Iceland during World War II

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The state of Iceland during World War II was that of an autonomous state in personal union with Denmark, with King Christian X as head of state. During the German occupation of Denmark, contact between the countries was disrupted.

The United Kingdom invaded Iceland on May 10, 1940. The initial small force of Royal Marines was replaced on 17 May by a larger Army force, and eventually 25,000 British troops were stationed in Iceland.

On July 7, 1941, control of Iceland was transferred from Britain to the (still officially neutral) United States, by agreement with Iceland, and American troops replaced the British. The 40,000 American soldiers stationed in Iceland outnumbered all adult men in Iceland at the time. (At the time, Iceland had a population of around 120,000.) Many of them married Icelandic women, and the American heritage in Iceland is still obvious today.^{[citation needed]}

On June 17, 1944, Iceland was declared a republic with full independence, and cut ties with Denmark.

Iceland cooperated with the British and then the Americans, but officially remained neutral throughout the Second World War.