The King’s “Long Fellows”
Even by the significantly lower height standards of his era, King Frederick William I was a short man. He stood a mere 5 feet 3 inches, but despite that – or perhaps precisely because of that – he developed a passion for tall soldiers. As he expanded his military, Prussia’s monarch paid special attention to the recruitment of big and tall men, whom he placed in a special regiment, The Grand Grenadiers of Potsdam. The only requirement to join was that they stand at least 6 feet 2 inches tall. They became commonly known as the Potsdam Giants, or as his subjects nicknamed them, the Lang Kerle, or “Long Fellows”.
The king’s passion for tall soldiers knew no bounds. As he once told a diplomat: “The most beautiful girl or woman in the world would be a matter of indifference to me, but tall soldiers – they are my weakness“. He outfitted them in fine gold-laced blue jackets, scarlet breeches and vest, white gaiters, and an eighteen-inch grenadier cap atop their heads to make them look even taller. They were well-housed, and given the best food. Pay was determined by height: the taller they were, the more they were paid. They never saw combat, because Frederick William loved them too much to risk their lives. Prussia’s government went to great lengths to get tall men. If they willingly enlisted, all well and good. If not, as seen below, Frederick William simply had them kidnapped and forcibly added to his regiment.