Do tall soldiers do well in combat?

Do tall soldiers do well in combat?


An infantry soldier's height isn't that important. Whether you are 1.70 meters (5' 7") or 1.90 (6' 3") doesn't really make a difference.

When I attended the French Commando Course, everyone in my platoon of German paratroopers was at least half a head taller than our French comrades.

This was a big advantage for the dozens of obstacle courses (we aced them), but for nothing else. In a combat situation, it won't matter.

Height matters more in training than in combat. A US Marine on an obstacle course of the French National Commando Training Center. Photo: SNAFU).

Extremely tall persons (+1.95 m or 6' 5"), however, will have problems. When you're defending from a trench, you’ll stick out.

You’ll also have more problems finding a fitting uniform or covering your body with a blanket when you sleep.

On the other hand, I never saw any advantages for a person that was taller than average.

Tall doesn't mean stronger: we had people in our unit who were relatively small but could carry much more weight than their taller comrades.


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