Height Requirement For SS Recruits

Discussions on all aspects of the SS and Polizei. Hosted by Andrey.
Post Reply
User avatar
Wolfkin
Member
Posts: 773
Joined: 25 May 2002, 19:23
Location: Calgary,AB,Canada

Height Requirement For SS Recruits

#1

Post by Wolfkin » 04 Dec 2003, 02:21

Hello All!

This topic here has me interested in more information:

http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7740

Another fellow started this thread but it is something that I have wondered about a great deal myself for some time. So far, only Christoph has been able to provide documented proof that the height requirement in 1938 was 178 cm (5 feet 10 inches) for the Leibstandarte, 174 cm (5 feet 8.5 inches) for Deutschland and Germania and 172cm (5 feet 7.7 inches) for other branches.

I have found info in the book 12 Years With Hitler stating that in 1935-1936 they recruited men that were at least 1.8 meters tall (180 cm or 5 feet 10.86 inches) in the Leibstandarte. It is intersting to see that this was lowered to 178cm by 1938.

I am wondering whether anyone has any more information regarding the height requirements for the years after 1938 or even before 1938. I am interested in knowing if the requirements lowered after 1938 or not. Perhaps by 1939 or 1940 they ignored this requirement?

Thanks in advance to all who can help!

Cheers,

Wolfkin
Top
User avatar
Daniel L
Member
Posts: 9122
Joined: 07 Sep 2002, 01:46
Location: Sweden

#2

Post by Daniel L » 04 Dec 2003, 02:31

Swedish volunteer Gösta Borg claimed it to be 182 cm for the SS-VT in 1939 in his article about the Waffen-SS published in Den Svenske Folksocialisten, 4 Sept. 1943.

Best regards/ Daniel
Top
Top
User avatar
Wolfkin
Member
Posts: 773
Joined: 25 May 2002, 19:23
Location: Calgary,AB,Canada

#3

Post by Wolfkin » 04 Dec 2003, 04:28

Hello Daniel!

Hmmmm that is very strange, I would have thought that the requirements actually would have lowered and not risen. The document that Christoph shows in the link above says in 1938 it was 178cm for the Leibstandarte, 174cm for Deutschland and Germania and 172cm for the other SS Verfugungstruppen elements.

Having this rise to 182cm in 1939 is strange indeed but I would not put it past those guys, unless there is a mistake somewhere. It looked to me like there was a gradual lowering of the requirement from 1936 to 1938 and it would be logical for this pattern to continue into 1939-1940. Heehee but then again, there was not a lot of logical thought going on at this time at this place, was there? :D

Cheers,

Wolfkin
Top
User avatar
GFM2000
Member
Posts: 303
Joined: 13 Mar 2002, 09:27

What about Sepp's height???

#4

Post by GFM2000 » 04 Dec 2003, 11:59

I'm somewhat amused that, regardless of what was written in the SS handbook, Hitler's SS bodyguards were led by a "shortie", "Sepp" Dietrich.
He couldn't be more than 165cm, could he???? 8O
Top
User avatar
Nina van M.
Member
Posts: 365
Joined: 01 Nov 2003, 00:55
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia

#5

Post by Nina van M. » 05 Dec 2003, 13:02

Hello 2 all of U. Interesting topic!

Well, what would you say about Otto Skorzeny's height of 6'4'' or 195cm...

I've searched and found something about various standards in Waffen SS. About height- in year 1940 was 5'5'' or 168cm, but as you've already mentioned those heights were often changing (not that I understand why?). Heinrich Himmler's height was 5'9'' or 179cm, for instance. Some standards were really absurde: it could happen that you were rejected because you had one single filling in your teeth... 8O
I'm still searching for Sepp Dietrich's height- but judging from all his pics I've seen so far, he wasn't more than 168cm, for sure...

Some other interesting heights: Josep Goebbels 5'0'' or 153 cm, Hasso von Mannteufel 5'2'' or 158cm, Erwin Rommel 5'6 or 171cm, Adolf Hitler 5'8 or 177cm, Hermann Göring 5'10'' or 182cm, Wilhelm Keitel 6'4'' or 195cm, Paul von Hindenburg 6'5'' or 199cm...

Salute, von K.
Top
User avatar
Marcus
Member
Posts: 33963
Joined: 08 Mar 2002, 23:35
Location: Europe
Contact:
Contact Marcus

#6

Post by Marcus » 05 Dec 2003, 13:07

von kluge wrote:Hello 2 all of U.
Please try to use proper English to make it easier for the members who doesn't have English as their first language, thanks.

/Marcus
Top
User avatar
Wolfkin
Member
Posts: 773
Joined: 25 May 2002, 19:23
Location: Calgary,AB,Canada

#7

Post by Wolfkin » 30 Dec 2003, 21:40

Hello all!

Just some corrections to some of the conversions stated above. I am not trying to be a smart-ass, just trying to help. If I can pass on something to another then everything is worth it! 168cm does not equal 5 feet 5 inches it equals 5 feet 6 inches. I think when one is using a digital converter one might get confused because it would come out 5.5, but 5.5 would equal 5 feet 6 inches because .5, or half of a foot, is 6 inches since there are 12 inches in a foot. Clear as mud and twice as thick right?

Here are some more conversions to help:

172cm=67.7 inches=5 feet 7.7 inches
173cm=68.11 inches=5 feet 8.1 inches
174cm=68.5 inches=5 feet 8.5 inches
175cm=68.89 inches=5 feet 8.9 inches
176cm=69.3 inches=5 feet 9.3 inches
177cm=69.7 inches=5 feet 9.7 inches
178cm=70.08 inches=5 feet 10.08 inches
179cm=70.5 inches=5 feet 10.5 inches
180cm=70.86 inches=5 feet 10.86 inches
181cm=71.26 inches=5 feet 11.26 inches
182cm=71.7 inches=5 feet 11.7 inches
183cm=72.05 inches=6 feet 0.5 inches

152.4cm=60 inches=5 feet 0 inches
157.48cm=62 inches=5 feet 2 inches
168cm=66 inches=5 feet 6 inches
172.72cm=68 inches=5 feet 8 inches
177.8cm=70 inches=5 feet 10 inches
193.04cm=76 inches=6 feet 4 inches
195.58cm=77inches=6 feet 5 inches

I hope this helps!

Cheers,

Wolfkin
Top
User avatar
Germania
Member
Posts: 1593
Joined: 27 Sep 2002, 20:11
Location: Germany

#8

Post by Germania » 30 Dec 2003, 23:19

But the hight was only an criteria in the first time? Since when the height wasn´t an aspect for recruitment?
Top
User avatar
Georg_S
Forum Staff
Posts: 5616
Joined: 08 Dec 2016, 13:37
Location: Sweden

#9

Post by Georg_S » 31 Dec 2003, 08:33

Hallo,

RK träger Remy Schrijnen once wrote to me and told me a little story when he volontered to the Waffen-SS, they denied him 7 times before he was allowed to enter the Waffen-SS, because of his hight (1.67 m).

Reg.

Georg
Top
User avatar
Germania
Member
Posts: 1593
Joined: 27 Sep 2002, 20:11
Location: Germany

#10

Post by Germania » 31 Dec 2003, 14:25

Georg wrote:Hallo,

RK träger Remy Schrijnen once wrote to me and told me a little story when he volontered to the Waffen-SS, they denied him 7 times before he was allowed to enter the Waffen-SS, because of his hight (1.67 m).

Reg.

Georg
This sounds funny because I read that after 1 denie you never had an chance for an second ask!?
Top
User avatar
Tony Slug
Member
Posts: 172
Joined: 01 May 2003, 22:28
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

#11

Post by Tony Slug » 31 Dec 2003, 23:26

members who doesn't have English as their first language, thanks.
members who doesn't ? :D
Top
Timo
Member
Posts: 3869
Joined: 09 Mar 2002, 23:09
Location: Europe

#12

Post by Timo » 01 Jan 2004, 01:48

Tony Slug wrote:
members who doesn't have English as their first language, thanks.
members who doesn't ? :D
...Cheap joke "Tony". English isn't Marcus' first language. How is your Swedish?
Top
User avatar
col55
Member
Posts: 28
Joined: 31 Dec 2003, 03:10
Location: KENT,ENGLAND

Leibstandarte

#13

Post by col55 » 01 Jan 2004, 15:40

I read somewhere that the height requirement for the LAH was (1.70m) but i don't know if that changed later on in the war years
Top
User avatar
Hagall
Member
Posts: 91
Joined: 12 Jan 2004, 20:45
Location: Thule

#14

Post by Hagall » 15 Jan 2004, 00:33

Standart for the Bad Tölz and Braunschweig cadets - minimum 174 cm
Himmler said that only man higher than 170 cm has good blood enough to be SS member (Schnabel R., Macht ohne Moral)
Top
User avatar
Jérôme
Member
Posts: 1098
Joined: 19 Jul 2003, 09:23
Location: Normandy.

#15

Post by Jérôme » 27 Jan 2004, 22:21

Hi KLUGE
I'm sorry to tell your height about DIETRICH and SKORZENY about not exact
I send you a part of their personalakten with mention of their height
On the other hand,are you sure ot the height of the personality like ROMMEL, KEITEL, GORING, HITLER or is it a conversion between english ?
Regards
ROUILLE

"
Well, what would you say about Otto Skorzeny's height of 6'4'' or 195cm...
I'm still searching for Sepp Dietrich's height- but judging from all his pics I've seen so far, he wasn't more than 168cm, for sure..."
Top
Post Reply

Return to “The Phil Nix SS & Polizei section”