Soldiers of Short Stature?

[SpongeBob 0]

Are there any armed forces in the world that has people of short stature within their ranks?  Doesn't have to be in a combat role, could be a support role. If not, why?

Could we think up of some sort of role that a person of short stature (that is, no taller 4' 10" or 147 cm) can have in the military.

[theavonlady 2]

Could we think up of some sort of role that a person of short stature (that is, no taller 4' 10" or 147 cm) can have in the military.

[SpongeBob 0]

I was thinking more in lines of a catapult for launching soldiers of short stature on the roofs of buildings. A cannoned launched soldier of short statures would be too risky, he could over shoot the target, and the sound of the blast would deafen him or possibly render him unconscious. However, a catapult would gently loft the soldier of short stature to the roof top of a 2 or 3 story building.

Or how about a soldier of short stature that's sole role is in clearing out ventilation ducts of any possible lurking enemies?

[Ares1978 0]

Artillery scatterable midgets.

[granQ 293]

tunnel rats..

[FerretFangs 0]

Navy. Particularly suited to small ships and subs. People of short stature are very well suited to be fighter pilots as well.

I'm short. I'm only 5', 4", but I saw quite a few guys as much as six inches shorter than myself.

[LauryThorn 0]

Smaller soldier = smaller target. Pilots and tank crews need to be relatively short. As far as I am concerned, special forces soldiers are almost always short. If you are tough and strong, shortness does not matter, that's what I think.

[FerretFangs 0]

That's true, I forgot that many SEAL's that I've met were not much taller than I.

[der bastler 0]

Gnomes, dwarfs in the army? Why does this question remind me of the Ankh Morpork City Watch...

[SFWanabe 0]

Could we think up of some sort of role that a person of short stature (that is, no taller 4' 10" or 147 cm) can have in the military.

[ig]http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000/Jul-02-Sun-2000/photos/cannon.jpg[/img]

Ackbar.....its raining midget infidels.....

Yes I know Jala the infidels get more sad every year.

[badlymad 0]

The North Korean army recently reduced its minimum height requirements to 4"10, mainly because their famine has resulted in recruits who are malnourished and stunted in growth.

[theavonlady 2]

The North Korean army recently reduced its minimum height requirements to 4"10, mainly because their famine has resulted in recruits who are malnourished and stunted in growth.

Human punji sticks, I'm afraid.

[Albert Schweitzer 10]

tunnel rats..

just wanted to mention that. Remember Vietnam?

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-c....ats.htm

look how tight the entries were

[Edge 2]

What a thread...

I guess every army should do its best to breed the smallest soldier possible: besides all the advantages mentioned above, such soldier won't eat that much, army could spare the material for clothing and equipment. However, operating normal weapons would be a bit harder...

I recall my granddad (approx. 155 cm) served as tank commander of T-34 shortly after WW2. He said that they all were chosen to be tank crews because of their short stature. I guess such conditions are still present in contemporary armies.

[cozza 24]

on the lines of Tunnel rats. I know this guy who was a Tunnel rat. Told me all about the tunnels and how scary they were.

and in the second pic that guy has a really big nose

[ACF 0]

I recall my granddad (approx. 155 cm) served as tank commander of T-34 shortly after WW2. He said that they all were chosen to be tank crews because of their short stature. I guess such conditions are still present in contemporary armies.

Not sure about during WWII, but post-war Russian tanks were designed around the shorter soldier.  5'8" maximum sticks in my mind, but it may have been a bit less.  Although it seems extreme, you end up with a lower vehicle which presents a smaller target.

Even more critically: because it's basically a cubic 'height to tank volume or weight' relationship, the smaller vehicle means less weight for a given thickness of armour or more armour for a given weight.  See also the reclining driver's seat in Chieftain/Challenger.

I believe the design of the post-war Japanese tank(s) took advantage of their smaller mean stature.

[Nemesis6 0]

Well, the lighter the soldier the small the equipment. On this whole issue: Wasn't the Japanese soldiers encountered during the Pacific campaign of WW2 generally like half a head smaller than their American opponents?

[SFWanabe 0]

The North Korean army recently reduced its minimum height requirements to 4"10, mainly because their famine has resulted in recruits who are malnourished and stunted in growth.

Human punji sticks, I'm afraid.

Makes them easy pickings if bush decides to invade NK

[Jimpy 0]

At the start of WW1 the British Army recruited men who were

shorter than the normal height regulation but otherwise fit for

service. These were named "bantams" (after the small but

hardy and aggressive fighting cocks) and eventually they

were formed into two Bantam Divisions (35th and 40th). They

were popular with the press and public, but by 1916 it was

decided that the fitness and condition of men volunteering

were no longer up to the standard and no more were

recruited.

[Grim_Fandango 0]

It's an interesting question actually

Are we talking regular dwarves or circus dwarves?

Regular dwarves would have a tough time scaling walls etc whereas the circus dwarves would stack up on top of eachother and climb over like there was nothing to it. The strain in the joints of someone inflicted with dwarfism would make it hard to perform anything where a lot of arm or leg strength is required for a regular dwarf, but I still have faith that the circus dwarves would be able to run an obstacle course faster than their regular comrades due to their extensive training. Only problem as I see it is the water-pit which could very well be lethal for a dwarf, circus or otherwise, but all those years of trapezing without a net should still make them able to still jump far enough to catch on to the rope. Otherwise the strongest dwarf will catch on the rope, and the others will catch on to that dwarf and form a human chain, or, one might equip one of the circus dwarves with a Special Forces-issue field-trampoline...

Hmmm...

Think mini-tanks

Think mini-stealth bombers

Think mini-saboteurs

Think mini-interrogators

Think of the look on a poor Al Qaeda morons face when he sees an army of mini-soldiers running towards him armed to the teeth.

Absolutely priceless.

I honestly don't see why there wouldn't be a use for dwarves in the military, granted the idea sounds silly at first, but like someone pointed out, in a lot of situations they'd be a lot better than their regular comrades wether they can run as fast or reach as high, or not. Is it a peoples army or not?

Either way the circus dwarf soldiers would be an amazing PR stunt for any army in my oppinon.

And now that we're at it, wouldn't a dwarf-mod for OFP just hit the spot?

(this is where i emphasize that I have nothing against dwarves what so ever, and that this post was in no way meant to ridicule them. I think they're very sweet people and I genuinely think that they should be allowed to serve just like their countrymen)

[Bordoy 0]

Quote[/b] ]Is it a peoples army or not?

Quick answer, no.

Although we elect the men/women who send them to war, the actual leader of the armed forces (in the UK), is the Queen.

[Grim_Fandango 0]

Quote[/b] ]Is it a peoples army or not?

Quick answer, no.

Although we elect the men/women who send them to war, the actual leader of the armed forces (in the UK), is the Queen.

Yeah okay, national barriers. In Denmark we have conscription to the army, so it is based on a principle of a being a people's army. So wether you're the son of a billionaire or son of a guy on welfare, you still have the same duty to your country.

And I don't think that dwarves should be excluded, or, they should at least have that opportunity. You can still be a dwarf and a patriot Like I said their joints get a lot more wear than on "normal" people, so they would probably not be suited for regular service, but surely everybody can pitch in somehow.

[kerosene 0]

Theres a difference between being very short and having dwarfism - which affects the proportions of your limbs.

Although I have heard midgets are really strong cause they have a low centre of gravity or something, I think its rubbish though.

[Sophion-Black 0]

It's an interesting question actually

Are we talking regular dwarves or circus dwarves?

Regular dwarves would have a tough time scaling walls etc whereas the circus dwarves would stack up on top of eachother and climb over like there was nothing to it. The strain in the joints of someone inflicted with dwarfism would make it hard to perform anything where a lot of arm or leg strength is required for a regular dwarf, but I still have faith that the circus dwarves would be able to run an obstacle course faster than their regular comrades due to their extensive training. Only problem as I see it is the water-pit which could very well be lethal for a dwarf, circus or otherwise, but all those years of trapezing without a net should still make them able to still jump far enough to catch on to the rope. Otherwise the strongest dwarf will catch on the rope, and the others will catch on to that dwarf and form a human chain, or, one might equip one of the circus dwarves with a Special Forces-issue field-trampoline...

Hmmm...

Think mini-tanks

Think mini-stealth bombers

Think mini-saboteurs

Think mini-interrogators

Think of the look on a poor Al Qaeda morons face when he sees an army of mini-soldiers running towards him armed to the teeth.

Absolutely priceless.

I honestly don't see why there wouldn't be a use for dwarves in the military, granted the idea sounds silly at first, but like someone pointed out, in a lot of situations they'd be a lot better than their regular comrades wether they can run as fast or reach as high, or not. Is it a peoples army or not?

Either way the circus dwarf soldiers would be an amazing PR stunt for any army in my oppinon.

And now that we're at it, wouldn't a dwarf-mod for OFP just hit the spot?

(this is where i emphasize that I have nothing against dwarves what so ever, and that this post was in no way meant to ridicule them. I think they're very sweet people and I genuinely think that they should be allowed to serve just like their countrymen)

can you imangine this in OFP

http://img283.echo.cx/img283/5261/mminj0px.png

[Please watch pic sizes - over 300k! - Fubar]

[Gadger 0]

file-size, ouch.