41:
542:. The new Gurkha Independent Parachute Company was formed from volunteers from the infantry regiments and corps units of the Brigade of Gurkhas, and was primarily tasked with airfield seizure, although during its time in Malaysia it operated in a variety of roles, from conventional infantry to special reconnaissance. When the British Army left Malaysia and the Brigade of Gurkhas was deployed to
396:, roughly midway between Mosjøen and Mo. A platoon of No. 1 Independent Company and some Norwegian reservists defending the town were outnumbered and forced to escape by boat after a stiff resistance. No. 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.
407:) was put out of action by the Luftwaffe, and Gubbins assumed command of the brigade. Nos. 1 and 3 Independent Companies of the former "Scissorsforce", reinforced by No. 2 Independent Company which had recently landed at Bodø, thereafter generally fought in rearguard actions while attached to the brigade's infantry units in several
472:
Although the independent company concept was largely abandoned, following the end of the Second World War a pair of company-sized units were formed to undertake various specialist tasks. Both of these units, although primarily trained as airborne forces, were exclusively drawn from specific elements
456:, where there were no Germans. No. 11 Independent Company was disbanded shortly afterwards and its remaining personnel were incorporated into the new commando units. Gubbins returned to MI(R) and eventually became the director of the Special Operations Executive. Lieutenant Colonel
452:, while the Commando secured the landing beach and created a diversion. After a postponement the raid commenced on 14/15 July 1940, but faulty compasses on their launches meant that only one boat-load from the company actually landed, but on the wrong island,
156:. The companies were disbanded after returning to Britain at the end of the campaign but No. 11 Company was formed from volunteers from the first ten Independent Companies on 14 June 1940 and took part in the first British commando raid,
300:
were attached to each company headquarters. As the companies were intended to be mobile in rough terrain and to operate independently for several days, they were lightly equipped. Each company's only heavy weapons were
419:
The ten independent companies were disbanded after the
Norwegian campaign. While most of their men were returned to their parent units and formations, calls were being made throughout the army for men to join the new
365:. Part of the force (Nos. 4 and 5 Independent Companies) arrived at Mosjøen on 8 May. Early on 10 May, they successfully ambushed the leading Germans advancing on Mosjøen from the south, but were harassed by
163:
After the Second World War, the concept of the independent company was maintained in the airborne forces with the formation of a pair of company sized units operating independently within larger formations.
497:
unit, and saw extensive service on operations until it was disbanded in 1975. Both the role and the history of No. 1 (Guards) Independent
Parachute Company were perpetuated by the formation of separate
1055:
316:
Gubbins realised that the soldiers and junior officers of the newly raised companies were untrained in mountain and irregular warfare. He therefore requested that twenty picked officers of the
481:
No. 1 (Guards) Independent
Parachute Company was formed in 1948 as the remaining element of 1st (Guards) Parachute Battalion, No. 1 (Guards) Independent Parachute Company served as part of
215:
to form the raiding parties. However, the Scouts' commanding officer (Lieutenant
Colonel Leslie Melville) objected, and instead Holland proposed to form the Independent Companies.
184:. When the Finns capitulated on 12 March 1940, the troops assigned to the operation were instead sent to France. Nevertheless, contingency planning continued. As part of this,
350:
Formal approval for the establishment of the independent companies was given only on 20 April. No. 1 Independent
Company nevertheless first embarked for Norway on 27 April.
595:
211:
and several other ports in Norway, taking the allies by surprise. On 13 April, Holland submitted MI(R)'s first proposals to the War Office. He intended to break up the
1060:
424:
units. Those men from the independent companies who volunteered were formed on 14 June into No. 11 Independent
Company, with an establishment of 25 officers and 350
192:
responsible for irregular operations, was asked to plan for raids on the
Norwegian coast. The department's head, Colonel J.C.F Holland, summoned Lieutenant Colonel
353:
On 2 May, Gubbins was given command of "Scissorsforce", consisting of Nos. 1, 3, 4, and 5 Independent
Companies, and ordered to prevent the Germans occupying
560:
1065:
631:
1050:
292:
The establishment of each company was 21 officers and 268 other ranks, organised as three platoons, each of three sections. Some personnel from the
661:
598:
A Brief
History of the Independent Companies of South Carolina: Based on The American Independent Companies of the British Army 1664–1764
321:
445:
250:
141:
606:
482:
286:
274:
400:
1024:
772:
507:
404:
244:
876:
531:
1045:
313:
in a support section. The companies therefore were unsuitable for holding fixed defences or mounting rearguard actions.
998:
565:
977:
958:
939:
694:
511:
268:
145:
137:(although they may have originally been detached from them), and would remain permanently assigned to the garrison.
485:, which was the British Army's sole remaining post-war airborne formation. Manned exclusively by soldiers from the
429:
262:
232:
157:
570:
256:
764:
555:
280:
238:
851:
224:
55:
639:
185:
1070:
181:
901:
1008:
172:
Early in 1940, the
British Army had been making plans for a campaign in Norway, ostensibly to support
153:
575:
460:, who had commanded No. 2 Independent Company in Norway, set up the commando training centre at
200:
302:
297:
665:
988:
494:
377:(mountain troops). Exhausted, they were withdrawn by a Norwegian coaster to Bodø on 11 May.
535:
437:
306:
140:
In the twentieth century the name was used for a temporary expeditionary formation of the
8:
408:
387:
345:
317:
1012:
503:
369:
aircraft during the long daylight hours and were outmatched by the main body of German
144:. Initially there were ten independent companies, who were raised from volunteers from
81:
1020:
994:
973:
954:
935:
768:
690:
519:
490:
486:
421:
514:
was designated as 6 (Guards) Platoon, manned exclusively by men recruited from the
425:
329:
411:, until all British troops were withdrawn from Bodø in the early hours of 1 June.
515:
293:
372:
457:
441:
126:
45:
40:
464:, before enjoying a distinguished record as a brigade and division commander.
1039:
433:
310:
193:
98:
324:, be attached to the Independent Companies. The selected officers flew from
756:
686:
662:"Lt Jon Foote of Bermuda was an officer of the Independent Company of Foot"
444:, in which it was planned that the company would attack an airfield on the
393:
212:
118:
114:
453:
461:
189:
177:
362:
543:
366:
358:
196:, leading MI(R)'s mission in Paris, to prepare and train the troops.
149:
130:
990:
Operation Colossus: The First British Airborne Raid of World War II
539:
449:
403:
at Bodø. The destroyer carrying the brigade's commander (Brigadier
134:
122:
735:
1056:
Military units and formations of the British Army in World War II
546:
in 1971, the Gurkha Independent Parachute Company was disbanded.
530:
In 1963, a new company-sized unit of the Brigade of Gurkhas, the
499:
386:
with two mountain guns disembarked from the commandeered coaster
325:
173:
354:
476:
208:
493:, the company was quickly tasked as 16 Parachute Brigade's
204:
951:
Commando: Memoirs of a Fighting Commando in World War Two
506:
was established as part of the Parachute Regiment within
510:, while in the late 1990s a platoon within B Company of
525:
689:, Robert J. Andrews. Michigan State University Press.
121:, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries for
399:
Gubbins's force was then placed under the command of
561:
British Army Independent Companies in South Carolina
932:
The Doomed Expedition: The Campaign in Norway, 1940
634:
The British Military Presence in America, 1660–1720
1061:Military units and formations established in 1940
1037:
148:divisions in April 1940. They were intended for
1007:
948:
223:Ten companies were formed from volunteers from
852:"No. 1 (Guards) Independent Parachute Company"
722:
720:
718:
716:
877:"Overview of Guardsmen in the Airborne Role"
477:No. 1 (Guards) Independent Parachute Company
381:
370:
227:divisions still stationed in Great Britain:
736:commandoveterans.org (Retrieved 8 Mar 2012)
740:
713:
1066:1940 establishments in the United Kingdom
16:Units of the English (later British) Army
1051:20th-century history of the British Army
986:
142:British Army during the Second World War
967:
285:No. 10 Independent Company formed from
1038:
1019:. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military.
902:"Gurkha Independent Parachute Company"
755:
706:
704:
702:
436:on 24 June. They also participated in
279:No. 9 Independent Company formed from
273:No. 8 Independent Company formed from
267:No. 7 Independent Company formed from
261:No. 6 Independent Company formed from
255:No. 5 Independent Company formed from
249:No. 4 Independent Company formed from
243:No. 3 Independent Company formed from
237:No. 2 Independent Company formed from
231:No. 1 Independent Company formed from
129:. These units were not part of larger
929:
761:The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
339:
275:18th (East Anglian) Infantry Division
251:55th (West Lancashire) Motor Division
245:54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division
532:Gurkha Independent Parachute Company
526:Gurkha Independent Parachute Company
113:was originally a unit raised by the
699:
13:
823:Wilkinson and Astley (2010), p. 66
814:Wilkinson and Astley (2010), p. 62
805:Wilkinson and Astley (2010), p. 54
746:Wilkinson and Astley (2010), p. 51
726:Wilkinson and Astley (2010), p. 50
636:. History Reconsidered, LLC. 2010"
566:Independent companies (Australian)
14:
1082:
534:, was formed to serve as part of
512:3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
269:15th (Scottish) Infantry Division
199:On 9 April, the Germans launched
968:Moreman, Timothy Robert (2006).
832:Durnford-Slater 2000, pp. 23–35.
263:9th (Highland) Infantry Division
233:52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division
39:
949:Durnford-Slater, John (2002) .
894:
869:
844:
835:
826:
817:
808:
799:
790:
787:Wilkinson and Astley, pp. 52–53
781:
571:Norwegian Independent Company 1
180:against Russia, who then had a
749:
729:
680:
654:
624:
588:
556:Independent Highland Companies
446:German-occupied Channel Island
281:38th (Welsh) Infantry Division
239:53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division
1:
581:
538:, the formation operating in
182:pact of alliance with Germany
934:. Pen & Sword Military.
881:Guards Parachute Association
414:
218:
7:
987:Peterson, Lawrence (2020).
953:. London: Greenhill Books.
549:
467:
428:. The company took part in
10:
1087:
1046:Commandos (United Kingdom)
923:
343:
167:
125:duties in Britain and the
970:British Commandos 1940–46
320:, with experience of the
154:Allied campaign in Norway
152:-style operations in the
92:
87:
77:
69:
61:
51:
34:
26:
21:
841:Peterson 2020, Chapter 1
796:Adams (1989), pp. 73–74
576:Special Service Brigade
303:Bren light machine guns
382:
371:
328:to Britain aboard the
287:66th Infantry Division
188:, a department of the
972:. Osprey Publishing.
473:of the British Army.
401:24th (Guards) Brigade
257:1st (London) Division
22:Independent Companies
930:Adams, Jack (1989).
536:17th Gurkha Division
483:16 Parachute Brigade
440:in conjunction with
438:Operation Ambassador
380:On 10 May also, 300
307:Boys anti-tank rifle
201:Operation WeserĂĽbung
1013:Astley, Joan Bright
993:. Greenhill Books.
687:"The American Army"
668:on 24 December 2018
409:actions in Nordland
346:Actions in Nordland
322:North-West Frontier
117:, subsequently the
111:independent company
1071:Norwegian campaign
508:5 Airborne Brigade
504:Pathfinder Platoon
340:Norwegian Campaign
82:Norwegian Campaign
1026:978-1-84884-421-6
774:978-1-444-79895-1
520:Household Cavalry
502:; in 1985, a new
491:Brigade of Guards
487:Household Cavalry
127:overseas colonies
104:
103:
1078:
1030:
1009:Wilkinson, Peter
1004:
983:
964:
945:
917:
916:
914:
912:
898:
892:
891:
889:
887:
873:
867:
866:
864:
862:
848:
842:
839:
833:
830:
824:
821:
815:
812:
806:
803:
797:
794:
788:
785:
779:
778:
753:
747:
744:
738:
733:
727:
724:
711:
708:
697:
684:
678:
677:
675:
673:
664:. Archived from
658:
652:
651:
649:
647:
638:. Archived from
628:
622:
621:
619:
617:
611:
605:. Archived from
604:
592:
432:, a raid on the
430:Operation Collar
385:
376:
330:Imperial Airways
225:Territorial Army
158:Operation Collar
146:Territorial Army
56:Territorial Army
44:
43:
19:
18:
1086:
1085:
1081:
1080:
1079:
1077:
1076:
1075:
1036:
1035:
1027:
1017:Gubbins and SOE
1001:
980:
961:
942:
926:
921:
920:
910:
908:
900:
899:
895:
885:
883:
875:
874:
870:
860:
858:
850:
849:
845:
840:
836:
831:
827:
822:
818:
813:
809:
804:
800:
795:
791:
786:
782:
775:
754:
750:
745:
741:
734:
730:
725:
714:
709:
700:
685:
681:
671:
669:
660:
659:
655:
645:
643:
630:
629:
625:
615:
613:
612:on 6 March 2016
609:
602:
594:
593:
589:
584:
552:
528:
516:Guards Division
479:
470:
417:
348:
342:
294:Royal Engineers
221:
170:
107:
94:
73:Coastal raiding
38:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1084:
1074:
1073:
1068:
1063:
1058:
1053:
1048:
1032:
1031:
1025:
1005:
1000:978-1784383787
999:
984:
978:
965:
959:
946:
940:
925:
922:
919:
918:
893:
868:
843:
834:
825:
816:
807:
798:
789:
780:
773:
767:. p. 53.
748:
739:
728:
712:
710:Moreman, p. 13
698:
679:
653:
642:on 22 May 2011
623:
586:
585:
583:
580:
579:
578:
573:
568:
563:
558:
551:
548:
527:
524:
478:
475:
469:
466:
458:Hugh Stockwell
442:No. 3 Commando
416:
413:
405:William Fraser
344:Main article:
341:
338:
311:2-inch mortars
290:
289:
283:
277:
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259:
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169:
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105:
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96:
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67:
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65:Light infantry
63:
59:
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53:
49:
48:
46:United Kingdom
36:
32:
31:
28:
24:
23:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1083:
1072:
1069:
1067:
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1059:
1057:
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1041:
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1028:
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1006:
1002:
996:
992:
991:
985:
981:
979:1-84176-986-X
975:
971:
966:
962:
960:1-85367-479-6
956:
952:
947:
943:
941:9780850520361
937:
933:
928:
927:
907:
903:
897:
882:
878:
872:
857:
853:
847:
838:
829:
820:
811:
802:
793:
784:
776:
770:
766:
762:
758:
757:Milton, Giles
752:
743:
737:
732:
723:
721:
719:
717:
707:
705:
703:
696:
695:9781609174255
692:
688:
683:
667:
663:
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641:
637:
635:
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608:
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587:
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569:
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559:
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553:
547:
545:
541:
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533:
523:
521:
517:
513:
509:
505:
501:
496:
492:
488:
484:
474:
465:
463:
459:
455:
451:
447:
443:
439:
435:
434:Pas de Calais
431:
427:
423:
412:
410:
406:
402:
397:
395:
391:
390:
384:
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375:
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364:
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356:
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331:
327:
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319:
314:
312:
308:
304:
299:
298:Royal Signals
295:
288:
284:
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210:
206:
202:
197:
195:
194:Colin Gubbins
191:
187:
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165:
161:
159:
155:
151:
147:
143:
138:
136:
132:
128:
124:
120:
116:
112:
106:Military unit
100:
99:Colin Gubbins
97:
91:
86:
83:
80:
76:
72:
68:
64:
60:
57:
54:
50:
47:
42:
37:
33:
29:
25:
20:
1033:
1016:
989:
969:
950:
931:
909:. Retrieved
905:
896:
884:. Retrieved
880:
871:
859:. Retrieved
855:
846:
837:
828:
819:
810:
801:
792:
783:
760:
751:
742:
731:
682:
670:. Retrieved
666:the original
656:
644:. Retrieved
640:the original
633:
626:
614:. Retrieved
607:the original
597:
590:
529:
480:
471:
418:
398:
394:Hemnesberget
388:
383:Gebirgsjäger
379:
373:Gebirgsjäger
352:
349:
333:
332:flying boat
315:
291:
222:
213:Lovat Scouts
203:, occupying
198:
171:
162:
139:
119:British Army
115:English Army
110:
108:
765:John Murray
672:24 December
646:24 December
616:24 December
454:Little Sark
426:other ranks
318:Indian Army
305:, a single
78:Engagements
1040:Categories
763:. London:
582:References
495:pathfinder
462:Lochailort
190:War Office
178:Winter War
131:battalions
95:commanders
88:Commanders
35:Allegiance
544:Hong Kong
415:Aftermath
389:Nordnorge
367:Luftwaffe
309:and some
219:Companies
150:guerrilla
135:regiments
1015:(2010).
906:Paradata
856:Paradata
759:(2016).
550:See also
540:Malaysia
500:platoons
468:Post-war
450:Guernsey
422:commando
123:garrison
924:Sources
363:Mosjøen
326:Karachi
176:in the
174:Finland
168:Origins
93:Notable
1023:
997:
976:
957:
938:
886:29 May
771:
693:
334:Cathay
209:Narvik
52:Branch
27:Active
911:3 May
861:3 May
610:(PDF)
603:(PDF)
186:MI(R)
1021:ISBN
995:ISBN
974:ISBN
955:ISBN
936:ISBN
913:2020
888:2020
863:2020
769:ISBN
691:ISBN
674:2018
648:2018
618:2018
518:and
489:and
361:and
355:Bodø
296:and
207:and
205:Oslo
70:Role
62:Type
30:1940
448:of
392:at
133:or
109:An
1042::
1011:;
904:.
879:.
854:.
715:^
701:^
522:.
359:Mo
357:,
336:.
160:.
1029:.
1003:.
982:.
963:.
944:.
915:.
890:.
865:.
777:.
676:.
650:.
632:"
620:.
600:"
596:"
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
