About the book: 2009 / The author of this book, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, became a legend of the Soviet special forces. Having worked his way up from an ordinary reconnaissance officer to the commander of a reconnaissance detachment, Viktor Leonov received his first Gold Star in November 1944 for the capture of a German battery at Cape Krestovy, and the second for brilliant landing operations in the Far East, where his “black devils” captured thousands of Japanese soldier. Many of these operations are still classified; soldiers and commanders of special forces units of the Russian Navy are trained in them..