Did 40 year olds fight in ww2?

After the United States entered World War II, amendments to the Selective Training and Service Act on December 20, 1941, made all men between the ages of 20 and 44 liable for military service, and required all men between the ages of 18 and 64 to register.
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What was the oldest age drafted in WWII?

On September 16, 1940, the United States instituted the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, which required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for the draft. This was the first peacetime draft in United States' history.
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What age were most soldiers in ww2?

The most common age group can be seen to be 20-22, with those 18-19 second, and those 23-25 third.
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What was the minimum age to fight in ww2 us?

United States

In World War II, the US only allowed men and women 18 years or older to be drafted or enlisted into the armed forces, although 17-year-olds were allowed to enlist with parental consent, and women were not allowed in armed conflict. Some successfully lied about their age.
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What age were the soldiers in ww2?

The National Service (Armed Forces) Act imposed conscription on all males aged between 18 and 41 who had to register for service. Those medically unfit were exempted, as were others in key industries and jobs such as baking, farming, medicine, and engineering.
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The Soldier Who Continued Fighting WWII 29 Years After It Ended, Because He Didn't Know



What was the youngest soldier in ww2?

Calvin Leon Graham (April 3, 1930 – November 6, 1992) was the youngest U.S. serviceman to serve and fight during World War II. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the United States Navy from Houston, Texas on August 15, 1942, at the age of 12.
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What is the oldest age to be drafted?

Present - The U.S. currently operates under an all-volunteer armed forces policy. All male citizens between the ages of 18 and 26 are required to register for the draft and are liable for training and service until the age of 35.
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Did a 6 year old boy fight in ww2?

The youngest hero of the French Resistance was just six years old - and finally the name Marcel Pinte has been inscribed on a memorial alongside those of other anti-Nazi fighters.
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Did Germany use child soldiers in ww2?

Starting in 1943, all boys 17 and older were forced to serve in the military. In 1945, the desperate Nazi leadership began pulling younger boys out of school and sending them to the front. These inexperienced children were essentially conscripted for suicide missions—and if they balked, they were executed.
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What was the youngest age to fight in ww1?

The youngest known soldier of World War I was Momčilo Gavrić, who joined the 6th Artillery Division of the Serbian Army at the age of 8, after Austro-Hungarian troops in August 1914 killed his parents, grandmother, and seven of his siblings.
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How tall was the average soldier in ww2?

During World War II, the average body measurements of the over six million male inductees into the U.S. Army was found to be 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 144 pounds in weight, on average an inch taller and eight pounds heavier than his Great War counterpart.
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What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in ww2?

At age 55, World War 2 Veterans were estimated to live 21.4 and 26.1 life-years, 1.4 and 0.3 more life-years for Korean Conflict Veterans, and 3 and 1.5 more life-years for Vietnam Era Veterans for male and female, respectively.
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How old did you have to be to fight in ww2 in Germany?

Overview of the July Plot, 1944. With German military losses mounting, Adolf Hitler ordered all able-bodied men between the ages of 16 and 60 to defend their homeland, 1944.
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Can you be drafted at 44 years old?

All men from the ages of 18 to 64 years will now be eligible for the draft, according to a decision made by congressional committees on December 16, now including men with families who might have previously been exempt because of old age or boys fresh out of school.
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What was the average age of soldiers on D Day?

∎ The average age of an American soldier on D-Day was 26. As the war continued and more manpower was needed, nearly half of all American troops fighting in Europe would be teenagers.
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Can an only child be drafted?

No. the “only son”, “the last son to carry the family name,” and ” sole surviving son” must register with Selective Service.
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Did 15 year olds fight in ww1?

Nearly 250,000 teenagers would join the call to fight. The motives varied and often overlapped - many were gripped by patriotic fervour, sought escape from grim conditions at home or wanted adventure. Technically the boys had to be 19 to fight but the law did not prevent 14-year-olds and upwards from joining in droves.
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Did Japan use child soldiers?

After losing in the Battle of Okinawa in June 1945, the Japanese government enacted new laws in preparation for the decisive battles in the main islands. They were the laws that made it possible boys aged 15 or older and girls aged 17 or older to be drafted into the army for actual battles.
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How old is the youngest ww2 vet?

Seryozha Aleshkov is the youngest World War II vet at the age of 6 years old. Having lost his father before the war along with the rest of his family, he was left an orphan at a very young age.
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Are any ww1 veterans still alive?

The last combat veteran was Claude Choules, who served in the British Royal Navy (and later the Royal Australian Navy) and died 5 May 2011, aged 110. The last veteran who served in the trenches was Harry Patch (British Army), who died on 25 July 2009, aged 111.
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Who Cannot be drafted?

WHO ARE EXEMPT FROM THE DRAFT?
  • The Vice-President of the United States, the Judges of the various Courts of the Untied States, the heads of the various executive departments of the Government, and the Governors of the several States.
  • The only son liable to military duty of a widow dependent upon his labor for support.
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What is the oldest age to join the military?

The oldest you can be to enlist for active duty in each branch is:
  • Coast Guard: 31.
  • Marines: 28.
  • Navy: 39.
  • Army: 35.
  • Air Force: 39.
  • Space Force: 39.
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Can you be drafted if you have flat feet?

The short answer is yes, you can. Flat feet is no longer a disqualifying condition for military enlistment, provided that the enlistee does not show symptomatic flat feet. In short, this essentially means that if you are showing detrimental symptoms, you could be barred from enlisting in the military.
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