Books & more: Masters of Chaos

When a book carries the announcement "The Secret History of ..." in the subtitle, one should be cautious. This warning is usually true, but not always. "Masters of Chaos" is an exciting exception here, and that is because a well-founded journalist collaborates with the US Army to delve into the history of the Special Forces: no, not all SFs, but those known as Green Berets - and here what is now called Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA). Linda Robinson provides a brief historical overview of the Green Berets and then begins to describe their basic training.

And then the true strength of the book begins: it is not an abstract organizational history, but a vivid reportage, with Robinson making it clear that she worked with the Army, meaning that certain secret things do not appear in the book, and that some stories intentionally become vague at the edges. The rest is spectacular enough: the reader accompanies Green Beret Randy "Rawhide" Wurst and his comrades through their careers, through operations from South America to Iraq and Afghanistan (see photo below). It becomes clear what this form of special forces should be: "warrior diplomats" must live irregular warfare, being able to interact with people who remain foreign to regular armed forces with cultural understanding - everyone must learn two foreign languages.

The peak of this concept is the Afghanistan war of the 100 Special Forces, who, along with locals and air forces, overthrow the Taliban. What one reads here provides a very good insight into the world of the Special Forces, it is excellently written, meaning that it is about stories one can enjoy here, not After-Action Reports. It is about people who wage war, and precisely because of its approach, this book is so vivid, readable, and recommendable.

Linda Robinson, "Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces", Public Affairs Pr., 424 pages, Euro 11.99