I was considering the desperate need for manpower that many nations in WW2 ran into, and it made me wonder, what were the differences between physical standards in the different nation's armed forces? For instance, did the Soviet have lower standards for weight because their population might not have been as well fed? Moreover, how did the various nations qualifications change during the war? I know that by the end of the war, the Germans were throwing teenagers and middle aged men into the war, how about the other powers? After the German advance into Russia was repelled, were certain groups less likely to be called up?
As a follow up, were there differences in mental or educational qualifications as well?
I know from this excellent answer by /u/the_howling_cow that the US military often rejected recruits for not meeting literacy qualifications. But I assume that the Soviets, Japanese and even Germans had lower literacy rates among their general population. Did they have looser standards about literacy, and if so, did that affect their performance or what type of tactics they could employ?