I was just reading a fairly reliable account written by a gentleman who went through basic training with the French Foreign Legion in Morocco in 1956(?). He describes how he and his fellow recruits were made to jump from a height of “4 to 5 meters”, which would be about 13 to 16 feet. Apparently, this wasn’t standard training protocol but the idea of a drill instructor and the jumps were stopped when one recruit broke a leg.
Thanks for the responses everyone, I’m actually kind of surprised how high people can fall onto a hard surface and survive.
Having missed the earlier opportunity to comment on the username/question combo, I need to point out that every single statistic in my last post was collected from an emergency room or a morgue.
Please don’t tie a cape around your neck and attempt any of those fifth-floor jumps.
But if you do, please keep careful notes and try from ground, first, second, third …