US military expansion and operations in Greenland during the Second World War

THE WEEK
THE WEEK
1m ago
The United States established and expanded military installations in Greenland during the Second World War, driven by Western Hemisphere defense policy, German weather-station activity, and the strategic value of cryolite for aluminium production.
US military expansion and operations in Greenland during the Second World War
A What happened
In May 1939, the US Senate debated buying Greenland from Denmark, but the War Department vetoed the proposal, citing a lack of suitable locations for aviation and naval facilities. On 9 April 1940, Danish envoy Henrik Kauffmann signed an agreement authorising the US to defend Greenland and build military installations there, and US Coast Guard vessels deployed to support the mission and protect the cryolite mine at Ivigtut. US forces built air bases and expanded ports, depots, artillery positions, and weather and aviation facilities, while monitoring and countering German efforts to establish radio-weather stations. By mid-1943, Greenland air bases helped close the Mid-Atlantic Gap in air cover for Atlantic convoys, and cryolite exports supported aluminium aircraft production.
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Key insights

  • 1

    Cryolite supply was a stated driver of US interest in Greenland: American military investment in Greenland was stated to be not entirely altruistic because of the cryolite mine at Ivigtut, and cryolite was described as essential for aluminium production.

  • 2

    Greenland air bases were used to reduce convoy vulnerability in the Mid-Atlantic Gap: Greenland’s air bases were stated to have plugged the Mid-Atlantic Gap by mid-1943, and Allied shipping losses were stated to have decreased correspondingly.

  • 3

    Weather stations were treated as a strategic target for both sides: German and Quisling personnel entered east-coast weather stations and established a small military presence, and the US created the Sledge Patrol to observe German weather stations and personnel.

Takeaways

Greenland’s Second World War role combined US base-building, weather and patrol operations, and protection of strategic minerals, and the island remained a focus of US interest through continued military presence and mineral resources.

Topics

World & Politics International Affairs Business & Markets Energy & Commodities Security & Defense Culture & Society History

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