The mission in India was initially set up in 1941.  A meeting was arranged between Col Joyce and Valentine Killery in May of 1941 at the behest of the Secretary of State in India

It was quickly established that an organisation similar to the OM be set up, Colin Mackenzie was appointed at its head, his deputy was Major Gavin Stewart. It was given the title GSI (General Services Intelligence) but much later in 1944 to be named the more familiar Force 136.

The India mission’s area was at first Afghanistan and Tibet, later Russia and China and when the Oriental Mission folded up it took over Burma.

After the fall of the Oriental Mission (Scapula) From August 1942 Mackenzie was given a new directive that would ultimately lead to their involvement in the war in Burma with Ord Wingate’s Chindits

The first training camp was established at Kohima with members of the Indian Assam Rifles, these were later to be called “V” force.

In 1943 the operational sphere of its remit expanded to include Siam (Thailand), French Indo China (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) Sumatra, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Burma and lastly Malaya

One of the India missions first operations was code named “Creek”, that planned to take over and eventually sink four merchant ships that had docked in Goa, just shortly after the war in the east had been declared.

The plan was to throw a party to enable some of SOEs agents to slip onboard and overcome their crews.  Then sail off with the ships and all the booty on board. But there was one proviso laid down by London, that there be no possibility of angering neutral countries and dragging Brittan into disrepute. On the 13 February 1943 the order was given, it provided the India mission with its first intelligence failure, the enemy found out what SOE was about to do.

Through a series of mishaps and blunders by both sides the intended targets were sunk. The out come was that the Axis shipmen were blamed for the sinking/scuttling of their own ships and SOE escaped unblemished. But although it failed one way, it was successful in destroying five Axis ships in total and it lead the way to other actions.

One of the most successful operations conducted by the India mission was operation "Jaywick". There is more about this operation on this site.

Taken from Charles Cruickshank's book on SOE in the far east, and documents in The National Archives (TNA) Kew London. HS 7/112