Rhett Breedlove
This is not a game and it is certainly not fun, and if you are reading this then you are probably intelligent enough to know and understand that when it comes to war there are really no winners.
They will reduce countries to ashes, tear families apart forever, and leave horrific images in people’s minds that will never fade.
It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, when there’s war, innocent women, children, and old people are going to be killed.
He did not die, he was killed. First of all, we need to be clear about this.
And all the while there remains a small number of very powerful people in suits who actually profit from such things. Yes, war is indeed an economy, and we should know that well by now.
If that is not evil, we will never know what is evil.
As the old saying goes, war is hell.
Now that we have some things cleared up, it’s time to visit some little places in history that we think are interesting. Maybe even a little bit entertaining.
Now, going back to the early 1940s in Europe, do we need to remind ourselves what was going on in Europe at that time?
Of course, you should know and understand that Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany had violated the Treaty of Versailles a few years earlier by annexing Austria and then invading Poland from the west shortly thereafter. Of course, it’s clear by now that this was the start of World War II.
As the war progressed, Germany established a strong and fearsome hold over most of its neighboring countries.
As we continue our discussion, keep in mind that this quirky reporter uses paraphrases for both humor and to explain things succinctly.
Among the few European countries that were not cast under the evil shadow of the Third Reich were Great Britain and Iceland, and while there were, of course, other countries that did not experience Nazi occupation, the main focus of this story is primarily on these two countries.
As we all know, by this time Britain was firmly on the side of the Allies, and Winston Churchill was determined to stand up to Adolf Hitler’s vile aggression and genocidal ambitions.
Meanwhile, Iceland had chosen to remain neutral in the war during this time, much to Churchill’s displeasure.
It should be noted that at the time, Iceland was a key logistical checkpoint on the vital shipping routes to Canada and the U.S. As Churchill himself once stated, a German occupation of Iceland would “point its guns directly at Britain, Canada and the United States.”
As a result, Churchill and the Allies desperately tried to persuade Iceland to join the war against the Axis powers, as Churchill believed that if Iceland did not join, it would only be a matter of time before Hitler would again use violence to take what he wanted.
The Icelandic government would likely explain that with a small population, few resources and virtually no military, it would be better to remain neutral and not get involved.
Winston was not at all convinced by this.
Britain authorized the invasion of Iceland, presumably with the approval of the British Parliament, the British Army, and the Allies.
When heavily armed Royal Navy ships approached the island, they were greeted not by the military, but in fact by the local police.
The Royal Navy was immediately told by Icelandic police officers: “Excuse me, but may I ask what you are doing? You are violating Icelandic sovereignty.”
The Royal Navy politely replied, “Yes, I understand. Can you please get these guys to move over so we can anchor our ship and get the Marines off?”
The local Icelandic police officer sighed and replied, “Yeah, of course.”
Now, the Royal Navy faced another challenge as it proceeded with its “invasion” of Iceland.
At the time, German diplomats were stationed in Iceland, trying to convert as many Icelanders as possible to the ideas of German National Socialism.
In other words, he was tasked with convincing as many people as possible in Iceland to become Nazis.
Despite his own disappointment, only four people were fooled. Not 4,000, not 400. Just four.
Apparently the people of Iceland had no interest in such beliefs.
In any case, after the Royal Navy had safely anchored the ship, they headed straight for the German diplomat’s office – after all, he was an official enemy of the Allies and according to policy he needed to be captured and held as a prisoner of war until the end of the war.
Local Icelandic police politely showed the British officers the way to the German man’s office, where they politely knocked on the door and said, “This is the British army. Please open up, you are under arrest.”
The only Nazi in Iceland was alarmed by the presence of British officers and shouted, “This is unacceptable! You are violating their sovereignty! Iceland is a neutral country!”
Shocked by his narcissistic hypocrisy, one of the British soldiers yelled, “Oh really?! Like Denmark was neutral?! Like Norway was neutral?! And that didn’t stop you!”
British officers quickly broke down the doors of the German embassy and he was quickly arrested and held as a prisoner of war until the end of the war, presumably returning to Germany sometime in the 1950s.
Despite the vile hatred and violence of Nazi Germany, the horrific mass murder of over 11 million people, and two extremely powerful explosions that nearly destroyed an entire Pacific country, Iceland has an incredible story to tell to this day.
And yet Iceland fell victim to perhaps the most peaceful invasion in the history of the world: not a single shot was fired, not a single person was injured, and not a single person was killed.
All that happened was that a loudmouthed, arrogant Nazi was arrested.
