{"id":59965,"date":"2025-06-19T23:44:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T21:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=59965"},"modified":"2025-07-08T06:13:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T04:13:34","slug":"the-eidi-radar-station-a-remnant-of-world-war-ii-in-the-faroe-islands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2025\/06\/19\/the-eidi-radar-station-a-remnant-of-world-war-ii-in-the-faroe-islands\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ei\u00f0i radar station, a remnant of World War II in the Faroe Islands"},"content":{"rendered":"

On April 9, 1940, during World War II, Nazi Germany began its military occupation of the Kingdom of Denmark.<\/p>\n

The landscapes of the Faroe Islands, a beautiful Danish archipelago in the North Atlantic<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe incredible lighthouse of Thridrangar: a place not suitable for people with vertigo or claustrophobia<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

The invasion was swift and met with little resistance.<\/strong> The small Danish Army was no match for the massive German war machine. In addition to mainland Denmark, the German invasion had consequences throughout the Kingdom's territories, including the Faroe Islands<\/strong> (occupied by the British on April 13) and Greenland<\/strong> (which became a protectorate of the United States on April 9, 1941, at the request of the local authorities, who effectively acted as a sovereign nation, ignoring orders from the German-installed puppet government in Denmark).<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
Two Faroese children with a British sentry next to the British quartermaster in T\u00f3rshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, in 1940 (Photo: Imperial War Museum<\/a>).<\/div>\n

Furthermore, Iceland, which was then a kingdom headed by the King of Denmark, was occupied by the British on 10 May 1940<\/strong>, becoming a protectorate of the United States in July 1941, and becoming an independent republic on 17 June 1944.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
Soldiers of the British Army's Lovat Scouts on an exercise in the Faroe Islands on June 20, 1941 (Photo: Imperial War Museum<\/a>).<\/div>\n

The Faroe Islands were of considerable strategic importance in the North Atlantic<\/strong>, serving as a transit area for convoys sailing from the United States to Murmansk in the USSR. The British occupation of the islands was peaceful and even profitable for the islanders<\/strong>, who were able to sell their fish on the British market at a high price due to the shortages caused by the war. Furthermore, the British built an airfield on V\u00e1gar Island<\/strong>, RAF Vagar, which later, after years of neglect, became the current V\u00e1gar Airport in 1963. In addition, the British installed coastal artillery pieces<\/strong>, such as those still preserved at Skansin Fortress in T\u00f3rshavn, and five radar stations<\/strong>, at Mykines, Ei\u00f0iskollur (on Ei\u00f0i), Bor\u00f0an (N\u00f3lsoy), S\u00f8ltuv\u00edk (Sandoy) and Su\u00f0uroy (Akraberg).<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
The map of the five British radar stations in the Faroe Islands during World War II. Ei\u00f0i station was the northernmost (Photo: Visit Faroe Islands<\/a>).<\/div>\n

A few days ago, Frontline Ulster<\/a> launched a video series exploring World War II memorabilia in the Faroe Islands<\/strong>. The first installment is dedicated to Ei\u00f0i Station<\/strong>, the northernmost of the five British radar stations on the islands. It was built from concrete, equipped with a Type 273 naval radar (with 0.91-meter diameter parabolic antennas) and capable of detecting targets at a distance of 41 kilometers:<\/p>\n