7 Most Insane Historical Attempts To Create A Super Soldier

Some people collect stamps, others work with wood. But King Frederick William I of Prussia had a different hobby. A hobby that probably made his poor wife often say: “Please come back to bed, Fred. You can play with your giant soldiers in the morning.”

You see, Frederick William I was obsessed with tall people, which is why he created an infantry regiment where the minimum height requirement was 6’2”. The unit was known by various names: the Potsdam Giants, the Giant Guard of Potsdam, or the Long Guys.

Some of the Potsdam giants joined the regiment voluntarily, but many more were kidnapped and forcibly enlisted in the Prussian army. Others were also given to King Frederick as gifts by other countries wanting to maintain friendly relationships between the two nations.

But while gifting humans is of course abhorrent, the Giant Guard did have a pretty easy life. They never saw combat and spent most of their time being painted by the king and marching in front of him, all while the monarch commented how he preferred them to the most beautiful women in the world.

After the king’s death, his weirded-out son dissolved the regiment to the surprise of literally nobody.