrmachtweather station that was built byNazi Germany afterthe occupation ofDenmark duringWorld War II. It was located on the island ofGreenland, which is currently anautonomous territory within theDanish Realm.
In 1941, theNordøstgrønlands Slædepatrulje was established by the Danish governors in Greenland, in agreement with the Americans, in order to monitor possible German activities in Northeast Greenland. The patrol consisted of Danish police officers assisted by Danish, Greenlandic and Norwegian fur trappers. Most of them had lived in Northeast Greenland for years and knew the inhospitable area well.
On 22 August 1942, the fishing steamerSachsen, which had been converted into a weather observation ship, landed inEast Greenland. The ship had set out fromTromsø with aWehrmacht unit under the command ofLieutenant Hermann Ritter and a group of meteorologists led by Gottfried Weiss, totalling 17 men. Weiss had identified the area as an ideal location for aweather station on a reconnaissance flight a month earlier.
On site, Ritter then chose Hansa Bay onSabine Island as a wintering place. The group reported their weather observations to Germany and managed to remain undetected until 11 March 1943.[2]
On 13 March 1943, a gun battle occurred when the Germans were accidentally spotted by members ofNordøstgrønlands Slædepatrulje, during which Danish corporal (non-commissioned officer) Eli Knudsen was fatally wounded. Two members of the patrol were captured.
On 17 March, theSachsen sank.
On 25 March, the headquarters of theEskimonæs sledge patrol near the southern tip ofClavering Island, about 95 kilometres (59 miles) southwest, was partially destroyed by the Germans. Later, the two captured patrol members managed to escape, bringing Lieutenant Ritter with them as a prisoner. Lieutenant Ritter spent the remainder of the war as an Americanprisoner of war.
The remaining members of the patrol retreated toScoresbysund and reported the location of the German weather station. On 25 May it was attacked and almost completely destroyed by fourU.S. Army Air Forces bombers stationed inIceland. The remaining Germans were evacuated on 6 and 17 June.
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