On May 10, 1040, the United Kingdom invaded Iceland without the permission of the government of Iceland. With World War II in a dire phase for the British, German occupation of Iceland would have been catastrophic to cross Atlantic shipping, the lifeblood of Britain so despite Iceland's neutrality, the British occupied the small country as a preventative measure. Today we will discuss some of the places England or the UK invaded that may not have been known to the casual person.
Digging Deeper
Iceland is strategically positioned to intercept shipping from North America to Northern Europe, especially to Scandinavia and Russia. Both the Allies and the Germans lusted after the potential to base airplanes and ships at this strategic island, but Iceland remained neutral in spite of strong lobbying efforts by both sides. Britain had imposed trade restrictions on Iceland to prevent free trade with Germany, and on May 10, 1940, Operation Fork went into effect, the British invasion and occupation of Iceland, preempting the Germans from doing so first.