recruiting the panzerarm: was there a maximum height?

General WWII era German military discussion that doesn't fit someplace more specific.
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ursinus
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recruiting the panzerarm: was there a maximum height?

Post by ursinus »

I cannot find it in the books till now but was there a maximum height requirement for Wehrmacht and luftwaffe panzertruppen recruits? i suppose so but does anyone has proof of this? if there was any: was it relaxed as the war progressed?

other question: (pre-war) SS men had to be of a certain height: how was this combined wth the SS-panzer recruitment: Whitmann seemed to be quite small for an SS man, although being a panzer ace this turned ou t to be convenient... an exception?

thanks a lot,

sebastiaan
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sid guttridge
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Post by sid guttridge »

Hi Ursinus,

My father told me that the French had a maximum height for tank crews, which was one reason why their AMX30 tank was lighter and of lower profile than competing British Chieftains and German Leopards in the 1960s.

He was an army ground liaison officer with the RAF Harrier Wing in Germany in the 1970s. One of his jobs was to teach pilots how to recognise NATO and Warsaw Pact equipment by using photographic slides of each vehicle.

The French, like the other NATO countries, sent photographic slides of all their armour from every conceivable angle and altitude. However, unlike the others all French slides included a soldier of their maximum tank-crew height to give scale. It was always the same man, who became known as "Alfonse" to RAF air crew. As a result of his presence in every photo, the RAF air crew came to identify French equipment without looking at the vehicles. My father was convinced that the RAF could spot "Alfonse" at any speed and any angle from any altitude, but could still not identify French AFVs!

Cheers,

Sid.
ursinus
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:-)

Post by ursinus »

though not about WWII panzers, a
great strory!

My grandpa's name happens to be Alphons too...

ursinus
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Shmeiker
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Post by Shmeiker »

to Sid

Do you know by any chance why they called him "Alfonse" ?

---

[not WWII realted at all]

It rose my interest why they called a French guy "Alfonse", because in Polish word "alfons" means "pimp" (I'm talking about official wording used i.e. in police reports, and not some slang description). For obvious reasons one will not find too many Poles having this name.
sid guttridge
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Post by sid guttridge »

Hi Schmeiker,

Just racial stereotyping, I suspect! Alfonse was presumably thought to be a typically French name, I suppose. It certainly isn't Anglo-Saxon.

Cheers,

Sid.
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