SS-Kommissariat Island
SS-Kommissariat Island – The Northern Gate of the Reich
Overview
After the fall of Great Britain and the consolidation of Axis control across the North Atlantic, Iceland became one of the most strategically valuable territories in the postwar Reich. In early 1943, the island was reorganized as the SS-Kommissariat Island, under the direct administration of the Schutzstaffel (SS) rather than the Wehrmacht. Its first and current commander, SS-Obergruppenführer Björn H. Krüger, a native-born Icelandic officer who had joined the SS during the war, transformed the island into a heavily fortified outpost — the northern gateway between Europe and the Americas.
Administration and Structure
Björn’s rule is absolute and militarized. Iceland is governed directly through an SS civil-military structure centered in Reykjavík, renamed Reichshafen Nord (“Northern Reich Harbor”). The island’s local population was integrated into a semi-autonomous administrative unit under strict German oversight. The German language and education system were imposed, though Björn maintained a pragmatic stance, using his Icelandic heritage to mediate between the Reich’s goals and local resistance.
The SS-Kommissariat Island functions as both a military fortress and an industrial colony. While officially loyal to Berlin, it answers primarily to the SS-Wirtschaftsverwaltungshauptamt (SS Economic Administration Main Office), emphasizing self-sufficiency, defense, and control of Atlantic supply routes.
Strategic and Military Importance
Iceland became the primary bridgehead of the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine in the North Atlantic after the fall of Britain. Under Björn’s direction, the island hosts Fliegerbasis Thule, one of the largest air bases of the Luftwaffe, built on the remains of old Allied infrastructure. From there, long-range aircraft patrol the Atlantic and monitor American movements.
Key Installations:
- Fliegerbasis Thule – Operational center for maritime patrols, housing Heinkel He 177 bombers and Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance aircraft.
- U-Boot Hafen Reykjavik – Major submarine base used to control trade and supply routes toward North America.
- Fort Edda – SS fortress and communications hub equipped with radar and anti-air batteries.
The island’s coastal defenses are among the most advanced in the Reich’s periphery, including flak towers and reinforced concrete bunkers built into volcanic terrain.
Economy and Resources
Beyond its military use, Iceland plays a crucial role in the Reich’s northern economy. It serves as a fishing and cold-storage hub, exporting vast quantities of preserved fish to the mainland. The SS established industrial processing centers near Akureyri and Seyðisfjörður, staffed partly by imported labor from Norway and prisoners from the Eastern Front.
The Kommissariat also became a center for arctic research and naval meteorology, vital for controlling weather-based warfare strategies in the Atlantic.
SS-Kommissar Björn H. Krüger
A complex and feared figure, Björn Krüger rose through the ranks of the Waffen-SS during the Norwegian campaign and later served under the Totenkopf Division. Recognized for his tactical brilliance and organizational skill, Himmler personally appointed him to oversee Iceland in 1942.
Krüger’s policies reflect both brutal efficiency and nationalist pragmatism. While enforcing SS racial laws, he also promoted a mythic vision of Icelandic-German kinship, claiming the island as a “northern bastion of Aryan heritage.” His personal charisma and Icelandic origin earned him loyalty among SS officers stationed in the harsh environment.
Locally, however, he remains a symbol of fear — a man who turned a once-isolated island into the cold steel bridge between Europe and America, and one of the Reich’s most heavily militarized territories.
