The Crimson Beret

Russia is a country with a long and illustrious military history. From Catherine the Great’s 18th century battalions to Zhukov and the Red Army’s countless World War II victories, the Russian people have proven themselves, time and again, fearless warriors, loyal soldiers, and steadfast patriots. But this marked national character is not simply a vestige from the past— it is alive and well today, found most manifestly in Russia’s highest military order: the Special Forces.

The Crimson Beret, Gennadii Ternovski’s memoir of his time as an SF officer, explores the history and inner workings of this elite squad of specialized commandos— revealing their rigorous training methods, brilliantly engineered tactics, and the philosophy of brotherhood that binds these military titans together for life.

Though Mr. Ternovski has openly criticized the Russian Army, drawing ire from military officers, commanders of operational units have employed The Crimson Beret as a training manual, gleaning the gems of wisdom, experience, and insight from its skillfully written pages— and helping a new generation of soldiers to follow in the heroic footsteps of Ternovski and his fellow battle-hardened comrades.

Beyond its detailed explanation of battle logistics and training procedures, The Crimson Beret chronicles Mr. Ternovski’s perilous counterterrorist missions in the Northern Caucuses and his bravery at the Nord-Ost Siege— portrayed as thrillingly as a novel with its perfect pacing and evocative prose.

The Crimson Beret, thus, perfectly blends the meticulous sagacity of a military expert with the gripping style of a combat memoir to give life to a full-bodied and nuanced book that all readers are bound to enjoy. Informative, detailed, and highly compelling— I cannot recommend this book enough.

—Charles Asher