Special Forces Berlin: Clandestine Cold War Operations of the U.S. Army's Elite, 1956-1990

by James Stejskal

This book relays the history of a little known and highly classified US Army Special Forces Detachment that was stationed in Berlin, Germany from 1956 to 1990. It came into existence in response to the threat posed by the massive armies of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies to the nations of Western Europe.

US military planners decided they needed a plan to slow the massive Soviet advance they expected when and if a war began. The plan was Special Forces Berlin. The first 40 men who came to Berlin in mid-1956 were soon reinforced by 60 more and these 100 soldiers (and their successors) would stand ready to go to war in a hostile area occupied by nearly one million Warsaw Pact forces until 1990.

If war came, some of these men would stay in Berlin to fight the enemy, while others would cross the most heavily defended border in the world and disappear into the countryside to accomplish their tasks behind Soviet lines. The Detachment were also involved in operations elsewhere, including involvement in the attempted rescue of American hostages from Tehran in 1979. When SF Berlin was disbanded, its files and records were for the most part destroyed or lost.

Written by a veteran of the unit, this narrative of the unit's activities is based on the recollections of the men who served in it, coupled with what little declassified, official documentation is available.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, Military History, Espionage, War, European History

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2017

About the author

James Stejskal spent 35 years as a soldier and intelligence officer working in far off places with interesting people, which gives him inspiration for his writing.

As a novelist, he writes 'the Snake Eater Chronicles' tales of Cold War special operations and espionage carried out by an eclectic band of Green Berets.

He also is a military historian and author of "Special Forces Berlin" and "Masters of Mayhem," a study of Lawrence of Arabia and the inception of modern British unconventional warfare, a Military History Matters Silver Medal winner.

Reviews

[KAS · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Disclaimer* This book was read and reviewed by my husband who served 27 years in Special Operation Forces.

Based on factual events which took place during the Cold War from the years 1946 to 1990, "Special Forces Berlin" was informative, interesting and well written!

Cold War enthusiasts and those who enjoy military history would gain a great deal of knowledge from reading this book.

Veterans and those still serving in the military who have had little or no exposure to Special Missions Units would learn how these clandestine operations were conducted.

This author did extensive research, interviewed former unit members and obtained access to previously classified documents which provided entertaining insight into the world of U.S. Special Operations against the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact.

A book I would definitely recommend!

*This book was received, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*

[Barry Sierer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a look at a unique special operations unit that was created for a scenario that would be unusual for most US Forces.

“Detachment A” was a designated “stay behind” unit that would strike a series of pre-planned targets around Berlin when the city would be inevitably over run in the event of a Warsaw Pact attack.

This mission necessitated unusual training scenarios such as infiltrating and navigating urban water canals and the Berlin Sewer system. The unit also became the first counter terrorist unit in the US military after being trained in close quarters battle & marksmanship by GSG-9, before Delta Force was created.

It is an interesting collection of stories and is highly recommended.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because my husband was part of this group in the late 80's until the Berlin wall came down. There was much in the book that until recently was classified. The book was an eye-opening account of a group of men whose mission was to "buy time" in Berlin when and if the Soviets should invade Western Europe during the Cold War. While the group was clandestine, they contributed much to overall preparedness as well as being on the leading edge of counter terrorism.

The most remarkable thing of all to me was that the men knew that they would probably not survive holding off Soviet forces if an invasion occurred. They trained hard, gathered intelligence, and learned how to detain the Soviets until NATO could bring in troops.

I recommend this book highly for those who want to know about things our military does to keep us safe that we don't even consider!

[Gregory Acuña · Rating 4 out of 5]

During my time serving in the USAF during the Cold War, I never heard or knew about Det A and rightfully so until 9 months ago. As a USAF C-141 pilot I flew several of these “special airlift missions” supporting Navy SEALS and Delta operators. We were all briefed prior to these missions not to ask questions or anything specific about their missions. I do recall one “special airlift mission” in particular when I was a young lieutenant in the 80’s. It was not out of Navy North Island, Norfolk or Pope AFB but rather out of Frankfurt, Germany. Back then Navy SEALS and Delta operators were relatively clean cut compared to today, except on this mission. We were told by mission planners the same spiel except the phrase, “these guys don’t look military but they’re military, so don’t ask them anything.” On page 279 of Stejskal’s book is a photo of Det A operators (Berliners) in front of a C-141. The mission I flew way back then the guys looked and dressed just like the guys in this photo. I could have very well supported the Berliners during one of their certification exercises. A great read by Stejskal. I highly recommend this book. Good section on Operation Eagle Claw and the important role played by the Berliners.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mildly interesting history of a military unit that was largely written out of history. The unit was secret and based in Berlin throughout much of the Cold War, meant to be activaated if the Warsaw Pact ever invaded Berlin and the rest of the West. The book has some interesting nuggets, but it is hampered by a difficulty getting sources. Much of the documentation on the unit was destroyed because of the secrecy surrounding it, and most of the information comes from interviewing former members three plus decades after the unit disbanded. At times, the book has a clubby feel, as if it was written not only by members of that unit, but also for members of that unit.

[Tim Gillen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good content, a bit of a sleeper of a book.

[Karl Wegener · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Remarkable Military History Told By A Writer Who Lived It

Special Forces Berlin: Clandestine Cold War Operations of the U.S. Army’s Elite, 1956-1990 by James Stejskal is the history of a unique, and quite possibly the most remarkable military unit that ever existed – a U.S. Army Special Forces unit stationed in West Berlin whose primary mission was to operate behind enemy lines in the event of a Warsaw Pact and Soviet invasion of Western Europe.

Originally organized in 1956 as the 39th Special Forces Detachment, “Detachment A” as it was informally known, planned to infiltrate into East Germany, conduct sabotage of key Soviet and Warsaw Pact targets, and organize behind-the-lines resistance with the goal of slowing down a Warsaw Pact advance and “buying time” for NATO commanders to organize a defense and eventual counterattacks.

Throughout its existence, the unit was manned by language-qualified soldiers, fluent in German, Russian, Polish, and other languages used by the Warsaw Pact armies. I found it particularly interesting that many of the unit’s earliest members were from Germany or other Eastern European countries. Many of those early members fought during World War II – some of them on opposing sides. They were recruited by the U.S. Army under the terms of the Lodge-Philbin Act, which provided a guaranteed path to U.S. citizenship if the soldier completed five years of honorable service.

Special Forces Berlin is meticulously researched, and Stejskal is a delightful storyteller. The book reads more like a memoir than a dry history. Stejskal served in the unit twice himself during the 1970s, and he gives readers a personal view into the lives of the men who served within the unit. Readers will get a feel of what it was like to serve in Det A, as Stejskal describes the intensive training the men underwent, day in, day out, year after year.

There are a number of “surprises” in the book. The unit experienced “mission creep” throughout its history. The unit took on a counterterrorist mission and supported the West German counter-terrorist police, the GSG-9, and its efforts to reign in the Baader-Meinhof Gang and Red Army Faction. Throughout its time in Berlin the unit supported Britain’s MI6, the Special Air Service (SAS), and even worked with German police on counter-narcotics operations.

In what are probably the most poignant sections of the book, Stejskal lays out previously unknown details about the unit’s support for Operation Eagle Claw, the U.S. attempt to rescue hostages held by Iran. Det A sent two men who, under cover, successfully entered Iran in advance of the operation. Their mission was to conduct surveillance of the sites at which the hostages were held, rescue the three U.S. diplomats being held inside the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and provide the transportation and logistical support for the Desert Two landing site. The mission was aborted when three of the eight helicopters at the Desert One landing site developed mechanical problems. Tragically, eight U.S. servicemen lost their lives when, during takeoff, one of the remaining helicopters struck a transport aircraft. Stejskal recounts the harrowing details of how the two Det A members exfiltrated out of Iran, and this part of the book is written as suspensefully as any spy novel, except the details here are all true.

Special Forces Berlin is a history book that is filled with details, but is never dry or dull, and it is masterfully told. Stejskal is uniquely qualified to tell the unit's history. As I mentioned, he served in Det A, and after retiring from active duty, he went on to serve as an operations officer within the Central Intelligence Agency. He has lived through the history he describes in the book.

If you are interested in Cold War history, or if you want to understand more about how elite Special Operations Forces work, I heartily recommend this book.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turns out there's still stuff about Cold War Berlin I don't know...
This was an intriguing look at a highly classified US Special Forces Detachment stationed in West Berlin for three and a half decades, various forms of training its members went through, and operations they were involved in in Germany and elsewhere. Quite interesting and informative.

[Jordan Hatch · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there were a few interesting stories; in particular the Detachement's involvement in a failed Iranian hostage rescue, the majority of the book was monotonous and a bore to read. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[roy o'mahony · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very very dry and technical. Names and acronyms . I couldn't go on.

[Bob Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised to see this book published, but I guess enough time has passed and the world has changed considerably since Det-A was shut down. My team sergeant and intel sergeant on my first A-Team had both been members of Det-A and one was on the first Iranian mission and the other had trained up for the second.

It is an insider's account and might seem boring to outsiders because as some reviews have noted there were no "real missions" but that's not accurate. They ran real missions all the time. The Cold War wasn't exactly cold.

Personally, it's also of interest because my wife was a child in Berlin when the Wall was built. It's an interesting city.

They key is this unit learned a lot of tradecraft and tactics that have been passed on to future generations.

I recommend this for anyone interested in how things really worked.

[Faye Glidden · Rating 5 out of 5]

With only outsider knowledge of how the US military operates and its history, I appreciated how accessible this book made learning about Special Forces, particularly Detachment-A in Berlin during the Cold War. Despite the many acronyms used by the military, Stejskal created a readable and interesting read! Of the several books I've read about SF and our modern military, I found this one most enjoyable.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's always a danger when reading the electronic version of a book. You don't know if typos and other kinds of errors are digital mistakes, or if they're also present in print copies of the book. I read the Kindle version of this book, and it has a distracting number of typos, missing words, and other likely errors. I say "likely" because it's possible that some of the "errors" are merely odd turns of phrase chosen by the author. This leads to my second criticism: the book needed much more editing and early reading. There are repeated sections (only one to three sentences in length at the most) that jump off the page because of their repetition.

Beyond these technical/editorial issues, the book also suffers from an anticlimactic -- or at least underdeveloped -- last act. After the Detachment is disbanded because of security issues, its replacement (the PSSE-B), Stejskal makes clear, is compromised before it's even in place because it suffered from some of the same problems that the Det did. I wanted to know more about WHY they went ahead with the creation of the PSSE even though, according to Stejskal, it was no more secure or obscured from the eyes of Soviet and East Germany intelligence groups.

Many parts of this book were hugely engrossing and entertaining. There were two or three sections, however, that either dragged, or because of my own fatigue, were less enthralling.

Despite the book's faults or quirks, I'm glad that I read it, and learned about this little-known early manifestation of U.S. Special Forces

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Special Forces Berlin" was a pleasure to read. Part unit history and part real-life spy thriller, Special Forces Berlin tells the story of the US Army's secretive "Detachment A" stationed in Berlin during the Cold War.

Detachment A's mission was to stay behind in the event of a Soviet invasion of West Germany and lead unconventional warfare resistance efforts and destroy high-value targets within Berlin. Of course, the proverbial balloon never went up and Det. A never executed this mission.

That does not mean that "Special Forces Berlin" is a boring book--far from it.

James Stejskal discusses the unit's purpose, organization, and leadership chronologically, but often diverts into illustrative anecdotes about particular training exercises or events that show how the unit was preparing to conduct its mission. Stejskal relates stories of members evading law enforcement, conducting real-world counter-intelligence missions, conducting across the border observation, and experimenting with truly innovative techniques (the section about the dive teams was especially interesting). Stejskal shows that despite never having to fulfill its Cold War mission, Det. A's culture, location, and personnel made it an incredible incubation chamber for special operations techniques. Det. A later pioneered many of the tactics, techniques, and procedures for counter-terrorism. The book also discusses Det. A's relationship with Delta Force and Operation Eagle Claw. I thought that that book dovetailed nicely with Eric Haney's "Inside Delta Force."

[Danny Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-organized history of Cold War special operations teams. This book is not only well-written, but critical to preserving information about this declassified unit since most of the records were intentionally destroyed to protect members and operations. Written by a former member and constructed with input of other leaders/members, it is essentially a chronological compiling of “war stories”, both entertaining and informative.

Tasked to “go to ground” and basically create an insurgency behind the lines a la the “last ditch” mission of the Brits in WWII, their UW mission and unit history tied more to OSS than conventional Army forces. Prepositioning cache sites, practicing tradecraft, using cover missions to blend into the populace, and training unique missions from CT to emplacing “trash can” nukes, these operators spent the Cold War face to face with the threat. I was surprised by the number of physical encounters they actually had with soviets, being forced off roads and essentially spending decades pointing barrels at and interrogating each other to try to gain the upper hand. Stories are entertaining and humorous in the way veterans appreciate (eg getting a tattoo of a bunny in a beret on the buttock for the proverbial “hair on my ass” as a challenge).

Recommend this book not just for the entertainment value, but for learning about the real danger these men faced in an era which wasn’t forgotten, but classified.

[Michael Papier · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amount of research and detail involved in writing this book, even for previous members of the unit under the mission of the "Berlin Detachment," must have been daunting. The hurdles of clearing material that has been classified and then declassified can be maddening as the review process to ensure a procedure or technique used may still be while the unit itself is not. I found many parts where Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO's) above me in my time in Special Forces had made mention of some peculiar things they had to do while stationed in "Germany" now made more sense. I won't go into details but the actual duty they recalled were snippets of things that made their duties there unusual to only the tours specific to Germany and no where in Special Forces or any U.S. Military organization im familiar with. Extraordinary tale with helpful appendices to get a clearer view of what the East German Stasi and the Soviet Union actual knew after the Wall came down and for those who like Military History but can't keep track of the tons of acronyms, there's a appendix for that too. Excellent in details of not only the missions and how the practiced them but some interesting details about Military Life in the Cold War in a town with probably more spies per square mile than any other city on Earth!!!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for the Popsugar Challenge 2020 prompt "a book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics". I also read it because I was stationed in Berlin with the Air Force in the late 70's, and might know something about the worksite on Teufelsberg which was mentioned a couple of times in this book. What I didn't know anything about was the Special Forces groups stationed there at the same time. And that's probably a good thing, although it's nice to know in retrospect that they had our backs as we were joking about the Soviets just putting up POW signs on the Wall and there we'd be. I found the last part of the book much more interesting than the first, probably because the author had personal knowledge from that period. The first part was a pretty dry recitation of how the unit was authorized and set up and didn't have much interesting detail, although it was well documented with declassified documents. Overall I liked it because of my personal interest in the time and the location, and I notice that other veterans also rated it well. If you don't have an interest in military history or the Cold War, this might not be your thing.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special Forces Berlin tells the fascinating story of a small US Army Special Forces (Green Beret) unit that was stationed in Berlin during the Cold War. The narrative connects the history of special operations forces, from the OSS in World War II, to the Green Beret units of Vietnam, and then to the creation of (REDACTED....why bother) and other counterterrorism units. Stejskal does an excellent job interweaving additional context with the anecdotes and war stories of the unit in Berlin. These stories reminded me of my own experience s and the comradeship of serving overseas in my early 20s.

However, these anecdotes and war stories are the main weakness of the narrative. While great fun to read, they also highlight the selective nature of this work of history, and the emotional undertones. Stejskal also does not realize that many of the experiences he describes are not necessarily unique to the members of his unit, but similar to those of many Americans who served overseas.

These weaknesses are minor though, and should not be a distraction from discerning readers who have read a few books about US special operations forces, particularly about the Green Berets and (REDACTED).

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting in 1956, the United States stationed Special Forces soldiers in Berlin who spoke German and other Slavic languages. Their mission was to stay behind in Berlin, deep behind enemy lines, if and when the Russians attacked committing acts of sabotage and espionage. They were to gain time and information for the regular forces stationed in West Germany facing the numerically superior Cold War foe.

Why I started this book: There is a special place in my heart for stories about Berlin. Special Forces is fascinating, so a book combining the two, and historical story that I knew nothing about was catnip.

Why I finished it: All records of the unit were destroyed when it was disbanded, so almost thirty years later, veterans of this unit compiled this history to ensure their service and story was not forgotten. Their narrow focus and detailed lists of training, make this history more interesting to a military buff and not an average layman.

[Robert masso · Rating 5 out of 5]

as FSB vet found this enlightening.

Was stationed at Field Station Berlin as a 74F (Programmer/Analyst) in the 80s. Resided at the Andrews barracks - where we knew rumors about the “stay behinds” SF troops - so the author was right the cover was a bit leaky. Glad to finally know the details of those troops.

Only one bitch about the facts - yes, the barracks often had aluminum foil blocking the windows. But it wasn’t because we were worried about soviet microwaves or such. It was because the tuefelsberg crowd worked three shifts and shift work wrecks your sleep pattern. The windows (Nazi era) had individual glass panes that hinged open/shut over screening. Couldn’t paint over them but installing foil to (temporarily) shut out the sun was allowed.

Recommend for any Berlin Brigade alumni - just wish there was an equivalent book for the classified support work of Field Station Berlin.

[Tomasz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A poor effort from Mr. Stejskal, unfortunately. As evidenced mostly by the appendix on what the East Germans knew about US Special Forces in Berlin, he is VERY bad at research, jumping to unwarranted conclusions based on incomplete data that somebody else culled for him. In addition, Stejskal's foreign language skills are also lacking - very surprising for a former member of the Berlin Detachment, where this was supposedly a priority. I noticed before that all his Russian comes from Google Translate, and here he also proves he has barely a smattering of German (a subchapter is titled "Wach am Rhine" - only the "am" ISN'T misspelled). He cavalierly and consistently misspells the name of the last CO of Det A, as well. So, if you're looking for a book about beer drinking in Cold War Berlin, yeah, this might work. Otherwise, not so much.

[Wilder · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter is enthralling-- the writing leaves a lot to be desired. This book reads like a "what if?" book in the tradition of Harry Turtledove. What would the US have done in the unconventional warfare domain if the Soviets had launched a ground offensive against NATO? Stejksal provides some insight to answer that question, but he does a lot of "telling" instead of "showing". There aren't discussions of targets, only that certain teams had missions to achieve effects. This may appeal to folks with a casual interest in Cold War history or military thought, but when compared to books like "The Way of the Knife" or "Relentless Strike," this book relates about the men and the times instead of the missions and the targets.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating insight into the Cold War. I didn't realize how much I'd forgotten about the paranoia and belief systems of that era. Essentially the Special Forces were set up to recruit locals for Unconventional Warfare (UW) when the inevitable happened and the Soviet Union over-ran Berliin.

The book covers the 1950s and '60s. Then the role changed slightly as the forces became essentially experts at defending against asymmetric warfare, funding terrorists to assault and assassinate throughout Europe.

If you have any interest in the Cold War and military histories this is worth your time.

[Joseph Freedom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredible history lesson. I read it in fits and starts, mostly because #lifehappens, but it really is a captivating story with an undeniable lesson, to quote Bob Dylan: “Don’t criticize what you can’t understand.” (Don’t get rid of it needlessly either. Read the book, you’ll get it.)

The pinnacle of what we believe special operations are… it all started with Det A and continued with PSSE-B. If you know anything about US SMUs, you’ll see some interesting parallels throughout the book - but decades earlier than the founding of most of the organizations you hear about today.

Like I said, it’s an incredible history lesson.

[Jeff Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome book, it showed me the insides of how special forces is borken down into other units to fight in the event of a war. while we didn`t fight, these agents had to put up with a lot of harassment from Soviet and GDR personal to the point of car crashes to being shot and left to die. It was also interesting to know that berlin agents were already inplace in Tehran to rescue our embassy personal being held hostage...God be with our American Special Forces Units through out the world!!!

[J.J. Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of those brave souls whose role was to stay behind in Berlin if the Russians ever attacked, for the purpose of establishing the resistance. An almost forgotten chapter of the Cold War bravest, and the members who became the first of Delta Force.

Not the flow of an accomplished writer, but written by one of those who walked that walk, so some slack is cut on that score, also from what I understand there is another book in the stories that could not be told that fell to the floor of the military sensors.

A story not many knew, until now.

[Joshua Heyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll start by saying that this book is not for everyone. If you're looking for action and war stories, this book is not it. It is however a very interesting read about a small Special Forces unit during the Cold War. It reads like a unit history with some anecdotes thrown in. If you like Cold War history and are interested in the cat and mouse of Cold War Berlin. Read this book. It is well researched and provides a look into the world of the front lines of unconventional warfare against East Germany and the Soviet Union.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

*yawn* Everyone giving high reviews were probably involved with this group in some way, but this is a real snooze fest for everyone else. Really just a bunch of shaggy dog stories of successful and unsuccessful training exercises, drinking-in-bars-and-getting-into-fights, and rotating larger than life characters fraught with the typical bravado and understatement-as-humor from SF authors you've come to expect. The only redeeming section was the Group's involvement in Operation Eagle Claw.

[David Churbuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

An individual close to me participated in the events described and was interviewed by the author but declined to authorize disclosure of his name and contributions. That person attests to the accuracy of the account of a fascinating chapter in Cold War history and the courage of America's special forces.

[Robert C. Harmala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dull and a bit too familiar

An interesting book of the preparation for what might have been. But that’s the problem, yes they seem like highly skilled, well trained operators. But there were almost no actual missions. They did have awesome sideburns and might have gotten laid a few times. Book reads like a personal history written for the participants.