During World War II, Greenland’s Ivittuut town housed the world’s only major supply of natural cryolite, a rare mineral critical for aluminium production used in aircraft manufacturing. After Denmark fell to Nazi Germany, the US negotiated with the Danish envoy and established military bases in Greenland to safeguard the mine. Cryolite’s ability to lower the melting point of alumina made it indispensable for the Hall-Héroult process, allowing the US to produce more aircraft than Axis powers, which contributed directly to Allied air superiority. In 1942 alone, cryolite exports peaked at 86,000 tons, supporting US and Canadian aluminium production and significantly impacting the outcome of the war. Greenland’s strategic importance highlights that the US did, in fact, gain a vital resource in exchange for defending the island.
