Hitler Youth

The Hitler Youth was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. It began in 1922 and was named Hitler-Jugend in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was the only official boys’ youth organisation in Germany. It had two parts: one for boys aged 14 to 18, and another for younger boys aged 10 to 13.

The Hitler Youth was partly a military group, preparing young boys for possible service. After the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945, the group stopped existing. On October 10, 1945, it was made illegal by the Allied Control Council, along with other Nazi groups. Today, using its symbols in Germany is not allowed except for learning or research.

Origins

In 1922, the Nazi Party in Munich created its first group for young people, called the youth wing. This group met for the first time in May of that year. Another group, called the Jungsturm Adolf Hitler, was also formed in Munich, Bavaria, to help prepare young people to join the main paramilitary group of the Nazi Party.

After a failed attempt by the Nazi Party in 1923, the youth groups were hidden but continued to meet in secret. In 1926, the group was renamed "Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth." By 1930, over 25,000 boys aged 14 and older had joined. A younger group for boys aged 10 to 14, called the Deutsches Jungvolk, was also created. Girls aged 10 to 18 had their own group, the League of German Girls.

Membership

In 1923, the youth group linked to a political party in Germany had just over 1,200 members. By 1925, after the party started again, the number grew to more than 5,000. Five years later, the group had 26,000 members, and by the end of 1932, it reached nearly 108,000 members.

When this political group took control of the country in 1933, the number of members in the youth group jumped to about 2.3 million by the end of the year. This growth happened because the group took over many other youth organizations. In 1936, a law said this youth group was the only one allowed in Germany, and soon after, membership became required for most young people. By 1940, the group had eight million members.

Young people who did not join faced many difficulties. They might be teased by teachers and other students, and could even be stopped from graduating or getting jobs. The group also took over many places where young people liked to play sports, making it hard for non-members to join in.

Although most young people joined, a few did not agree with the group's ideas. Some even worked against the leaders quietly. Overall, the youth group became one of the most successful parts of the country's government during that time.

Organisation

The Hitler Youth was a group for boys aged 14 to 18, led by adult supervisors. They met regularly in their local areas to learn about Nazi ideas. Big meetings and activities were held at rallies, often in Nuremberg, where members from all over Germany would gather.

The Hitler Youth had special schools to prepare young people for important roles. They also had groups aimed at training future military officers for the Wehrmacht (Armed Forces). One such group, the Marine Hitler Youth, supported the Kriegsmarine. There were also publications for members, such as newspapers and magazines.

Doctrine

The members of the Hitler Youth were prepared to help Nazi Germany. They were taught the Nazi beliefs, including ideas about racial differences. Boys were taught to believe in the strength of one group and to see others as less important. They were also taught to think certain groups were responsible for problems in Germany.

The Hitler Youth did many things similar to the Boy Scout movement, such as camping and hiking. Over time, these activities became more like military training. Boys learned to use weapons and practice tactics, with a focus on physical strength rather than schoolwork. This prepared them for possible fighting, following ideas from Hitler's book, Mein Kampf. By 1937, there was even a school where boys could learn to use rifles, and many boys earned marksmanship medals by the end of 1939.

World War II

During World War II, the Hitler Youth took on important roles to help Germany. Leaders made sure members received training to defend the country. As the war continued, young people were asked to help with many tasks, including working with fire brigades, supporting postal and railway services, and even helping the army.

By 1944, some very young members were grouped into a special fighting unit. They fought in major battles, such as the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of Berlin. Many young lives were lost during these tough fights against Allied forces.

Post-World War II

See also: Hitler Youth generation

After World War II, the Hitler Youth was disbanded by the Allied authorities as part of the effort to remove Nazi influence from Germany. Many of its adult leaders faced trials, and some were punished for their roles in spreading Nazi ideas to young people.

German children who were part of the Hitler Youth grew up during a time of tension between East and West Germany. Many later held important positions in both parts of the country, even though they had been members of this group when they were young. Some reflected later in life that their time in the Hitler Youth had taken away their normal childhood and that they had supported a harmful cause.

Ranks and uniforms

See also: Hitler Youth Badge

The highest rank in the Hitler Youth was called Reichsjugendführer (Reich Youth Leader). Only two people ever held this rank during its time.

Members wore a summer uniform that included black shorts and a tan shirt with pockets. They also wore a black folded cloth around their necks, called a neckerchief, secured with a woggle. The headgear originally was a beret, but this changed in 1934. Symbols used included a white special symbol on a black background, meaning "victory," and a red-white-red flag with a black symbol in the middle.

Troop colours/Paspel:

(Most Hitler Youth shoulder boards were tan or black and had one of the colours below called “troop colours” or Paspel; The naval Hitler Youth units were different, with navy blue shoulder boards piped in gold)

•  Red (rot); Standard Hitler Youth (Allgemeine-HJ) colours
  • Hitler Youth mountain walk groups (HJ-Bergfahrtengruppen) and Mountain Hitler Youth (Gebirgs-HJ) were programs for HJ members. They were not special groups and did not have unique Paspel, though participants could earn certain badges, such as the HJ-Skiführerabzeichen (Hitler Youth Ski Leader’s Badge), among others
•  Carmine (karmesinrot); Area and Reichsjugendführer staffs
•  Light blue (hellblau): 'Flyer' (or 'Pilot') Hitler Youth (Flieger-HJ)
•  Pink (rosa): Motor Hitler Youth (Motor-HJ)
•  Yellow (gelb): Communications/Signal Hitler Youth (Nachrichten-HJ)
  •  Red (rot): Pioneer (or Engineering) Hitler Youth (Pionier-HJ); Merged into the Nachrichten-HJ in 1936, adopted  yellow (gelb) piping
•  Green (grün): Hitler Youth agriculture service (HJ-Landdienst)
•  White (weiß); National Political Institutes of Education (Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalten or NPEA) educational institutions; NPEA schools were NSDAP-sponsored preparatory schools which were paramilitary in nature. NPEA personnel used HJ uniforms and ranks
•  White (weiß); Hitler Youth 'patrol service' (HJ-Streifendienst or SRD); White Paspel was allowed in June 1942 for SRD personnel. Before this, SRD personnel wore the standard red of the Allgemeine-HJ
  •  Red (rot); Hitler Youth Firefighting Brigades (HJ-Feuerwehrscharen, also called Feuerwehrscharen im SRD); Feuerwehrscharen units existed before 1939, but their training was not the same. In December 1939, training became the same and all Feuerwehrscharen personnel were fully part of the HJ-Streifendienst (SRD); In 1940, special uniforms for the HJ-Feuerwehrscharen were made, with shoulder boards piped with  Carmine (karmesinrot) Paspel. After the June 1942 change of the SRD to white Paspel, Feuerwehrscharen were also allowed to wear the  SRD white (weiß der SRD) shoulder board piping on their standard HJ uniforms. Feuerwehrscharen personnel could also earn the HJ-Feuerwehrabzeichen ("Hitler Youth Fire Brigade Badge), given in two levels; Formationsabzeichen (standard badge), edged in carmine, and the Führerabzeichen (fire unit leaders’ badge), edged in white or silver. Apart from the edging, the badges were the same; a diamond-shaped cloth symbol worn on the lower-left outer sleeve of proper HJ uniforms, showing a carmine Polizeiadler ("police eagle" symbol) on red and black flames. The badges were earned by passing a set of firefighting tests
•  Navy blue (marineblau) base piped in  gold (gold): Naval Hitler Youth (Marine-HJ)
•  Red (rot); Mounted Hitler Youth (Reiter-HJ); Disbanded in 1936
•  Red (rot); Hitler Youth First-Aiders; (HJ-Feldschere)
• League of German Girls (Bund Deutscher Mädel or BDM)-Health Service Girl (BDM-Gesundheitsdienstmädel); BDM personnel did not wear shoulder boards, so Health Service Girls had no unique colours. Qualified BDM-Gesundheitsdienstmädel wore a Feldscher symbol of black and silver Aesculapius snake-and-staff on their lower-left sleeve. After September 1938 this symbol was changed to a white background with a red "life rune” with different borders showing rank