Hitler Youth

Hitler Youth Illustration (1936)

During the 1920's, Adolf Hitler created a variety of youth organizations throughout Germany. The idea behind these organizations was to attract young men who could be trained to become members of the SA (Storm troopers). Hitler believed that since the youth was the future of Germany, he needed to manipulate their minds into supporting his ideologies. However, Hitler Youth didn't only target the minds of young men, it was also geared towards young women. The goal for Hitler was to attract young men and women, and use their minds to "build" these children into his ideal society. This way, when the children became adults, they (men) would either be fighting for Germany, or they (women) would be raising their children in the views of Nazism.

By 1939, it was mandatory for children ages 10-18 to join Hitler Youth. By this time, over two million children were now members. The daily routine for boys in Hitler Youth involved them getting mentally and physically ready for war. "In addition to military-style marching, the daily routine also included learning marksmanship, the use of bayonets, and how to throw grenades. They even covered the basics of trench warfare" (Hitler Youth). Even participating in these activities, the leaders of the groups tried to make them fun and enjoyable. This was used as a tactic to get the young men to further their support for Hitler. "The Hitler Youth (Hitler Jugend) wore uniforms and  attended meetings and rallies where they were indoctrinated with Nazi views" (Wheeler). The goal for the Hitler Youth involving boys, was to create a mindset within every generation to follow Hitler's ideologies and adopt the same views of the Nazi's.

Hitler Youth Membership Book, owned by Paul Briscoe (1940)

Hitler Youth wasn't only intended for boys. Hitler created a variation of Hitler Youth that was created for girls named, Young Maidens. Young women would be part of this organization from the age of ten till twenty-one. The purpose of Young Maidens was to teach girls how to be good mothers, and have them teach their children the views of Nazism. Young women weren't taught to fight in the war, but to teach future generations about the goals and ideas that Hitler had for Germany.

League of German Girls in the Hitler Youth (1936)

This is a break down of what each age group (for both boys and girls) learned in Hitler Youth:

Boys aged 6 – 10 years: Joined the Little Fellows and mainly participated in outdoor sport activities such as hiking, rambling and camping.
Boys aged 10 – 13 years: Joined the German Young People. They still participated in sporting activities but these had a more military emphasis such as parading and marching as well as map reading. They also learned about Nazi views on racial purity and anti-Semitism.
Boys aged 14 – 18 years: Joined the Hitler Youth. They were prepared to be soldiers by doing military activities.
Girls aged 10 – 14 years: Joined the Young Maidens, where they were taught good health practices as well as how to become good mothers and housewives. They also learned about Nazi views on racial purity and anti-Semitism.
Girls aged 14 – 21 years: Joined the League of German Maidens, where they were further prepared for their roles as the mother of future Germans. (Wheeler)


Image:
John Simkin. "Hitler Youth." Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational, Feb. 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. Images


Sources:
"Hitler Youth Summary & Facts – Nazi Paramilitary Organization." Totally History Hitler Youth Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. Summary


Wheeler, Heather. "Nazi Germany - Hitler Youth." History on the Net. HistoryOnTheNet, 05 June 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.  Hitler Youth