FURY AND ICE

FURY AND ICE
by Peter Harmsen.

It is rare to find a mention of Greenland, the world's largest island, in WWII books. So I was most keen to read one dedicated to explaining both its importance and what happened on the island during the war.

The author begins with a brief history of the island including that of its early invaders and settlers. 
In 1939 Denmark, who had sole responsibility of Greenland, had established a network of weather stations on the island. 
As well as its meteorological importance, Greenland was also a valuable source for cryolite. This mineral was used in the production of aluminium and was being mined and sold by Denmark. 
Such a valuable resource, yet few other countries appeared to have shown little interest in the island. But as the war went on, demand for both aluminium and more accurate weather reports turned the focus on Greenland. That focus came from both Allied and Axis countries.

The narrative of the book follows the diplomatic, rather than military, situations that developed between various governments. It is interesting to read how Allied countries were quite wary of each other, as well as waiting to see how Germany would react and possibly launch an attack.

This has been a fascinating read on such a little studied area of WWII. So many countries wanted their hands on the prize, yet so little has seemingly been written about it. This will surely be the go to book for anyone wishing to learn more about it.

The hardback edition of the book is available now and published by Casemate Publishing. 
I thank Casemate UK for this review copy. 



 

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