Hitler Youth

This shows a little girl in the Hitler Youth group exhibiting the Nazi salute.

     The Nazis were a very strong political power in Germany. Their leader was Adolf Hitler, a man with a vision. To accomplish this vision, Hitler needed to harness the power of the youth. At first, Hitler Youth was just a propaganda technique, but soon enough it became a key part to the Nazi's control over Germany. Once Hitler came into power, Hitler Youth was forced upon many children of Germany. During World War II, the children were key parts to the fight to keep Germany and the Nazi spirit alive. The Axis powers became so desperate near the end of the war they were reliant upon the young people of Hitler Youth to continue the fight. Allies were surprised to see such young boys operation heavy artillery guns and other weapons. Hitler was countless numbers of Hitler Youths' hero. While giving a speech at one Nuremburg Rally he stated, "Regardless of whatever we create and do, we shall pass away, but in you, Germany will live on"(Gavin). The formation, brainwashing, and participation helped Hitler stay in control and keep the Hitler Youth strong.

Formation

     Hitler Youth was formed based on many properties of the Nazi Party. It was founded by Kurt Gruber, a Nazi Party leader and originally named Greater German Youth Movement (Gavin). The National Socialist Party named it Hitler Jungend , Bund der Deutscher Arbeiterjungend at the suggestion of Julius Streicher in 1926 (Gavin).  The group was called Hitlerjungend, or Hitler Youth for short.  In 1928, Bund Deutscher Mädel, Leauge of German Girls, or BDM was installed (Gavin). As was a group for boys ages 10 to 14, later to be known as Jungvolk (Gavin).

     After Hitler was appointed chancellor the Hitler Youth program assumed control of all the youth programs running in Germany at the time. Control of the group was then handed over to new leader Baldur von Schirach (Gavin). Soon after, Hitlerjungend was restructured adding a group for young German girls ages 10 to 14 called Jungmädel. The Nazis believed that apart they meant nothing but together they could accomplish much. A famous theme throughout the group was, "You are nothing–your Volk is everything," meaning the country is everything, but individuals mean nothing.

Philosophy and Brainwashing

     Unfortunately, the members of Hitler Youth were told that the Nazi party is always right and it is the patriotic duty of every German citizen to do what they can for the betterment of the party. The youths were proud of the latest achievements of Germany. Also, Hitler Youth leaders were preparing every Hitler Youth for their job in the war. On Sundays, Hitler Youths were required  to go on hikes, camping, and sailing (Bartoletti). These activities prepared the young men for war and gave them the skills necessary to be good soldiers.

     In 1928, Hitlerjungend boys were required to attend Reichsappell, special days dedicated to Nazi Party proclamations made by party leaders (Gavin). Hans Ohrt, a family member of a Hitler Youth, recalls, "...your government tells you that the sun shines everyday. If you are caught telling anybody that it rains, the government will put you in jail, and you are never heard from again,"(Johannsson). To continue the Nazi impression the youth group published newspapers to "overcome the 'Jewish monopoly of news,'" as put by an article by The History Place (Gavin). The group had common sayings such as " We were born to die for Germany," and "Live Faithfully, Fight Bravely, and Die Laughing"(Gavin).

Participation and Post-War

      Adolf Hitler and the Nazis utilized the Hitler Youth members to the farthest extent. Before Hitler was elected chancellor and the Nazi Party took over, the Hitler Youth boys                         These are pictures from Hitler Youth training camps.

were required to distribute propaganda for the Nazis. They often were attacked and

fought with children of communism backgrounds making this job dangerous especially in communist rich areas.When the Nazis came into power Hitler Youth grew enormously. The group made their first appearance at a Nuremberg Party rally in 1927 (Gavin).

       As the war became closer and closer, Hitler Youth became stricter and stricter. 1934 was known as "The Year of Training", in which Hitler Youths were led by new leader Baldur von Schirach and learned all the skills necessary in the future (Gavin). Hitler focused mostly on the Hitler Youth's physical fitness and less on their education. In December of 1936, the Nazis put in place the Hitler Youth Law making it mandatory for every german child from ages 10 to 18 to be a member (Gavin). Soon the group installed a new program called HJ-Streifendienst, the Hitler Youth's version of the Gestapo (Gavin). Heinrich Himmler found this extremely interesting and recruited these certain members to the SS storm troopers. Even in the war, Hitler Youths showed bravery and strength. A website summarized the enthusiasm as, " ... the entire organization would be shaken up from top to bottom, drawn into Hitler's new war, with consequences HJ members would never have imagined." (Gavin).

These Hitler Youths are saluting Adolf Hitler at a rally.

References

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Hitler Youth. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 2005. Print. 4

Gavin, Phillip. The History Place. The History Place, 1999. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://www.historyplace.com/‌worldwar2/‌hitleryouth>. 1

Grefath, Richard W. “Hitler Youth.” Magill Book Reviews 1 May 2005: n. pag. Middle Search Plus. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://web.ebscohost.com>. 3

Hitler Youth. 8 Mar. 1933. AP Images. The Associated Press, 3 Sept. 2008. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://apimages.ap.org>.

Hitler Youth. 3 Nov. 1939. AP Images. The Associated Press, 3 Sept. 2008. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://apimages.ap.org>.

Hitler Youth. 10 Sept. 1938. AP Images. The Associated Press, 3 Sept. 2008. Web. 12 May 2010. <http://apimages.ap.org>.

Johannsson, Will. “Eyewitness to History.” Weekly Reader News- Senior82.24 2004: 3. Web. 3 May 2010. <http://web.ebscohost.com/‌ehost>. 2

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