Groenland durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale

Membres de la station météo allemande Edelweiss II se rendant aux Américains, 4 octobre 1944.

Durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le Groenland, colonie danoise, est livré à lui-même. Après l'invasion du Danemark le , le Royaume-Uni et le Canada mirent au point des plans afin de l'occuper, mais les États-Unis, encore neutres, exprimèrent leur désaccord. Les gouverneurs groenlandais, Eske Brun et Aksel Svane, déclarent le Groenland territoire autonome, selon la loi en vigueur de 1925 qui le permet, estimant qu'il s'agissait de la meilleure chose à faire afin de protéger les intérêts de la colonie, considérant la doctrine Monroe et l'occupation du Danemark par les Allemands.

Historique

Court-métrage des actualités lors d'une attaque contre une station météo allemande en 1944.
L’Externsteine, peu de temps après avoir été capturé par le USCGC Eastwind.

Le , l'ambassadeur danois Henrik Kauffmann aux États-Unis signe un accord avec le gouvernement américain, contre les instructions de son propre gouvernement en exil, permettant la présence de troupes américaines sur le sol groenlandais, devenant un protectorat de facto des États-Unis. L'île disposait par ailleurs d'une mine de cryolite à Ivittuut qui s'avèrera être utile pour l'effort de guerre américain.

Une patrouille danoise consistant en 15 soldats (Siriuspatruljen) fut également mise sur pied avec l'aide des États-Unis, dont le rôle était principalement la reconnaissance des côtes groenlandaises afin de prévenir une éventuelle invasion allemande de l'île[1]. Plusieurs patrouilleurs américains furent également envoyés afin de surveiller la côte est du Groenland, bien que leurs tâches furent très limitées en raison de la calotte glaciaire groenlandaise et du mauvais temps[2].

Les Allemands établirent un certain nombre de stations météorologiques secrètes sur la côte est de l'île, fournissant des informations météo pour la campagne des U-Boots en Atlantique et afin de prédire la situation météo sur le théâtre européen. Quelques escarmouches auront lieu entre les Alliés et les Allemands, aboutissant finalement à un retrait définitif allemand du Groenland.

Une première station est découverte en 1943 dans la baie de Hansa sur l'île Sabine située au nord de l'île par la Siriuspatruljen. Celle-ci est immédiatement détruite après par des bombardiers de l'USAAF décollant d'Islande. Par la suite, pendant l'été 1943 et l'été-automne 1944, plusieurs autres stations météo allemandes en construction furent découvertes et détruites.

La dernière station météo allemande, Edelweiss II, fut capturée le lorsque les troupes américaines débarquent du briseur de glace USCGC Eastwind (WAGB-279) et font prisonniers les techniciens allemands (19 hommes). Le navire de transport allemand Externsteine, qui réapprovisionnait la station, est également capturé et sera remis en service dans l'United States Coast Guard, rebaptisé Eastbreeze[3].

Après la guerre, la Siriuspatruljen restera en service dans l'armée danoise en tant qu'unité d'élite, renommée Slædepatruljen Sirius.

Planification de l'invasion de la Normandie

Les Alliés utilisèrent les données météo collectées au Groenland afin de planifier l'opération Overlord qui aura lieu le .

Conséquences

Après les difficultés du gouvernement danois à gouverner effectivement l'île durant la guerre et le succès de quelques produits d'exportation, les Groenlandais en vinrent à demander un statut leur donnant plus d'autonomie. Ces requêtes furent appuyées par les États-Unis et le Canada ; le Groenland obtient son autonomie en 1979, renforcée en 2009.

Notes et références

  1. (en) Membres de la Sledge Patrol, 1941-1945, consulté le 9 février 2013
  2. (en) The Coast Guard and the Greenland Patrol, U.S Coast Guard, consulté le 9 février 2013
  3. (en) Wilhelm Dege, et William Barr, War north of 80: the last German Arctic weather station of World War II. University of Calgary Press, Introduccion, p. XXX, 2004. (ISBN 1-55238-110-2)

Articles connexes

Read other articles:

  لمعانٍ أخرى، طالع مقاطعة بيرسي (توضيح). مقاطعة بيرسي    علم شعار   الإحداثيات 47°03′N 122°07′W / 47.05°N 122.11°W / 47.05; -122.11   [1] تاريخ التأسيس 22 ديسمبر 1852  سبب التسمية فرانكلين بيرس  تقسيم إداري  البلد الولايات المتحدة[2][3]  التقسيم الأ…

39°05′23″N 94°25′42″W / 39.0898°N 94.4283°W / 39.0898; -94.4283 (Community of Christ Auditorium) Community of Christ AuditoriumThe AuditoriumFormer namesRLDS AuditoriumLocation1001 W. Walnut, Independence, MissouriOwnerCommunity of ChristCapacity6,000Field size214 feet (65 m)x 168 feet (51 m); 92 feet (28 m) floor to roof (conference center); 114 feet (35 m) to top of domeConstructionBroke ground1926Opened1958TenantsCommunity of Chr…

Document proving the attendance of a class or course Certificate of attendance (in this case for Richard Colmer, surgeon) at anatomy and surgery courses run by William Hunter. The certificate is signed by him and dated 27 April 1755 by hand. The upper part of the certificate is an engraving of a bust of William Harvey. A certificate of attendance (also certificate of participation )[1] is an official document proving the attendance of a class, a language course[2] or a training c…

Legal inquiry The Inquiry sat at the former court house at Banbridge[1] The 2014–2016 Northern Ireland Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, often referred to as the HIA Inquiry,[2] is the largest inquiry into historical institutional sexual and physical abuse of children in Northern Ireland legal history. Its remit covers institutions in Northern Ireland that provided residential care for children from 1922 to 1995,[3] but excludes most church-run schools.[4]…

Fortress of wizard Saruman in JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth Orthanc redirects here. For the medical imaging server, see Orthanc (server). River Isen redirects here. For the river in Bavaria, see Isen (river). This article is about the location in The Lord of the Rings. For the Norwegian band, see Isengard (band). IsengardJ. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium locationThe Orcs of Isengard bore upon their shields the symbol of the White Hand on a black field.[T 1]First appearanceThe Fellowship of the…

Open cluster in the constellation Cygnus NGC 6910Simulated image of NGC 6910Observation data (J2000 epoch)Right ascension20h 23m 08s[1]Declination+40° 46′ 30″[1]Distance3,710 ly (1,139 pc[2])Apparent magnitude (V)7.4 [1]Apparent dimensions (V)10'Physical characteristicsMass207[3] M☉Estimated age7[4] – 13 million years[2]Part of Cygnus OB9Other designationsOCl 181AssociationsConste…

Maryland gubernatorial election 1791 Maryland gubernatorial election ← 1790 14 November 1791 1792 →   Nominee George Plater Party Federalist Percentage 100.00% Governor before election John Eager Howard Federalist Elected Governor George Plater Federalist Elections in Maryland Federal government Presidential elections 1788–89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 190…

Swedish metal band The CrownThe Crown at Party.San Metal Open Air 2019Background informationAlso known asCrown of Thorns, DobermannOriginTrollhättan, SwedenGenres Melodic death metal[1][2][3] death metal thrash metal blackened death metal (early) Years active1990–2004, 2009–presentLabelsBlack Sun, Metal Blade, Century MediaMembers Marko Tervonen Johan Lindstrand Robin Sörqvist Mattias Rasmussen Mikael Norén Past members Jonas Stålhammar Tomas Lindberg Robert Öste…

Tucker Tower, on the southern shore of Lake Murray, lies within Chickasaw Country.Map of South Central Oklahoma. South Central Oklahoma is an amorphous region in the state of Oklahoma, perhaps encompassing 10 counties. It is centered on the Arbuckle Mountains, an ancient, eroded range traversing some 70 miles (110 km) across the region, and surrounded by rivers and lakes, notably Lake Texoma, Lake Murray and Lake of the Arbuckles. For tourism purposes, the Oklahoma Department of Tourism has…

German general Oswald LutzBorn(1876-11-06)6 November 1876Öhringen, Oberamt Öhringen, Jagstkreis, Kingdom of Württemberg, German EmpireDied26 February 1944(1944-02-26) (aged 67)Munich, Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria, Nazi GermanyAllegiance German Empire  Kingdom of Bavaria  Weimar Republic Nazi GermanyService/branchArmyYears of service1894–1938, 1941–42Rank General der PanzertruppeCommands heldPanzer Troops CommandHead of Mechanized ForcesBattles/warsWorld War IWorl…

Comune in Tuscany, Italy For other uses, see Siena (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Siena – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Comune in Tuscany, ItalySienaComuneComune di SienaView of Piazza del Campo (Campo Squar…

Women's national ice hockey team representing Canada CanadaThe Maple Leaf has always appeared on the Team Canada uniform since 1920, but was first worn by women in 1990.[1]Nickname(s)Team Canada(Équipe Canada)AssociationHockey CanadaHead coachTroy RyanAssistantsCourtney Birchard-KesselKori CheverieCaroline OuelletteCaptainMarie-Philip PoulinMost gamesHayley Wickenheiser (276)Top scorerHayley Wickenheiser (168)Most pointsHayley Wickenheiser (379)Team coloursRed, black, white[2] &…

Multi-barrel firearm Pepperbox redirects here. For the Wilderness Area of New York, see Pepperbox Wilderness Area. A pepperbox by Allen & Thurber, one of the most common American designs A mid 19th century four barrel Russian pepperbox revolver The pepper-box revolver or simply pepperbox (also pepper-pot, from its resemblance to the household pepper shakers) is a multiple-barrel firearm, mostly in the form of a handgun, that has three or more gun barrels in a revolving mechanism. Each barrel…

Ethnic group Lebanese ArgentinesTotal population1,500,000[1]Regions with significant populationsThroughout ArgentinaLanguagesRioplatense Spanish, Arabic (Lebanese Arabic)ReligionMaronite Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Melkite, with Shia Islam, Sunni Islam and Judaism minoritiesRelated ethnic groupsLebanese people, other Asian Argentines and Arab Argentines Part of a series of articles onLebanese peopleEmblem of Lebanon(Lebanese cedar) Lebanese people Lebanese people by religion: Lebanese Mu…

Intensive historical investigation of a well-defined smaller unit of research An edition of the 1560 account of the trial of the French imposter Martin Guerre who would serve as the subject for Natalie Zemon Davis's landmark The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) Microhistory is a genre of history that focuses on small units of research, such as an event, community, individual or a settlement. In its ambition, however, microhistory can be distinguished from a simple case study insofar as microhistor…

Motor vehicle Subaru ForesterOverviewManufacturerSubaruProduction1997–presentBody and chassisClassCompact crossover SUVBody style5-door SUVLayoutFront-engine, all-wheel driveRelatedSubaru ImprezaChronologyPredecessorSubaru Bighorn The Subaru Forester (Japanese: スバル・フォレスター, Hepburn: Subaru Foresutā) is a compact crossover SUV[1] that has been manufactured by Subaru since 1997. The first generation was built on the platform of the Impreza in the style of a talle…

48th Regiment Illinois Volunteer InfantryIllinois state flagActiveSeptember, 1861 to August 15, 1865CountryUnited StatesAllegianceUnionBranchInfantryEngagementsCapture of Fort HenryCapture of Fort DonelsonBattle of ShilohSiege of VicksburgBattle of ResacaSiege of AtlantaBattle of JonesboroughMarch to the SeaBattle of BentonvilleMilitary unit The 48th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 48th Illinoi…

Peninsula in Svalbard, Norway Finneset viewed from the land side Finneset is a peninsula located on the east side of Grønfjorden on Spitsbergen in Svalbard, Norway. It is located 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) south of Barentsburg. A whaling station was located there until 1905.[1] From 1911 it became the site of the first wireless station in the Arctic, named Svalbard Radio from 19 September 1925. It was also a meteorological station operated by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Both…

United Kingdom government non-ministerial department Food Standards AgencyWelsh: Asiantaeth Safonau BwydNon-ministerial government department overviewFormed1 April 2000 (2000-04-01)JurisdictionEngland, Wales and Northern IrelandHeadquartersPetty France,London, SW1[1]Annual budget£159.7 million (2009–2010)[2]Non-ministerial government department executivesSusan Jebb, ChairEmily Miles, CEOWebsitewww.food.gov.uk The Food Standards Agency is a non-ministerial govern…

For the town, see Algoma, Winnebago County, Wisconsin. For other uses, see Algoma (disambiguation). City in Wisconsin, United StatesAlgoma, WisconsinCityMost of Algoma, taken on June 27, 2020Location of Algoma in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin.Coordinates: 44°36′30″N 87°26′32″W / 44.60833°N 87.44222°W / 44.60833; -87.44222CountryUnited StatesStateWisconsinCountyKewauneeArea[1] • Total2.50 sq mi (6.48 km2) • Land2.46&#…