Soldiers are weighed at least twice per year usually in conjunction with the army physical fitness test to ensure they meet army standards for weight and fitness. I would bet that there was not much increase in weight in between the wars either. Exceeding army body fat standards soldiers who exceed the maximum weight shown on the charts below during an exam will be measured for body fat content. The initial deployment of aef were even bigger. According to military records the average union soldier had a height of 5 825 and a weight of 1437 pounds. This chart ranges from 58 inches tall to 80 inches tall.
Millions of minors served in the military. An inch taller and eight pounds heavier than his great war counterpart. As of 2012 only men could become army rangers. A dutch friend told me the average height of dutch males 16 21 is 61not a reliable source i know i do not think the germans would be far behind. There is no other data except that the smaller city boys from the national army divisions began arriving later in the war ie. This page claims 58 as the average height of us soldiers in ww1 as well.
The army field manual on foot marches fm 21 18 which has not been updated since 1990 does not take into account individual body weight. In the us army during wwii logs were kept by the quartermaster corps of what sizes of clothes were issued for supply purposes as well as by the medical corps for statistical purposes. Rangers must meet the standard army weight requirements which vary by height and age. Today the average height of an adult british caucasian male is about 59. Not much has changed in 70 years average height is still about 510. This would put their combat loads at 56 pounds and 42 pounds respectively.
It was found that the average male inductee was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 144 pounds. In 1914 their average height was 52 though a member of the upper class stood about 56 these findings shamed the government into providing subsidized health care for common people. I would have thought german males today would be taller than an average of 585 i believe they are the second tallest race in the world with the dutch being tallest. According to the armys special operations command the average height and weight of an army ranger are 69 inches and 174 pounds. In 1900 men were maybe an inch shorter. The same marine corps study determined the average weight of a marine male was 169 pounds and the average females was 130 pounds.
Only the male chart is used.
Gallery of Average Height And Weight Of Wwii Soldier
