The influence of solid state drawing of solution-crystallized ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene on the structure has been studied. Results obtained by different wide-angle and small-angle X-ray techniques support a deformation mechanism, which was partially described by Peterlin. An extended mechanism is proposed, which not only explains the orientational effects observed via WAXS and SAXS fairly easily, but can also account for the constancy of the long period, the steady decrease of the meridional SAXS intensity, the increase in crystallinity and the increase in the longitudinal crystallite size as the draw ratio increases (starting from a draw ratio of 10). Furthermore, the observed changes in lateral apparent crystal sizes as well as the stress-strain behaviour during the drawing process can be understood easily in terms of this model.