Greenland in World War II

Greenland in World War II
Part of World War II
A German weather modification crew surrended to the U.S. military, October 1944
Date 9 April 1940 – 5 May 1945 Location Greenland Result Allied victory
Belligerents
Greenland  Denmark  United States	Nazi Germany
Strength
15	19
Casualties and losses
1 death[1]	1 death

Before World War II, Greenland was a Danish territory and was isolated to the rest of the world. After Nazi Germany invaded Denmark (codenamed Operation Weserübung) on 9 April 1940, Greenland was still able to maintain itself as an Allied nation because the British Navy captured all ships from Europe. Initially, the United Kingdom and Canada planned to occupy essential parts of the island but the United States, a neutral country before Pearl Harbour, declined a "third party involvement". Eske Brun and Aksel Svane, those who were living in northern and southern Greenland, had used provisions from a 1925 act to declare the island an "autonomous" region, guaranting the island's best interest if Germany occupies Denmark. The step was cooperated by the Danish embassy in Washington, D.C., and the United States Department of State, leading to the 1920 American statement that no third party countries will recognize Greenland as a nation. The expanded diplomacy was the extension of the Monroe Doctrine.