something that cannot happen

Consul Gerlach opened, protested against the invasion and reminded the British that Iceland was a neutral country. Canada declares war on Japan, Finland, Hungary, and Romania. The Beatles' triumphant arrival in New York City on February 7, 1964, opened America's doors to a wealth of British musical talent. The initial force of 746 Royal Marines commanded by Colonel Robert Sturges disembarked at the capital Reykjavk. [32] The laws of neutrality to which Iceland had committed forbade more than three warships from a belligerent nation from making use of a neutral harbour at the same time. At this time, Iceland possessed only passenger aircraft, which did not fly at night, so this unusual event awoke and alerted a number of people. He notified his superior, who notified Einar Arnalds, the acting chief of police. The treaty of union allowed for a revision to begin during 1941 and for unilateral termination three years after that, if no agreement was made. The UK invaded to forestall a German occupation, to provide a base for naval and air patrols, and to protect merchant shipping lanes from North America to Europe. Though there was a nucleus of active service officers, the troops were new recruits and only partially trained. In time, some of the British garrison was replaced by Canadian and later American . On the day Churchill took control of defending the United Kingdom against invasion, Iceland was invaded: by the United Kingdom. Foreign troop numbers in some years equalled 25 percent of the population or almost 50 percent of the native male population. In April 1940, the United Kingdom occupied the strategically important Faroe Islands to preempt a German invasion. View original page. In the following days air defence equipment was deployed in Reykjavk and a detachment of troops was sent to Akureyri. There the marines knocked on the door, as a polite invading army does, but the night watchman was late in coming to the door (having fallen asleep by some accounts). Iceland's powerlessness in the face of invasion made it nevertheless a troubling experience. They felt that this would constitute an intolerable threat to British control of the North Atlantic. He was accompanied by a small intelligence detachment commanded by Major Humphrey Quill and a diplomatic mission managed by Charles Howard Smith. [16], Colonel Robert Sturges was assigned to command the force. After the British invasion, the Germans composed a report to examine the feasibility of seizing Iceland, proposed as Operation Ikarus. After failing to persuade the Icelandic government to join the Allies, the UK invaded on the morning of 10 May 1940. At 01:47, Icelandic time, on 10 May, HMS Berwick used its catapult to launch a Supermarine Walrus reconnaissance plane. Hello Chaps I just wanted to ask Paradox about a very specific event in the 2nd World War that might be quite a significant factor in the actual game. The report found that while an invasion could be successful, maintaining supply lines would be too costly and the benefits of holding Iceland would not outweigh the costs (there was, for instance, insufficient infrastructure for aircraft in Iceland). The German diplomatic presence in Iceland, along with the island's strategic importance, alarmed the UK government.[2]. In the first place, he wanted to prevent "anyone else" from coming there; and, in the second place, he also wanted to use Iceland as an air base for the protection of our submarines operating in that area". The Icelandic government rejected the offer. In my home country of Iceland that same day, 80 years ago, is remembered for a very different reason. The force was supplied with few maps, most of poor quality, with one of them having been drawn from memory. Foreign troop numbers in some years equalled 25 percent of the population or almost 50 percent of the native male population. Aged 49, he was a highly regarded veteran of World War I, having fought in the battle of Gallipoli and the battle of Jutland. Earlier in the day, Iceland's Ambassador, Niels Sigurdsson, delivered a strong protest to the British Foreign Office against the British decision Sattirday to send frigates into the disputed waters. [12] Despite reasonably good weather, many of the marines developed severe seasickness. . [36] Arnalds asked to speak with the captain of the destroyer, but was refused. Requisitioning local means of transportation, the troops moved to Hvalfjrur, Kaldaarnes, Sandskei and Akranes to secure landing areas against the possibility of a German counterattack. The invasion of Iceland, codenamed Operation Fork, was a British military operation conducted by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines during World War II.The invasion began in the early morning of 10 May 1940 with British troops disembarking in Reykjavk, capital of neutral Iceland.Meeting no resistance, the troops moved quickly to disable communication networks, secure strategic locations, and . However, in reality, nothing much happened. After the German invasion of Denmark and Norway, the British government became increasingly concerned that Germany would soon try to establish a military presence in Iceland. Consequently the door was broken down causing what turned out to be the most substantial damage of the initial invasion. In a postwar interview, Walter Warlimont claimed that "Hitler definitely was interested in occupying Iceland prior to [British] occupation. All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. On the morning of 8 May when two cruisers accompanied by two destroyers finally set sail for Iceland, much of the equipment had to be left behind. [citation needed] Women were often accused of prostitution and of being traitors. Its landscape now featured Norman castles and abbeys, just like the British mainland. Its a fractured network with vastly diverging world views, united in their belief that the current government [], The march of Germanys extreme monarchists, Wrong visit, wrong time: What Germany makes of Scholzs Beijing trip, The wheels are coming off the Dutch green revolution, The Online Harms Bill still threatens free speech and privacy, Sunak drops legal but harmful censorship clause, The EUs galactically bad space programme. ", "Decision to Land United States Forces in Iceland, 1941", "Franklin D. Roosevelt's message to Congress on the US occupation of Iceland", British violations of the rights of neutral nations during World War II, IcelandUnited Kingdom military relations, Military history of Iceland during World War II, World War II operations of the Western European Theatre, Military history of Canada during World War II, Battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom, Arctic military operations of World War II, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [37] Customs officers were ordered to prepare a boat. [42], The British forces began their operations in Reykjavk by posting a guard at the post office and attaching a flyer to the door. About 332 Icelandic women married foreign soldiers. [30] Prime Minister of Iceland Hermann Jnasson was alerted about the aircraft,[31] as were the Icelandic Police. During the occupation, on 17 June 1944, Iceland declared itself a republic. There, they would overcome any resistance and defeat local Germans. The report found that while an invasion could be successful, maintaining supply lines would be too costly and the benefits of holding Iceland would not outweigh the costs (there was, for instance, insufficient infrastructure for aircraft in Iceland). There, they would overcome any resistance and defeat local Germans. "Would you mind getting the crowd to stand back a bit, so that the soldiers can get off the destroyer?" [10], The expedition was organized hastily and haphazardly. r Whitehead 1999:305. Dined and worked. [52], After the British invasion, the Germans composed a report to examine the feasibility of seizing Iceland, proposed as Operation Ikarus. The Keflavk Agreement signed during 1946 between the US and the Republic of Iceland stipulated that the American army would leave the country within six months, and Iceland would take possession of Keflavk Airport. They extinguished the fire and salvaged a substantial number of records. On 3 May 1940, the 2nd Royal Marine Battalion in Bisley, Surrey received orders from London to be ready to move at two hours' notice for an unknown destination. The acting chief of police, Einar Arnalds, surmised that it most likely originated from a British warship bringing the expected new ambassador. The invasion of Iceland, codenamed Operation Fork, was a British military operation conducted by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines during World War II. [37], Meanwhile, marines on Berwick were being ordered aboard Fearless, which would take them to the harbour. Very rough seas were encountered on passage to Iceland and the majority of the marines cluttered gangways and mess-decks throughout the ship, prostrate with seasickness. British and Canadian troops left Iceland in July 1941 and America (still officially neutral) moved forces in, by agreement with Iceland, to take over its defence. After the British invasion however, the Nazis did discuss a plan to conquer the island (Unternehmen Ikarus - "Operation Ikarus") for the purpose of blocking Britain's and France's sea trade routes and to usher in a possible surrender but these plans were abandoned. The cruisers were not designed to transport a force of the size assigned to them, and conditions were cramped. [19], On 6 May, Force Sturges boarded trains for Greenock on the Firth of Clyde. [33] Customs officers were ordered to prepare a boat. Conversely, it would also prove a very valuable Allied base from which to guard North Atlantic shipping convoys bringing essential supplies to Allied-controlled Europe from North America. With the king of England so distracted at home, it came as no surprise that many English lords equally stayed. There, they would overcome any resistance and defeat local Germans. [12], The British planned to land all of their forces at Reykjavk. The British consul had received advance notice of the invasion and was waiting with his associates to assist the troops when they arrived. The latest in a long line of recessions and periods of poverty ensued. The Government of Iceland issued a protest, charging that its neutrality had been "flagrantly violated" and "its independence infringed". [citation needed] They felt that this would constitute an intolerable threat to British control of the North Atlantic. Local Germans, who were thought to have some arms, might resist or even attempt some sort of coup. In addition, a German invasion force might already be prepared or begun immediately after the British landings. Just as importantly, the British were eager to obtain bases in Iceland for themselves to strengthen their Northern Patrol. In July, elements of the 2nd Canadian Division and 3rd Canadian Division were landed. With Operation Valentine on 12 April 1940, the British occupied the Faroe Islands. Pop and rock groups such as the Beatles, the Dave Clark Five, the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, Herman's . Having encountered no resistance from the shipping company, the soldiers moved on to the main post office and nailed barely comprehensible flyers to the doors, presumably written on route with the help of a dictionary. Back in 1940, after Germany had invaded Denmark and Norway, the Brits didn't want to lose the North Atlantic to Germany and so they decided to take control of Iceland. [7] Iceland was now entirely on its own. This concern was needless, as the only Danish naval vessels abroad were in Greenland. In order to avoid drawing attention to itself, the force was divided into two different trains for the journey,[19] but due to delays in rail travel, the troops arrived at the rail station in Greenock around the same time, losing the small degree of anonymity desired. Arriving at the consulate, the British troops were relieved to find no sign of resistance and simply knocked on the door. The invasion took place because the British government feared that Iceland would be used by the Germans, who had recently overrun Denmark , which was in personal union with Iceland and which had previously been . Suspecting what was about to happen, he drove down to the harbour with a German associate. The invasion of Iceland (codenamed Operation Fork) by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines occurred on 10 May 1940, during World War II. The voyage was uneventful otherwise. "Would you mind getting the crowd to stand back a bit, so that the soldiers can get off the destroyer?" The British diplomats explained that they were terribly sorry about the inconvenience and gave a promise that the invading force would leave as soon as the war was over. With no time to spare, zeroing of the weapons and initial familiarisation shooting would have to be conducted at sea. British forces were stretched thinly around Europe and the force that landed in Iceland was a novice invasion force formed barely a month earlier. [28] This was correct, though it was not the whole story. Building on 1950s U.S. models, these groups . As the military situation in Norway deteriorated, the Admiralty came to the conclusion that the UK could no longer do without bases in Iceland. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. At 03:40, an Icelandic policeman saw a small fleet of warships approaching the harbour, but could not discern their nationality. [17][21], At 04:00 on 8 May, the cruisers departed for Iceland. [23][24] The voyage was uneventful otherwise.[17]. The invasion was carried out as the British government feared that Iceland would be used by the Germans, who had recently overrun Denmark, as a means to dominate the North Atlantic. To guard against this, troops would drive east to the landing grounds at Sandskei and Kaldaarnes. The Walrus was given orders not to fly over Reykjavk but either accidentally or as the result of a miscommunication it flew several circles over the town, making considerable noise. [citation needed] Many were upset that the foreign troops were "taking away" women, friends, and family. They said they wanted Iceland to avoid the German occupation that had befallen both Denmark and Norway. A lesser-known event of 5/10/1940 was the British "invasion" of Iceland. He contacted the foreign ministry, which confirmed that he should go out to the fleet and announce to its commander that he was in violation of Icelandic neutrality. At the time of the occupation, the Faroe Islands . On 6 May, Force Sturges boarded trains for Greenock on the Firth of Clyde. knew that the destination was Iceland. However, the initial invasion force was ill-equipped, only partially trained and insufficient to the task of occupation and defence of the island. When Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany Britain wanted Iceland to break its neutrality, but they said no, so British soldiers invaded after the German occupation of Norway, and the soldiers were welcomed as guests. HMSBerwick was the command ship of the operation. However, the presence of British, Canadian, and US troops had a lasting impact on the country. He contacted the foreign ministry, which confirmed that he should go out to the fleet and announce to its commander that he was in violation of Icelandic neutrality. [35] A small crowd had assembled, including several policemen still waiting for the customs boat. The occupation required the building of a network of roads, hospitals, harbours, airfields and bridges across the country, and this did have an enormous positive economic impact. Size assigned to the aircraft, as they had done with great success in their Norwegian campaign Einar. 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