rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939; after which, the regiment undertook guard duties at the strategically important Skoda vehicle works. Training and selection The Regiment General Göring intended for its ranks to be filled with selected personnel to square off with its competitors, the Army's élite Infanterie-Regiment "Großdeutschland" and the Waffen-SS Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler. Among the criteria for acceptance in the regiment: Age of 18–25 years old, Minimum height of 1.68m (5 ft 6ins), German citizenship, Eligibility for military service, Fitness for active service, Aryan ancestry, Unmarried status, Clean police record and no charges pending, Confirmed open support for the National Socialist state. During the wars years a further requirement was added: the volunteer would have to sign up for 12 years service. Those conditions were much the same as those demanded for ingress into the Großdeutschland and the Leibstandarte. As the war progressed and the scale of combat losses mounted, such restrictive criteria could not be sustained in any of these élite formations. Many Luftwaffe personnel would simply be drafted into the Hermann Göring from other units to replace combat losses. With high caliber recruits, the regiment occupied a brand new purpose-built barracks complex at Berlin-Reinickendorf, which was constructed to the highest standards and with the most modern of facilities. The complex boasted over 120 buildings and included gymnasia, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, sports areas and its own post office. The smartly dressed General Göring soldiers, in their distinctive uniforms with white collar patches and special unit cuffband (Ärmelstreifen), became a regular sight on the streets of Berlin. By 1939, the regiment had grown considerably. Troops of the regiment took part in many of the great pre-war parades through Berlin. They provided guards for Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring's own headquarters, the changing of the guard often being performed with all due ceremony including the presence of the regiment's own military band. The regiment also undertook guard duties at Göring's private retreat, the sumptuous Carinhall estate - named after Göring's deceased first wife, Carin Axelina Hulda Göring. Regimental order of battle on the eve of WW2: Regimentstab Musikkorps Stabsbatterie (HQ artillery battery) I.(schwere) Flak-Abteilung (heavy AA artillery battalion) II.(leichte) Flak-Abteilung (light AA artillery battalion) ScheinwerferAbteilung (searchlight battalion) IV.(leichte) Flak-Abteilung Wachbataillon (guard infantry battalion) Reiterschwadron (cavalry squadron) 9.Wachkompanie (infantry) 10.Wachkompanie 11.Wachkompanie Reserve-Scheinwerfer-Abteilung Ersatz-Abteilung (replacement training battalion) (schwere) Einsenbahn Flak-Batterie (heavy railway AA battery) (leichte) Flak-Batterie (light AA battery) Combat history Blitzkrieg