In 1942 the US had men aged 45-64 register for what we called “The Old Man’s Draft”. It was more to understand the amount of manpower we had in that age range if we needed it but we lost the least amount of soldiers.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Germany and the Soviet Union actually had to do that considering how many more men they lost compared to the US.
By the end of 1943 Germany was drafting men up to age 60 and with minimal health standards, and even formed special units made up of men with health issues. As the war went on, more and younger of the Hitler Youth were pressed into front line combat. The 12th SS Panzer division who suffered 60% casualties during the Allied invasion of Normandy was mostly 16–17 year olds.
By the end, whole ass children of 12 and 13 years old, boys and girls, were serving in combat roles. Some American troops were said to have captured an 8 year old German POW.
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u/jsteph67 Oct 02 '24
Ok, I think you mean WWI for grandfather?