Faroe Islands Resistance?

[heimwehr danzig]

Hi,

I am reading up on the history of the Faroe Islands (a visit is high on my to-do-list if I can ever afford it!!) and I see that they were occupied by the British during WWII.

This took place after Denmark (who hold sovereignty over the islands) was invaded by the Nazis. The British did not want the Germans using the Faroes as a base for U-Boats and the like.

Apparently this was a "friendly" invasion, leading to over 150 marriages and leaving the islanders with a lasting love of fish n' chips and cadbury's dairy milk chocolate!

I wondered if any nationalist or even pro-Nazi elements undertook any active resistance to the British during this time?

Thanks as always for your help

[phylo_roadking]

Apparently this was a "friendly" invasion, leading to over 150 marriages and leaving the islanders with a lasting love of fish n' chips and cadbury's dairy milk chocolate!

...and 19 out-of-wedlock paternity suits settled with minimal investigation by the War Department "Resistance" doesn't seem to have been a speciality of the islanders - particularly the women!

As far as I know, there was little or no resistance - tho' I'm happy to be contradicted; as on Iceland, what resistance you may find was resistance to the occupation, not on behalf of the Germans Two very diffferent things...

Iceland saw a small amount of Communist-inspired opposition to the occupation, fanned by low-circulation Communist-leaning newspapers...one of the larger incidents being as a result of local housing being demolished to extend Reykjavik airbase. It's possible you'll find something in that nature...

But all joking aside, the locals on the Faroes were very aware of the limitations of their very small gene pool...there's still a noticeable preponderance of MS and other inherited diseases, and there have been several major studies of these since the war...and thus welcomed the occupying British with open arms - and other limbs...

And in turn the War Department settled paternity suits promptly and with no action taken against the servicemen concerned.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi HD,

As Phylo says, the Faroese would rather not have been occupied at all, but preferred the British to the German alternative.

The Faroese were active in the Allied camp.

The Faroes fishing fleet, like the Icelandic, helped fill the gap in fish landings when so many British trawlers were called up by the Admiralty. As a result, fish and chips were never rationed in the UK. About 10% of the Faroese fishing fleet was lost to German air attack and the drifting mines of both sides during the war and about 120 fishermen killed. The British therefore equipped any Faroese fishing boat that wanted with one or two Lewis guns and trained the Faroese crews in their use ashore in the UK.

By 1942 some thirty Faroe Island sailors had signed up on Free Danish merchant ships - enough to crew one entirely. Half a dozen Faroese nurses also worked in London.

About 10% of Faroese were resident in Denmark during the war years, but you would have to ask the SS specialists here how many were enrolled by the Germans. A couple would surprise nobody.

Cheers,

Sid.

[phylo_roadking]

On the issue of "resistance" - I can't remember offhand....did the Faores try and declare themselves Neutral as Iceland attempted to do?

[Maxschnauzer]

On the issue of "resistance" - I can't remember offhand....did the Faores try and declare themselves Neutral as Iceland attempted to do?

I don't know that they had the autonomy to do so, Phylo. Weren't they merely an administrative territory under the Danish government whereas Iceland had already been granted Home-Rule when they declared their neutrality?

[Orwell1984]

http://www.desertwar.net/british-occupa ... lands.html

Some interesting information on the site above though it's English translation/writing could use some work.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Phylo and Maxschnauser,

In 1940 the Faroes were part of Denmark, whereas Iceland had already been a separate country under the same crown as Denmark for some two decades. Iceland only broke away from the Danish crown in 1944.

As I understand it, both Denmark and Iceland had neutrality written into their constitutions.

There was an independence party in the Faroes, which grew during the war years, but it never gained a parliamentary majority. Amongst other things, it championed the adoption of a Faroese national flag.

In order to be able to differentiate Faroese fishing vessels, which served the British market throughout the war, from fishing vessels originating from German-occupied Denmark, in mid April 1940 the British got the Faroese fishing fleet to exchange their Danish neutrality markings and Danish flag for new Faroese neutrality markings and to adopt the Faroese flag. However, by mutual agreement, ashore in the Faroe Islands the Danish flag continued to be flown. The British proposal regarding the flag was a pragmatic one of maritime identification, not an attempt to promote Faroese independence from Denmark.

Shortly after the war the Faroese got more autonomy under Denmark.

Sid.

[phylo_roadking]

As I understand it, both Denmark and Iceland had neutrality written into their constitutions.

This goes back to something I asked either up above or somewhere else recently - did the Danes have time to declare war on April 9th 1940?

Shortly after the war the Faroese got more autonomy under Denmark.

I've just been looking at that. I know it's only Wiki, but it still hints at the process being anything but plain sailing from A to B...

Following the liberation of Denmark and the end of World War II, the last British troops left in September 1945. Until 1948 the Faroes had the official status of a Danish amt (county). A referendum on full independence was held in 1946, which produced a majority in favour. This was, however, not recognised by the Danish Government or king due to only 2/3 of the population participating in the referendum, so the Danish king abolished the government of the Faroes. The subsequent election's Løgting were won by an anti-independence majority and instead a high degree of self-governance was attained in 1948 with the passing of the Act of Faroese Home Rule.

This "Act of Faroese Home Rule" - you don't happen to know if that was an Act of the Danish Parliament, or the Faroese Løgting?

[Maxschnauzer]

So as I understand it from the above discussion the Faroe Islands became de-facto neutral when Denmark declared their neutrality on Jan 19, 1940. http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=ZVd ... II&f=false

Then in April, 9 1940 Germany simply ignored their non-agression pact of May, 31 1939 and invaded Denmark. Then Churchill announced British intentions on 11 April and the occupation of the Faroes was a fait-accompli by the 13th.

In reference to Pyhlo's query:

This goes back to something I asked either up above or somewhere else recently - did the Danes have time to declare war on April 9th 1940?

Wiki apparently references Shirer, p.663

As a result of the rapid turn of events, the Danish government did not have enough time to officially declare war on Germany. Denmark was in an untenable position in any event, however.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark_in_World_War_II

[Maxschnauzer]

http://www.desertwar.net/british-occupa ... lands.html

Some interesting information on the site above though it's English translation/writing could use some work.

That's a very informative site, Orwell. Thanks for the link.

[phylo_roadking]

Okay- if the Danes didn`t have time to declare war, then the Faroes were still indeed covered by the constitutional position.

Interesting that the Danes didn`t DECLARE their neutrality until so "late" - the Hague Convention says that states should do his (by communicating their position to the Dutch government at the Hague) ASAP...you`d have thought they would have wanted to establish the position of their shipping much earlier, for example...

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Phylo,

Denmark appears to have declared its neutrality on 1 September 1939 and reiterated it jointly with Norway and Sweden on 12 December that year.

Cheers,

Sid.

[phylo_roadking]

THAT certainly makes more sense - 12th December....they'd probably be stating their position regarding the outbreak of the Winter War.

[amcl]

This "Act of Faroese Home Rule" - you don't happen to know if that was an Act of the Danish Parliament, or the Faroese Løgting?

Yes, as in "both". The Faroese one, http://www.mfa.fo/Default.aspx?ID=12949 tells us, was Act No. 11 of 31st March 1948. The Danish one was Act No. 137 of 23rd March 1948. The official translation of the text of the Danish act is available at http://www.stm.dk/multimedia/FO_hjstyrlov_UK.doc. The first page I linked to has a broken link to the Faroese act, so it's always possible that it is lurking somewhere on mfa.fo.

Regarding the referendum, the issue appears not to have been one of participation, but rather of the absence of a clear result. It was not a simple Yes-No vote on independence but rather a vote between independence on the one hand and devosomething on the other. Independence won, very narrowly. However, 481 voters - more than the margin of victory - had spoiled their ballots by writing "No" on them, presumably expressing their desire for the status quo to prevail.

Cheers,

Angus

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi HD,

Apparently four Faroe Islanders served in the Waffen-SS, two of whom were killed. They were all resident in Denmark when it was over run by the Germans.

Sid.