FAILED TO IMPRESS

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31043, 26 April 1966, Page 17

FAILED TO IMPRESS

IN.Z.P A.-Reuter—Copyright) ASTLEMARTIN (Wales), April 25. A Russian general who had a look at Britain's biggest military exercise for 20 years has dismissed it as a flop. Major-General S. A. Edemsky, the Soviet military attache, watched 200 troops in a beachhead manoeuvre among sand dunes yesterday, and told his British Army hosts: “This is a piffling affair. “I did not come here

to watch a few soldiers standing about not knowing what to do.” Another Russian military expert commented: “By now every man here would have been killed by the enemy.” The Russians were among military attaches from countries all over the world invited to “Exercise Lifeline” in South Wales. Ten thousand troops from the Army, Navy and Air Force are demonstrating Britain’s abil-

ity to rush “fire brigade” units of the strategic reserve to any trouble spot. British generals say that because of a mix-up, the military attaches missed seeing several bigscale air and sea landings, including a spectacular parachute drop. The attaches from other countries returned to London last night

But the Russians agreed to remain another day—on condition they see at least a 500-man battalion in action.