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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 Reykjavík, capital of neutral Iceland. Meeting no resistance, the troops moved quickly to disable communication networks, secure strategic locations, and arrest German citizens. Requisitioning local means of transportation, the troops moved to Hvalfjörður, Kaldaðarnes, Sandskeið, and Akranes to secure landing areas against the possibility of a German counterattack. In the following days air defence equipment was deployed in Reykjavík and a detachment of troops was sent to Akureyri. In the evening of 10 May, the government of Iceland issued a protest, charging that the neutrality of Iceland had been "flagrantly violated" and "its independence infringed" and noting that compensation would be expected for all damage done. The British promised compensation, favourable business agreements, non-interference in Icelandic affairs, and the withdrawal of all forces at the end of the war. Resigning themselves to the situation, the Icelandic authorities provided the invasion force with ''de facto'' cooperation, though formally maintaining a policy of neutrality. The invasion force consisted of 746 Royal Marines, ill-equipped and only partially trained.〔Bittner 41.〕 Although it succeeded in its mission, it was manifestly insufficient to defend an island of . On 17 May 4,000 troops of the British Army arrived in Iceland to relieve the marines. This force was subsequently augmented to a final force consisting of 25,000 troops of the British and Canadian armies.〔http://www.history.army.mil/books/70-7_03.htm〕 A year later, American troops of the U.S. Marines' 1st Provisional Marine Brigade under the command of Brigadier General John Marston were tasked with relieving the British, although the country was still officially a non-belligerent. They were augmented and ultimately relieved by U.S. Army troops, who remained there for the duration of the war. ==Background== 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.〔Gunnar Karlsson:283.〕 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.〔Gunnar Karlsson:319.〕 On 9 April 1940, German forces launched Operation ''Weserübung'', invading both Norway and Denmark. Denmark was subdued within a day and occupied. On the same day, the British government sent a message to the Icelandic government, stating that Britain was willing to assist Iceland in maintaining her independence but would require facilities in Iceland to do so. Iceland was invited to join Britain in the war "as a belligerent and an ally." The Icelandic government rejected the offer.〔Bittner 34.〕 On the next day, 10 April, the Icelandic parliament, the Alþingi (Althing in English), declared Danish King Christian X unable to perform his constitutional duties and assigned them to the government of Iceland, along with all other responsibilities previously carried out by Denmark on behalf of Iceland.〔Þór Whitehead 1995:272.〕 On 12 April, in Operation Valentine, the British took over the Faroe Islands. Following 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. They felt that this would constitute an intolerable threat to British control of the North Atlantic. Just as importantly, the British were eager to obtain bases in Iceland for themselves to strengthen their Northern Patrol.〔Bittner 33-4.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Invasion of Iceland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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