Early in 1940, the British Army had been making plans for a campaign in Norway, ostensibly to support Finland in the Winter War against the Soviet Union, which then had a non-aggression pact with Germany.

That included MI(R), a department of the War Office responsible for irregular operations, which was asked to plan for raids on the Norwegian coast.

[6] On 9 April, the Germans launched Operation Weserübung by occupying Oslo and Narvik and several other ports in Norway, which ttok the allies by surprise.

However, the Scouts' commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Melville, objected and instead Holland proposed to form the Independent Companies.

Each company's only heavy weapons were Bren light machine guns, a single Boys anti-tank rifle and some two-inch mortars in a support section.

He therefore requested for 20 selected officers of the Indian Army, with experience in the North-West Frontier to be attached to the independent companies.

[10] On 10 May also, 300 Gebirgsjäger with two mountain guns disembarked from the commandeered coaster Nordnorge at Hemnesberget, roughly midway between Mosjøen and Mo.

1 Independent Company and some Norwegian reservists defending the town were outnumbered and forced to escape by boat after a stiff resistance.

1 Independent Company and some Norwegian troops attacked the next day but failed to dislodge the Germans, who had been reinforced and resupplied by seaplanes.

After a postponement, the raid commenced on 14/15 July 1940, but faulty compasses on their launches meant that only one boatload from the company actually landed, and even then it was at Little Sark, on the wrong island, where there were no Germans.

2 Independent Company in Norway, set up the commando training centre at Lochailort before he enjoyed a distinguished record as a brigade and division commander.

Although the independent company concept was largely abandoned, a pair of company-sized units were formed after the end of the Second World War to undertake various specialist tasks.

The company served as part of 16 Parachute Brigade, which was the British Army's sole remaining post-war airborne formation.