INTERVIEW: What's the deal with the uprising in Berlin?

If you like reading good thrillers, you will definitely enjoy "Berlin Insurgency". The novel - HERE is the SPARTANAT book review - has made a big impact and has gained many fans. We wanted to know from C.A. Roberts: Who wrote it? What is the scenario about? And can we please have more?

SPARTANAT: Robert, Uprising in Berlin! That certainly piques our interest: How did you come up with the setting for your novel? How did the idea come about in the first place?

C.A. ROBERTS: The initial rough ideas came during active duty. As preparation for the deployment to Afghanistan in 2010, it was mandatory for officers to engage with the common counterinsurgency literature. This led to a thought experiment on how German politics and authorities would react to an insurgency. This scenario was further developed during political studies after the Bundeswehr and ultimately adapted for the book. Therefore, in addition to the military violence of the adversaries, the attempt at legitimation through social media is also addressed.

SPARTANAT: What our readers will surely appreciate about the book are the accurate tactical and detailed equipment descriptions. Why was this so important to you?

There are many thrillers in which weapons and combat play a significant role in the story, but all too often a Glock is unholstered or the wrong ammunition is loaded. This immediately detracts from the reading experience for anyone knowledgeable in the field. We wanted to do better and make the reading experience appealing to former and active security force members in the larger German-speaking region. We also tried to capture current trends and shed light on some questions with humor, such as the endless debate of Red Dot vs. LPVO.

SPARTANAT: The story is a jungle of politics, police, migration, clan, and two heroes who ultimately turn the tide as a mutual aid group. Hand on heart: Is this conceivable?

The mutual aid group was our way of putting the deployment veteran at the center and is therefore an "artifice" that one should be willing to accept in order to enjoy the book. Nevertheless, the attempt in Portland, after the George Floyd demonstrations, to establish an autonomous and police-free zone showed that the scenario is not completely absurd. We have received positive feedback from police officers regarding the depiction of the situation and created concern through the question: would one be ready for urban and house-to-house combat with militarily trained opponents? Furthermore, readers will quickly realize that while the two protagonists carry the story, ultimately, very different characters make a significant contribution to a resolution. Despite the disturbing proximity to reality, we ultimately wanted to send a hopeful message and not just an exaggerated power fantasy of two "former" individuals.

SPARTANAT: The book has made a strong impact and has found many readers. Our anxious question: Will there be more of this material?

The first section of the sequel is already finished. We want to reactivate the mutual aid group with a current scenario based on the experiences and ideas of our friends from the military and police. Kris Jäger and Co. will definitely be back!

SPARTANAT: The shortcut: If someone does not know "Berlin Insurgency", why should they read it?

"Berlin Insurgency" is "Military Fiction", but with many situations and characters inspired by deployment veterans and active police officers. Anyone who wants to read an exciting veteran novel set in Germany and beyond exaggerated Hollywood action will find something for them in this book.

C.A. ROBERTS is a pseudonym of two veterans and former infantry officers (mountain and airborne infantry) - seen above in action. They share a common past in the Bundeswehr and their experiences as Afghanistan veterans. However, they also leverage the advantages of their differences with backgrounds as a trained political scientist or experienced Middle East experts to shed light on the book from various perspectives.

More BERLIN INSURGENCY on SPARTANAT:

- BOOKS & MORE: UPRISING FIGHTING IN BERLIN