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Britain Invaded Neutral Iceland In 1940
Operation Fork
On April 9th, 1940, Denmark surrendered to Germany. The German invasion lasted just half a day. The Danish military was so small compared to the German military machine that the government decided capitulation was a better option than allowing the country to be bombed into dust. (Ironically, it was the same decision the French would make in just a few months' time but the Danish never get as lambasted as the French for their decision.) The war in Denmark was over which left the question of what to do with Iceland.
At the time, Iceland was independent but bound to Denmark in a personal union. The fate of mainland Denmark opened the door for Germany to use Iceland as a base of operations against Great Britain. That was something that was seen as unacceptable in England. Instead of allowing Germany to take both Denmark and Iceland, the British decided it would be prudent to prevent that from happening by force.
After the fall of Copenhagen Iceland declared itself a neutral nation separate from Denmark with no desire to enter the war. But neutrality meant little and less during World War II. The British hastily drew up plans for the capture of Iceland. Neutrality be damned.
