Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenRivet
According to an Erich Top Speech, by the end of 1941, the decisive crew fitness requirements were dropped in favor of a more sutiable "Able bodied man" rule.
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Oh yeah, definitely as the war progressed and things got more and more dire the requirements would have to be loosened up. Especially in an arm of the service where the rate of loss of manpower rose as high as it did.
IIRC even the age restrictions for commanders went out the window. I think 25 or 26 was the youngest an officer could be and have a command at the start of the war. By the end it was down to 21, I think, because there weren't older replacements available - they'd either been killed, captured, or promoted off the front line.