Administrative changes of occupied Denmark and its possessions during World War II
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Were the administrative territorial changes of Denmark (occupied by Germany) and its overseas territories (free from German occupation) during World War II.
Chronology
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May 1945: On 5 May 1945, Greenlanders celebrated the liberation of Denmark in Nuuk. The Greenland Administration under Eske Brun surrendered its emergency powers and again came under direct control from Copenhagen.
May 1940: After the occupation of Denmark, British forces from 12 April 1940 made a pre-emptive bloodless invasion of the Faroe Islands to prevent their occupation by German troops.
July 1941: The defence of Iceland was transferred from Britain to the United States.
April 1940: Lasting approximately four hours, the German ground campaign against Denmark was one of the shortest military operations of the Second World War.
April 1941: On 9 April 1941, the Danish envoy to the United States, Henrik Kauffmann, signed a treaty with the U.S. authorizing it to defend Greenland and construct military stations there. Kauffmann was supported in this decision by the Danish diplomats in the United States and the local authorities in Greenland. Signing this treaty "in the name of the King" was a clear violation of his diplomatic powers, but Kauffmann argued that he would not receive orders from an occupied Copenhagen.
May 1940: The United Kingdom occupied Iceland to pre-empt a German occupation.
May 1945: German forces in North West Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands surrender.
May 1945: Following the liberation of Denmark and the end of World War II in Europe, the occupation of the Faroe Islands was terminated in May 1945 and the last British soldiers left in September.
August 1943: Germany occupied Denmark in Operation Weserübung. The king and government functioned as normal in a de facto protectorate over the country until 29 August 1943.
June 1944: Iceland dissolved its union with Denmark and the Danish monarchy and declared itself a republic.
Selected Sources
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p. 530
