World War II is not something we usually associate with Iceland. Certainly this was the case for me until recently when I went on a WWII-themed guided tour of Reykjavik while researching walking tours available in the city. Despite being a neutral and somewhat isolated nation, Iceland’s position in the North Atlantic had an important strategic value that drew the attention of both the Allies and the Germans. As a result, the war had a massive impact on the development of the country. Signs of which can still be seen scattered around the island today.
- Ricky Menzies
- Last Checked and/or Updated 20 February 2025
- World War II, Iceland
The small island nation of Iceland played an unexpected vital role in the outcome of the Second World War. Icelanders call it “blessað stríðið” (“The Blessed War”) for transforming Iceland from one of the poorest countries in Europe into one of the wealthiest per capita. It is also the location the USA performed its very first act in the war, long before Pearl Harbour. It is little surprise that Iceland would play a key role when considering the Nazi obsession with the Nordic countries. All this in place, Iceland is a fascinating country to visit for those interested in looking for sites associated with World War II. On this page I briefly set out some of the more important events that took place on the island during this period, and point out places you can visit. This guide complements another article I wrote, where I list other interesting abandoned historic places to explore.
Our Recommendations for WWII Tours
Reykjavik WWII Walking Tour
A 2-hour walking tour of Reykjavik that focuses on the impact of WWII on the Icelandic capital city.
Iceland WWII History Tour
A 7-hour day-trip from Reykjavik that takes you to WWII sites beyond the city, including Hvalfjörður.
Both of these activities can also be reserved online via Viator: 7-hour WWII Day-Trip or the 2-hour Walking Tour of Reykjavik.
Archaeology Travel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you should you decide to purchase them.
Iceland’s place in WWII
Being, at the time, a neutral nation, under the control and protection of the Danish crown while also lacking a military, it would seem Iceland was fairly inconsequential when it came to the fighting. What can not be understated, is that despite these characteristics, Iceland did possess one vital feature. Its strategic location in the North Atlantic sea. Perhaps Britain wasn’t the first to realise this, but it was Winston Churchill who famously summarised the situation when he said “Whoever possesses Iceland holds a pistol firmly pointed at England, America, and Canada.”
➤ Guide to Sites, Memorials & Museums of WWII & the Holocaust
Visiting Iceland in the 1930s & 1940s
Some of the oldest colour film footage of Iceland comes from Eva Braun, Adolf Hitler’s girlfriend, onboard a cruise ship sailing around The Westman islands. When watching the footage, it is easy to see how little has changed in Iceland since the war in terms of the natural environment. Tours of The Westman islands are still popular among tourists today and can be reached from Landeyjahöfn. The ferry takes around 45 minutes. Popular attractions on the island of Heimaey, the only inhabited island, include hiking trails, whale watching and puffin sightings.
Eva Braun visited Iceland in 1939 just before the war broke out in Europe. She, her sister, and mother landed at Reykjavik and took an entire taxi fleet out to Hveragerði to see the geothermal pools. It seems even back then people found the natural wonders of Iceland interesting. Today visitors to Iceland can still bathe in the geothermal pools at Hveragerði. It is located on Route 1, conveniently on the Golden Circle route when coming back to Reykjavik from the direction of Selfoss. Otherwise, it is only a 45 kilometre drive away from Reykjavik.
Early interests in Iceland
It is well attested that the Nazis had a fascination with the Nordic countries. As a result, Germany bought a villa in the centre of Reykjavik designed by the famous architect Guðjón Samúelsson, the creator of the National Theater and the Hallgrímskirkja Church. Túngata 18 was used to host consultant and Nazi liaison Dr. Werner Gerlach, a prominent member of the Nazi party. He was sent to create good relations between the Germans and the Icelanders. His main role was to be the puppet of Heinrich Himmler, leader of the Nazi Schutzstaffel. It was Himmler that was a firm believer in the concept of the pure German empire, a thousand year Reich, of which the genes of the Icelanders were of vital importance. Ironically, Gerlach found nothing but disappointment in Iceland. The fanatical pseudo-intellectual wrote in his diary how the Icelanders were not the strong brave stock that resembled the Vikings but were instead weaklings and servile. He hated the country itself for “not having apples in their shops” and how the Icelanders would eat with forks in their right hands using them like shovels. These opinions never reached Germany and were only confided to Gerlach’s diary, likely through fear of disappointing Himmler.
When visiting Reykjavik, this villa still stands and can be seen from the outside. Today it is a private residence. It is possible to learn about the house by taking a WWII walking tour. I had the pleasure of going on the walking tour myself and would highly recommend it. You can read about this and other walking tours in my article here. This tour is bookable on Get Your Guide.
The growing importance of Iceland during the war
At first, Iceland’s strategic value was underappreciated. Nevertheless, the country would become of great tactical importance to both the allies and the Nazis. Once the allies realised that Iceland was located along one of the sea trading routes to Russia, Operation Fork began being planned. The idea was to occupy Iceland before the Nazis. Although, officially, Iceland did not want the Brits to come, since it would violate their neutral status, the media would tell a different story. According to the news at the time, Iceland made an official invitation to the Brits to help protect them after Denmark fell to the Nazis on 9th April 1940.
Four hundred British marines sailed to the North Atlantic island. The seas were rough and sadly one young marine committed suicide. Thankfully, this would be the only tragedy during the entire invasion. Originally, this was planned as a secret invasion, but the element of surprise was lost when a plane that was sent ahead on a reconnaissance mission was spotted, alerting the locals that something was about to happen.
On May 10th at approximately 5h00 hours British troops landed at Reykjavik harbour. They were met with no resistance. In fact, it may have been one of the most polite invasions to ever have happened. It is reported that one of the British commanding officers asked the local police to move the crowd of Icelanders back to allow the soldiers to get off the ship, to which they replied “certainly sir.” Not all the Icelanders were feeling cordial. One local snatched a rifle from a young marine and stuffed his cigarette into it and gave it back, telling him to be careful.
The harbour in which the invasion took place can still be visited in downtown Reykjavik. It is opposite the Reykjavík Art Museum Hafnarhús and the Museum of Photography. It is marked by an information sign. It is now home to the Icelandic Coast Guard, the closest thing they have to a military.
British Occupation
The first thing the British did after landing in Reykjavik was arrest the Nazi consultant Dr. Werner Gerlach. Once Gerlach heard the British had landed, he began furiously burning documents in the bathtub of his villa. He didn’t quite manage to burn his diary, of which we learn of his disappointment and disdain for the Icelanders along with other valuable information. The British, who simply knocked on the door of the consulate, were met with no resistance. Gerlach’s last ditch effort to save himself was to weakly call out to say that the British simply can’t invade because Iceland is a neutral country. To which the British replied “tell that to Denmark.”
Once the British had a firm control of Iceland, defences were built. Remnants of some of those defences still stand today. The ruins at Öskjuhlíð Hill near the Perlan centre is a favourite for those who love exploring abandoned buildings. This location was chosen for its high vantage point, giving a fantastic view over both the city and the harbour. There are also hiking trails all around the area. It is not necessary to visit this site with a tour, but it is an option. There is a guided tour available that will take you around some of the important WWII sites in Iceland. You can book this through Get Your Guide. The guided tour includes a visit to the bunkers on Öskjuhlíð hill among many other locations both in and out of Reykjavik.
Other bunkers can be found at Seltjarnarnes, although they are smaller. In the same area there are hiking trails and Northern Lights lookouts.
Nowadays everywhere you look, you can see a WWII site. The occupation required the building of infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, and airfields, many of which are still in operation today. This led to a positive economic boom in the country.
Passing of the Torch
There came a point when leaving British soldiers on Iceland became a logistical problem, as they were needed elsewhere. At first, the British were joined by the Canadian military. But in July 1941, an arrangement was made that the US Army would deploy 3900 men to occupy Iceland. This brought more infrastructure building including what is the current airport at Keflavik. Interestingly, this agreement happened five months before the attack on Pearl Harbour that would officially bring the US into the war.
Other sites built by the US military that visitors can see are the whaling station at Hvalfjörður and what was a fueling depot at Miðsandur. These installations are still in use to this day, although there are information boards that explain the significance of the area when it was first built.
Other evidence of the American occupation can be found at Mjóifjörður where there is an abandoned landing craft. This landing craft is similar to the ones used on D-Day. It was purchased by some farmers after the war and then abandoned at the fjord.
Casualties of the War
Iceland did not come away from the war unscathed. Unfortunate circumstances led to many Icelandic fishermen to fall victim to naval warfare. Sadly, they were caught by the sea mines distributed by the Nazis to disrupt British fleets. Approximately 230 men were killed. Memorials are found in local churches throughout the country.
It wasn’t only Icelanders who were killed during the occupation. There are 199 commonwealth graves across six cemeteries in Iceland. Some of these have been plotted on our map below.
The closest commonwealth cemetery can be found in Reykjavik at Fossvogur Cemetery. This is found close to Perlan and the WWII bunkers at Öskjuhlíð hill. Here represents 206 casualties from the war.
Museums and Other WWII Sites to Visit
So far, I have only highlighted the best sites you can visit in Iceland that had significance to WWII. I also include some interesting museums dedicated to this time in history.
The War and Peace Museum has collected a vast range of war memorabilia from during the war years and demonstrates the changes the peaceful countryside of Iceland experienced. Using photos of the area from during wartime to tell the story of Hvalfjarðarvegur. There are several exhibition rooms connected by one large exhibition hall. A memorial with the words ‘Hope for Peace’ is located outside along with war related machines and vehicles. Built to give its visitors a perfect snapshot of what wartime Iceland looked like, this is a highly revered WWII museum in Iceland and a must see.
To get there you’ll need to drive. Unfortunately there is no public transportation to the area. Driving there does also afford the opportunity to stop at some of the other interesting WWII along the way including the Hvítanes naval base ruins, Hvalfjörður whaling station, and Miðsandur fueling station. Another option is to take the WWII guided tour recommended earlier from Get Your Guide. This includes a trip to the museum along with all the sites mentioned above.
The other main WWII museum to visit in Iceland is Íslenska Stríðarasafnið located in Reyðarfjörður to the east of the island. The east of Iceland tends to be fairly neglected by visitors since the main attractions are found in the Reykjanes peninsula and surrounding areas. It is a shame, since the east of Iceland was a strategically important place during the war. The museum itself aims to bring visitors back to Iceland in the 1940s to see what it was like and the impact the war had on the country. It has a huge selection of memorabilia and artefacts from the war.
The east of Iceland was particularly under threat since the logistical route for the British swung right by it. This meant that both German and British naval forces were highly present in the area, making the life of the humble fisherman more difficult than usual. Plans for a potential German invasion of Iceland were drawn up called Operation Ikarus. The targets would have been Reykjavik, Akureyri, and Seyðisfjörður. Thankfully these plans were never realised.
The museum offers the opportunity to enter a wartime bar and cinema as well as viewing hundreds of photographs from throughout the country. There is also a barracks and a small gun shelter along with some wartime weaponry. To get here you will need to drive since it is on the other side of the country from Reykjavik. It is a part of the ring road so it can be easily incorporated into a road trip.
A lasting legacy
One of the consequences that came from the occupation of Iceland was the mixing between American soldiers and the local women. This caused quite a lot of controversy among the local men, who became jealous of the dashing, well dressed young men from abroad. This led to protests and the Icelandic government attempting to reduce the interaction between the women and soldiers, although this was met with limited success. Socially, many of these women were spied on and accused of prostitution. A head nurse named Jóhanna Knudsen was tasked with infiltrating the very fabric of many Icelandic women’s lives to reveal their relations with the foreign troops in order to reveal them publicly. Some of the relations ended in marriage and children, although many children were born out of wedlock. These children suffered the fate of a naming convention that stigmatised them. The term “ástandsbörn” was coined, meaning, “A child of ‘the situation’.”
The war had a lasting impact on Iceland. Where many places spent years recovering from the devastation of the war, Iceland spent years prospering as a result of it. The US military never officially left Iceland until 2006. In that time, American culture permeated into Iceland and left traces throughout the country. America brought with it Coca Cola, Bubblegum, Jazz, and Rock n Roll. Today there is a prominent jazz scene which can be seen at the famous Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik.
American candy, sodas, and clothing are readily available in most shops. It’s even possible to see retro-1950s American style advertisements on the walls of some of the buildings throughout the capital. There is a British Pub, Irish Pub, and American Bar in the Highstreet, and you don’t have to go far to find an American Burger joint.
Economically, Iceland was quick to develop, but culturally it seems many aspects moved on from the war years slowly. This makes visiting Iceland with an interest in WWII a strange and wonderful experience.
Create Itineraries & Travel Lists for Your Iceland Visit
If you are already planning a trip to Iceland, you can use our Itinerary Builder and the map above to create your own travel lists (such as places you have been to, places you would like to visit) and an itinerary for your visit. These can also be shared with your friends and on social media. You can see how this is done by watching our Using the Itinerary video on YouTube, or reading the Using the Itinerary page.
For more ideas of places to visit in Iceland, see our Iceland Travel Guide.
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