Hitler Youth

The Hitler Youth was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. It started in 1922 and was named Hitler-Jugend in July 1926.

From 1936 until 1945, it was the only official boys’ youth group 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 made a group for young people. This group was called the youth wing. It met for the first time in May of that year. Another group, called the Jungsturm Adolf Hitler, was also made in Munich, Bavaria, to help young people join the main Nazi group.

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

When this political group took control of the country in 1933, the youth group grew quickly to about 2.3 million members by the end of the year. This 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, joining 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. They met regularly to learn about Nazi ideas. Big meetings 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 to train future officers for the Wehrmacht (Armed Forces). One such group, the Marine Hitler Youth, supported the Kriegsmarine. There were also newspapers and magazines for members.

Doctrine

The Hitler Youth were taught to help Nazi Germany. They learned 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.

The Hitler Youth did many things like 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, focusing on physical strength. This prepared them for possible fighting.

World War II

During World War II, the Hitler Youth helped Germany in many ways. Leaders trained members to protect the country. As the war went on, young people were asked to help with many jobs. They worked with fire brigades, helped postal and railway services, and even supported the army.

By 1944, some very young members were put into a special fighting group. They fought in big battles, like the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of Berlin. Many young lives were lost in these hard fights against the Allied forces.

Post-World War II

See also: Hitler Youth generation

After World War II, the Hitler Youth was stopped by the Allied authorities. They wanted to remove Nazi influence from Germany. Many adult leaders of the group faced trials.

German children who were in the Hitler Youth grew up during a difficult time between East and West Germany. Some of them later held important jobs in both parts of the country. Some thought that being in the Hitler Youth had taken away their normal childhood and that they had supported something wrong.

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.

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.
•  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)
•  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.
•  White (weiß); Hitler Youth 'patrol service' (HJ-Streifendienst or SRD)
  •  Red (rot); Hitler Youth Firefighting Brigades (HJ-Feuerwehrscharen)
•  Navy blue (marineblau) base piped in  gold (gold): Naval Hitler Youth (Marine-HJ)
•  Red (rot); Mounted Hitler Youth (Reiter-HJ)
•  Red (rot); Hitler Youth First-Aiders; (HJ-Feldschere)
• League of German Girls (Bund Deutscher Mädel or BDM)-Health Service Girl (BDM-Gesundheitsdienstmädel)