How French soldiers were used as guinea pigs

A fascinating piece in the Times yesterday by Charles Bremner in which he reveals how French soldiers were subjected to nuclear testing and the effects of radiation

Several hundred young conscripts were used as guinea-pigs in the "Green Desert Rat" test in 1961, said the report, quoted by Le Parisien and Agence France-Presse. They were told to dig foxholes a few miles from the blast. After it, men with little protection advanced on foot to within a few hundred yards of its explosion point and armoured vehicles stopped at 300 yards. "It appeared from the results that at 800 yards from point zero and outside the fall-out zone, the combatant was physically able to continue fighting,"