This study examines the factors contributing to the successful outcome of the amphibious raid Operation Archery, conducted by British and Norwegian forces against German-occupied Norway in 1941. The research addresses the limited understanding of success factors in amphibious raids, a topic of growing importance due to technological developments that is challenging the relevance of large-scale amphibious operations. The study applies Speller and Tuck’s theory of amphibious warfare to the case in order to make an analysis that aims to examine and explain factors which led to the successful outcome of the operation. The results confirm the relevance of several established success factors for amphibious operations and raids, and more precisely, identifies that detailed planning, specialized training and selection of soldiers, effective preparatory actions such as deception and preliminary bombardment, were critical for success. Furthermore, the findings suggest that isolation of the operational area, particularly through sea control, was less decisive than previously emphasized in existing naval and amphibious warfare theory, raising questions about its overall importance for amphibious raids.