Iceland in World War II

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Initial British targets for the 1940 Invasion of Iceland: Reykjavik along with its harbour and seaplane landing site (Vatnagardar), nearby landing grounds at Sandskeid and Kaldadarnes to the east, the nearby anchorage at Hvalfjordur to the north, the harbour at Akureyri in the far north, and the nearby landing grounds at Melgerdi. The harbour at Hafnarfjordur, near Reykjavik, was also secured early on. Iceland invasion targets.png
Initial British targets for the 1940 Invasion of Iceland: Reykjavík along with its harbour and seaplane landing site (Vatnagarðar), nearby landing grounds at Sandskeið and Kaldaðarnes to the east, the nearby anchorage at Hvalfjörður to the north, the harbour at Akureyri in the far north, and the nearby landing grounds at Melgerði. The harbour at Hafnarfjörður, near Reykjavík, was also secured early on.
Training of Icelandic soldiers in 1940 Icelandic Army 1940.png
Training of Icelandic soldiers in 1940

At the beginning of World War II, Iceland was a sovereign kingdom in personal union with Denmark, with King Christian X as head of state. Iceland officially remained neutral throughout World War II. However, the British invaded Iceland on 10 May 1940. [1] On 7 July 1941, the defence of Iceland was transferred from Britain to the United States, [2] which was still a neutral country until five months later. On 17 June 1944, Iceland dissolved its union with Denmark and the Danish monarchy and declared itself a republic, which it remains to this day. [2]

Contents

Background

The British government was alarmed by Germany's growing interest in Iceland over the course of the 1930s. When war began, Denmark and Iceland declared neutrality and limited visits to the island by military vessels and aircraft of the belligerents. [3]

Neutrality

During the German occupation of Denmark, contact between the countries was disrupted. Initially, the Kingdom of Iceland declared itself to be neutral, and limited visits of belligerent warships and imposed a ban on belligerent aircraft within Icelandic territory.

Following the invasion of Denmark on 9 April 1940 Iceland opened a legation in New York City. [4] Iceland, however, unlike Norway, did not closely enforce limitations within its territorial waters and even slashed funding for the Icelandic Coast Guard.[ citation needed ] Many Axis merchant vessels seeking shelter within the neutral waters around Iceland were sunk by Allied warships.[ citation needed ] The Chief of the Capital Police Forces, Agnar Kofoed-Hansen, started to train the National Defence forces in early 1940.[ citation needed ]

Invasion

Footage of Iceland in November 1941 to early spring 1942

The British imposed strict export controls on Icelandic goods, preventing profitable shipments to Germany, as part of its naval blockade. London offered assistance to Iceland, seeking cooperation "as a belligerent and an ally", but Reykjavík declined and reaffirmed its neutrality.[ citation needed ] The German diplomatic presence in Iceland, along with the island's strategic importance, alarmed the British. [5] After a few failed attempts at persuading the Icelandic government by diplomatic means to join the Allies and becoming a co-belligerent in the war against the Axis forces, the British invaded Iceland on 10 May 1940, one month after the German invasion of Denmark. [1] The initial force of 746 British Royal Marines commanded by Colonel Robert Sturges was replaced on 17 May by two regular army brigades.[ citation needed ] In June the first elements of "Z" Force arrived from Canada to relieve the British, who returned to the defence of the UK. Three Canadian battalions — the Royal Regiment of Canada, the Cameron Highlanders and the Fusiliers Mont-Royal — were garrisoned on the island until drawn down for the defence of the UK in the spring of 1941, and replaced by British garrison forces. [6]

On 7 July 1941, President Roosevelt announced to the Congress of the United States that the United States had landed forces in Iceland as a means of preventing German forces from taking control of the country's vital shipping and air ways. [7] Iceland's strategic position along the North Atlantic sea-lanes, perfect for air and naval bases, could bring new importance to the island. The 1st Marine Brigade, consisting of approximately 4,100 troops, was garrisoned on Iceland until early 1942, when they were replaced by U.S. Army troops, so that they could join their fellow Marines fighting in the Pacific.[ citation needed ]

Iceland cooperated with the British and then the Americans, but officially remained neutral throughout World War II. [1] Some historians have developed "shelter theory" which states that Iceland and other small countries, in addition to ordinary alliances, form relationships or "seek shelter" with larger countries and international institutions to make up for vulnerabilities inherent with small geographic area—vulnerabilities such as susceptibility to invasion. [8]

Life in occupied Iceland

British troops arrived and many stayed in the city of Reykjavík, causing much social disruption among the citizens. [9] Women and young girls were thought to have had sexual relationships with the British soldiers. [9] Reports also showed an increase in prostitution. [9] This interaction also caused some hostility between the soldiers and Icelandic men. [1] The large-scale interaction between young Icelandic women and soldiers came to be known as Ástandið ("the condition" or "situation") in Icelandic. Many Icelandic women married Allied soldiers and subsequently gave birth to children, many of whom bore the patronymic Hansson (hans translates as "his" in Icelandic), which was used because the father was unknown or had left the country. Some children born as a result of the Ástandið have English surnames. [ citation needed ]

Arrival of US troops in Iceland in January 1942 IBC US Army Troops Arriving In Reykjavik January 1942.jpg
Arrival of US troops in Iceland in January 1942

During the war, drifting mines became a serious problem for Icelanders, as well as the Allied forces. The first Icelandic Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel were trained in 1942 by the British Royal Navy to help deal with the problem. [10] The British forces also supplied the Icelandic Coast Guard with weapons and ammunition, such as depth charges against Axis U-boats. During the war, drifting mines and German U-boats damaged and sank a number of Icelandic vessels. Iceland's reliance on the sea, to provide nourishment and for trade, resulted in significant loss of life. In 1944, British Naval Intelligence built a group of five Marconi wireless direction-finding stations on the coast west of Reykjavík. The stations were part of a ring of similar groups located around the North Atlantic to locate wireless transmissions from U-boats.[ citation needed ]

On 10 February 1944, German Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor from the I./KG 40, stationed in Norway, sank the British tanker SS El Grillo at Seyðisfjörður. [11]

On 17 June 1944, Iceland dissolved its union with Denmark and the Danish monarchy and declared itself a republic.

Casualties

Approximately 230 Icelanders died in World War II hostilities. [12] Most were killed on cargo and fishing vessels sunk by German aircraft, U-boats, and mines. [12]

Aftermath and legacy

The presence of British and American troops in Iceland had a lasting impact on the country. Engineering projects, initiated by the occupying forces – especially the building of Reykjavík Airport – brought employment to many Icelanders. This was the so-called Bretavinna or “Brit labour”. Also, the Icelanders had a source of revenue by exporting fish to the United Kingdom.[ citation needed ]

A number of British Pathe newsreels of the period featured news from Iceland, including visits by Lord Gort [13] in 1940 and Winston Churchill in 1941 following the Atlantic Charter. [14]

Atlantic Convoy was a 1942 American film about naval patrols set during the Battle of the Atlantic.

The only other film made in this time period, and about the war, was a musical called Iceland. [15] Iceland was not filmed in nor particularly about Iceland. [15] Many years later, a two-part documentary was released called the Occupation Years 1940-1945. This documentary examines how World War II affected Iceland and its population, using stock footage and interviews to assess the impact. [15] The filmmakers had concern that World War II would not be a part of the memory of the country, and the conflict and its impacts on Iceland would soon be forgotten. [15] The goal of the film then was to preserve the history of the war and the invasion and occupation of the British and Americans. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Iceland</span>

The recorded history of Iceland began with the settlement by Viking explorers and the people they enslaved from Western Europe, particularly in modern-day Norway and the British Isles, in the late ninth century. Iceland was still uninhabited long after the rest of Western Europe had been settled. Recorded settlement has conventionally been dated back to 874, although archaeological evidence indicates Gaelic monks from Ireland, known as papar according to sagas, may have settled Iceland earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defence of Iceland</span> Combined military forces of Iceland

Iceland's defence forces consist of the Icelandic Coast Guard, which patrols Icelandic waters and monitors its airspace, and other services such as the National Commissioner's National Security and the Special Unit of the National Police Commissioner. Iceland maintains no standing army, the only NATO member for which this is the case.

Co-belligerence is the waging of a war in cooperation against a common enemy with or without a military alliance. Generally, the term is used for cases where no formal treaty of alliance exists. Likewise, allies may not become co-belligerents in a war if a casus foederis invoking the alliance has not arisen. Co-belligerents are defined in the Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law as "states engaged in a conflict with a common enemy, whether in alliance with each other or not".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World War II by country</span> List of participating countries and their involvement

Almost every country in the world participated in World War II. Most were neutral at the beginning, but only a relative few nations remained neutral to the end. The Second World War pitted two alliances against each other, the Axis powers and the Allied powers. It is estimated that 74 million people died, with estimates ranging from 40 million to 90 million dead. The main Axis powers were Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan, and the Kingdom of Italy; while the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union and China were the "Big Four" Allied powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allies of World War II</span> Grouping of the victorious countries of the war

The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during World War II (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers. Its principal members by the end of 1941 were the "Big Four" – the United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, and China.

Operation Ikarus was a Second World War German plan to invade Iceland, which had been occupied by British forces during Operation Fork in 1940. The plan was never realized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neutral powers during World War II</span> States which did not participate in World War II

The neutral powers were countries that remained neutral during World War II. Some of these countries had large colonies abroad or had great economic power. Spain had just been through its civil war, which ended on 1 April 1939 —a war that involved several countries that subsequently participated in World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of the Axis powers</span> World War II-era relations

Foreign relations of the Axis powers includes states which were not officially members of the Axis but had relations with one or more Axis members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Iceland</span> Period of Icelandic statehood from 1918 to 1944

The Kingdom of Iceland was a sovereign and independent country under a constitutional and hereditary monarchy that was established by the Act of Union with Denmark signed on 1 December 1918. It lasted until 17 June 1944 when a national referendum established the republic of Iceland in its place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invasion of Iceland</span> Invasion of Iceland by British military forces during World War II

The British invasion of Iceland by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Royal Marines occurred on 10 May 1940, during World War II. The invasion took place because the British government feared that Iceland would be used militarily by Nazi Germany, which had overrun Denmark a month earlier. Although Iceland was independently governed, it was in a personal union with Denmark, which was largely responsible for its foreign relations. The Government of Iceland issued a protest, charging that its neutrality had been "flagrantly violated" and "its independence infringed".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allied occupation of Iceland</span> World War II Allied Occupation

The Occupation of Iceland during World War II began with a British invasion intent on occupying and denying Iceland to Germany. The military operation codenamed Operation Fork was conducted by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. In time, the British forces were replaced by Canadian and later American forces, despite that the United States was not yet in the war.

This is a brief overview of historical warfare and recent developments in Iceland. Iceland has never participated in a full-scale war or invasion and the constitution of Iceland has no mechanism to declare war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iceland–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Icelandic–British relations are foreign relations between Iceland and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germany–Iceland relations</span> Bilateral relations

Germany–Iceland relations are the bilateral relations between Germany and Iceland. Both countries are also members of the OECD, the OSCE, the CBSS and the Schengen Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Weserübung</span> WWII German assault on Denmark and Norway

Operation Weserübung was the invasion of Denmark and Norway by Nazi Germany during World War II. It was the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iceland Base Command</span> Military unit

Iceland Base Command (IBC) is an inactive United States Army organization. It was established for the United States defense of the Kingdom of Iceland during World War II. It was inactivated on 4 March 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iceland in the Cold War</span>

Throughout the Cold War, the nation of Iceland was a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and allied with the United States, hosting a US military presence in Keflavík Air Base from 1951 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish–Icelandic Act of Union</span> Act of 1 December 1918 putting Iceland into personal union with Denmark

The Danish–Icelandic Act of Union, an agreement signed by Iceland and Denmark on 1 December 1918, recognized Iceland as a fully independent and sovereign state, known as the Kingdom of Iceland, which was freely associated to Denmark in a personal union with the Danish king. Iceland established its own flag, declared its neutrality and asked Denmark to represent on its behalf foreign affairs and defence interests, while maintaining full control of them. Iceland opened its first embassy in 1920. The Act would be up for revision in 1940 and could be revoked three years later if agreement was not reached.

France was one of the largest military powers to come under occupation as part of the Western Front in World War II. The Western Front was a military theatre of World War II encompassing Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale combat operations.

The following lists events that happened in 1941 in Iceland.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bittner, Donald F. (December 1975). "A Final Appraisal of the British Occupation of Iceland, 1940–42". The RUSI Journal. 120 (4): 45–53. doi:10.1080/03071847509421214. ISSN   0307-1847.
  2. 1 2 KARLSSON, GUNNAR (2017). ICELAND'S 1100 YEARS : history of a marginal society. C HURST & CO PUB LTD. ISBN   978-1849049115. OCLC   986911706.
  3. ↑ "Iceland in the Second World War". Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
  4. ↑ "Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1940, General and Europe, Volume II - Office of the Historian" . Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  5. ↑ Stone, Bill (1998). "Iceland in the Second World War". Stone & Stone. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  6. ↑ Stacey, C P. (1956) Official history of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Vol I The Army in Canada, Britain and the Pacific Archived 2019-04-01 at the Wayback Machine , Queen's Printer, Ottawa (Downloadable PDF)
  7. ↑ Stetson Conn; Byron Fairchild (January 2, 2003). "CHAPTER VI From Nonbelligerency to War". Center for Military History United States Army. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  8. ↑ Thorhallsson, Baldur (2018), "A theory of shelter", Small States and Shelter Theory, Routledge, pp. 24–58, doi:10.4324/9780429463167-3, ISBN   9780429463167, S2CID   212701638
  9. 1 2 3 KARLSSON, GUNNAR (2017). ICELAND'S 1100 YEARS : history of a marginal society. C HURST & CO PUB LTD. ISBN   978-1849049115. OCLC   986911706.
  10. ↑ "Brief Introduction to Icelandic EOD". Landhelgisgæsla Íslands. 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-12-26. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  11. ↑ Search and Clearance of Explosive Ordnance from SS El Grillo Icelandic Coast Guard website, published: 26 March 2002, accessed: 17 June 2011
  12. 1 2 Karlsson, Gunnar (2000). History of Iceland . pp.  316.
  13. ↑ "Lord Gort on Iceland".
  14. ↑ "80 Years Since Churchill Charmed the Icelandic Nation". Iceland Monitor. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Hálfdanarson, Guðmundur (2012-11-19). "The Occupation Years – Documenting a forgotten war". Journal of Scandinavian Cinema. 2 (3): 249–255. doi:10.1386/jsca.2.3.249_1. ISSN   2042-7891.

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