Invasion of Iceland | |||||||
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Part of World War II | |||||||
Initial British aims were to destroy landing grounds (blue) and secure key harbours (red). |
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Belligerents | |||||||
United Kingdom | Kingdom of Iceland | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Robert Sturges |
Hermann Jónasson Einar Arnalds |
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Strength | |||||||
British: 746 Royal Marines 4 Royal Navy warships |
60 police officers 300 untrained reservists |
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
1 killed (suicide en route) | none | ||||||
A small number of German citizens were arrested |
The invasion of Iceland, codenamed Operation Fork, was a British military operation conducted by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines during World War II to occupy and deny Iceland to Germany. At the start of the war, Britain imposed strict export controls on Icelandic goods, preventing profitable shipments to Germany, as part of its naval blockade. Britain offered assistance to Iceland, seeking cooperation "as a belligerent and an ally", but Reykjavik declined and reaffirmed its neutrality. The German diplomatic presence in Iceland, along with the island's strategic importance, alarmed the British. After failing to persuade the Icelandic government to join the Allies, the British invaded on the morning of 10 May 1940. The initial force of 746 British Royal Marines commanded by Colonel Robert Sturges disembarked at the capital Reykjavík. Meeting no resistance, the troops moved quickly to disable communication networks, secure strategic locations, and arrest German citizens. Requisitioning local transport, the troops moved to Hvalfjörður, Kaldaðarnes, Sandskeið, and Akranes to secure landing areas against the possibility of a German counterattack.
In 1918, after a long period of Danish rule, Iceland had become an independent state in personal union with Denmark and with common handling of foreign affairs. The newly born Kingdom of Iceland declared itself a neutral country without a defence force. The treaty of union allowed for a revision to begin in 1941 and for unilateral termination three years after that, if no agreement was reached. By 1928, all Icelandic political parties were in agreement that the union treaty would be terminated as soon as possible.