Iceland Force / 49th Division – Pair of silk Polar Bear patches

Original WWII rare pair of silk 1st-pattern Iceland or 49th Infantry Division formation patches. A nice uniform-removed pair. Hard to find!

The “Iceland Z Force” during World War II refers to a small, specialized group of soldiers that were part of the British military effort in Iceland during the war. The Z Force was primarily involved in covert operations and was tasked with defending Iceland, a strategically important location in the North Atlantic, which had been occupied by British and later American forces to prevent it from falling into German hands.

Iceland was an important base for the Allies, especially for controlling sea routes and air traffic over the Atlantic. The Z Force in Iceland was a part of the larger British military commitment in the region, although not a very large or well-known force. Its operations and the full scope of its activities are less documented compared to other major Allied forces, but it was part of the defensive measures in place during the war.

The term “Z Force” was used for various small, specialized military units in different regions during WWII, and the Iceland Z Force would have been one of these smaller groups, designed for specific wartime needs like intelligence gathering, sabotage, and defense.