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The Cold War, a period of competition with the Soviet bloc
nations, lasted from the early 1950s to the fall of the Berlin
War. The United States and western nations of Europe were
concerned about the spread of communism across Europe. There was
a real and legitimate fear that the Soviet Union and its allies
would attempt to invade and occupy nations of western Europe to
spread communism.
U.S. Army Special Forces in the 1950s and for several more
decades trained to conduct direct action (DA), strategic
reconnaissance (SR), and
unconventional
warfare (UW) missions against the Soviet bloc in both the
areas that they would try to invade and occupy and within the
homelands of the Soviet bloc.
The principal Special Forces group charged with this mission
was the 10th Special Forces Group based at Bad Tolz, Germany and
Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Other SF groups, such as 11th SFGA
(Army Reserve) had contingency plans to augment the 10th SFGA.
Another much smaller and more secretive unit was known as "Detachment
A" of the Berlin Brigade. Commonly referred to as "Det A",
this small clandestine group of about 90 Green Berets were
stationed in Berlin. The Soldiers wore civilian clothes and were
fluent in German.
The training exercise most SF Soldiers engaged in over the
decades to train for these missions was called "Flintlock".
Usually, the Special Forces Operational Base (SFOB) would set up
on an air base in England. The Operational Detachment Alphas
(ODAs) would isolate at the SFOB (planning and preparing for
their missions), then infiltrate into an exercise area (usually
Germany, sometimes Norway) via paradrop from an MC-130 Combat
Talon, and then conduct their mission.
Websites about 10th Special Forces Group and the Cold War
The Cold War Museum
www.coldwar.org
Early Cold War - Army Special Forces by GlobalSecurity.org
www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/arsoc-history3.htm
Publications about Special Forces and the Cold War
News Reports about Special Forces and the Cold War
January 31, 2014.
"Formerly clandestine unit of Green Berets from Cold War gets
public recognition", Fayetteville Observer.
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