Members of No. 1 Commando returning from a raid on the French coast, 1941

Photograph, World War Two, North West Europe, 1941.

After the fall of France in June 1940 the British established a small, but well-trained and highly mobile, raiding and reconnaissance force known as the Commandos. They were to carry on the war against the Axis after the evacuation from Dunkirk.

The first Commandos were all volunteers selected from existing regiments in Britain. The first small-scale Commando raids were of short duration and at night. Most were against coastal targets in Scandinavia, Northern France and the Channel Islands. Later they grew in complexity and size.