The elite forces of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies in the mid-1980s were undoubtedly the largest in the world, and among the least known. The Soviet elite formations alone had a total strength comparable to that of the entire British armed forces. Besides the conventional military elite formations such as airborne and marine forces, most Warsaw Pact armies also possessed special, 'political' elite, which were used for internal security. Backed by numerous photographs and illustrations, this book uncovers the history, organization and equipment of both the conventional Soviet elite formations and the often ignored security units. An unrivalled illustrated reference source on fighting men and commanders, past and present. Each volume is packed with full colour artwork, making military history uniquely accessible to enthusiasts of all ages. Steven J. Zaloga is a senior analyst for Teal Group Corp., an aerospace consulting firm, where he covers missile and drone technology as well as international arms transfers for clients in the aerospace industry and the government. He served for more than two decades as an adjunct staff member with the Strategy, Forces, and Resources division of the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank, retiring in 2021. He is the author of numerous books on military technology and history, including NVG 294 Allied Tanks in Normandy 1944 and NVG 283 American Guided Missiles of World War II . He currently lives in Maryland, USA. James Loop has co-authored a number of books of modern military equipment. A former United States Army officer, he was seriously wounded in Vietnam. He retired with the rank of lieutenant-colonel and now works as a defence analyst. Ronald B. Volstad was born in 1949 in Alberta, Canada, where he still lives and works. His first illustrations were published in 1970; since then he has become widely known for his work in Squadron and Osprey publications and for Dragon Models, and has also worked as a courtroom artist for TV news. Used Book in Good Condition