whatilearned
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland_in_World_War_II
TIL that Iceland, despite being neutral, was invaded by the British in WWII.. which eventually led to their independence.
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The Brits Needed a place to launch U-boat hunting aircraft…and needed to make sure no Germans showed up unexpectedly
*Arriving at the consulate, the British troops were relieved to find no sign of resistance and simply knocked on the door.*
*Consul Gerlach opened, protested against the invasion, and reminded the British that Iceland was a neutral country. He was reminded, in turn, that Denmark ^([invaded & occupied by Germany]) had also been a neutral country.*
*The British discovered a fire upstairs in the building and found a pile of documents burning in the consul’s bathtub.*
Title is a bit misleading: Iceland was an independent state prior to the war. It simply changed its form of government afterward.
A lot like the US wars for Cuba and the Phillipines though more sorely needed.
Hitler was absolutely infatuated with Iceland. Before the war Eva Braun visited it and in their racist minds they were all sure that Iceland was some kind of Aryan fairy land. Cut off from most of the world and remaining what they thought was pure, unmolested from racial intermixing. Funnily enough the locals did not care about nazi advances and tolf them off.
It was also supposed to be a base to disturb or completely cease convoy trade to the UK. With Norway AND Iceland in their grasp they could have done some massive damage to the support UK needed to stay afloat. So from a strrategic point of view it’s absolutely understandable Britain took the island. I wish it wasn’t necessary for the inhabitants but war is war.
Just an empire doing empire things, revisionism is unnecessary