German General Defends Weekend Off for Troops
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BONN — West Germany’s armed forces chief today was quoted as defending the practice of giving most troops the weekend off, saying he ruled out the possibility of a surprise Soviet attack on a Saturday or Sunday.
“I already know on Thursday evening if there is going to be a war at the weekend,” Gen. Wolfgang Altenburg said in an interview with the weekly magazine Stern.
“It really doesn’t bother me in the least that the soldiers go home on Friday.”
The majority of West Germany’s 495,000 servicemen work what is effectively a five-day week. Critics of the system argue that in the past most major wars have begun with surprise invasions on Saturday or Sunday.
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