Military Model Scene

Title: Cold War Berlin- An Island City Vol 4
Author: Andrew Long
Publisher: Helion & Co
ISBN: 978-1-804515-81-5

Volume 4 in this mini-series on the topic of Berlin, within the Europe @ War series from publisher Helion & Co. A 92-page soft-cover book.
This one carries on from Vol 3, expanding on the story of the US military in their sector of the divided city of Berlin after the end of WW2. From the initial units posted there at the end of the war, waiting for their turn to be rotated home to the US, it got to a stage where a more permanent structure was formed to garrison the IUS sector of the city. Several changes over time as they refined the unit structure, with both infantry and armoured elements, some of which were unique to the city. These units were also engaged in regular training, and there is good coverage of the various ranges they could use within the limits of Berlin itself, though for training in anything beyond small arms, it meant a move to the larger ranges within West Germany itself. Good to read how the US, British and French co-operated in sharing their training facilities, especially for Urban Combat training. There is also coverage of the Special Forces deployed to the city, and what their roles were. Known at Det. A for most of the time, only changing in the late stages of the Cold War. Then there are the plans for what to do if war was to have broken out. Both the US plans to delay and disrupt any Soviet/East German assault, as well as the East German plans for their possible attack.
Lots of interesting reading in this one, along with a lot of archive photos, and as ever in this series, a section of colour artwork pages, with maps, vehicle and aircraft profiles, plus some full page uniform illustrations. For those who lived through the Cold War I am sure you will find this interesting, but worth remembering that the Berlin Wall only came down in 1989, so anyone much under 40 years old will never have lived under the threat that the Cold War posed. The divided city of Berlin, and the Berlin Wall, was perhaps the biggest potential flash point that could have sparked WW3, though thankfully it never did.
Thanks to Helion & Co for the review copy.

Robin