Inside the Blue Berets: A Combat History of Soviet and Russian Airborne Forces, 1930-1995

The Red Army was the pioneer of modern special forces. In the 1930s, it fielded the world's largest paratrooper force, conducting futuristic experiments in mass air landing. From these roots sprang the modern Soviet shock troops: paratroopers of the elite VDV, army Spetsnaz, & KGB secret assassination teams. Yet little is known about Russia's main elite combat forces. With the declassification of Soviet documents, many of their missions have been publicly disclosed. Zaloga, using insider memoirs & original documents, fills this gap in the history of elite forces. Also discusses Russia's missile & nuclear weapons programs.