What It Was Like to be in the Hitler Youth

When the National Socialist German Workers' Party assumed control of Germany

it immediately set out to spread its influence into every aspect of German society

And the lives of German children were no exception. And what better way to get kids excited about fascism than by turning it into a fun summer camp

So today we're going to take a look at what it was like to be in the Hitler Youth

Okay, get ready for the worst after-school program in history. In 1933, hundreds of thousands of German children were already enrolled in youth organizations like the Boy Scouts

In fact, German society under the Weimar Republic had a rich tradition of youth groups

both religious and political in nature, dating back to before World War I

The Youth League of the Nazi Party was actually founded as early as 1922

It was allegedly disbanded after Hitler's failed 1922 coup, known as the Beer Hall Putsch

presumably sung to the tune of Ballroom Blitz. But in reality, the organization had just gone underground

which is the best place to go if you don't want anyone to know what you're up to

Rebranded with the super catchy name, Hitler Youth League of German Worker Youth, in July of 1926

the group boasted 25,000 members by 1930. Hey, that's a lot of German worker youth

These members were boys aged 14 to 18, but eventually a separate section with the equally

catchy name German Youngsters in the Hitler Youth was added for boys aged 10 to 14

Also looking to leave their mark on young girls, the Young Girls League for girls aged

10 to 14 was created, as well as the similarly named the League of German Girls for girls

aged 14 to 18. Still with me? Good. Apparently, the strategy of appealing to kids by making everything as confusing as possible

is a tale as old as time. In 1931, Hitler placed a guy named Baldur von Schirach in charge of the whole youth program

By the time Hitler came to power in January of 1933, Schirach had swelled the membership to around 100,000 children

By the end of that year, the Hitler Youth would include over 2 million members

of full 30% of German youths aged 10 to 18. Like Whitney Houston, Hitler believed the children were the future

So the purpose of the Hitler Youth was to indoctrinate those children into fascist ideology

before they had a chance to learn anything else. As future party members, parents, and soldiers

German children were considered essential to the survival of the Volksgemeinschaft, or people's community

When it came to these youth groups, the name of the game was conformity. Members of the Hitler Youth were all taught the same songs outfitted in the same uniforms and forced to participate in the same activities Members had to attend all sorts of meetings and events that were specifically designed to overwhelm other cultural priorities

like attending school or even church. Most importantly, the busy schedule also kept children away from the influence of their parents

many of whom were not down with Germany's new agenda. And when you're a kid of a certain age

a secret club your parents aren't allowed to know about would be appealing even if it were run by actual spiders, which wasn't that far from the truth in this case

Hitler himself placed a great deal of importance on the youth programs. As a result, the Hitler youth were often in attendance at party rallies and marches

including the famous annual Nuremberg rallies. In fact, Leni Riefenstahl's famous propaganda film, Triumph of the Will

contains footage of Hitler speaking with members of the youth programs during a 1934 rally at Nuremberg

And in September of 1935, he addressed 50,000 Hitler Youth members at Nuremberg

telling them his ideal Hitler Youth subject would be swift as a greyhound, as tough as leather, and as hard as Krupp's steel

A description taken directly from his 1925 manifesto, Mein Kampf. Also a ringing endorsement for Krupp's steel

Membership in a youth group was purely voluntary. That is, until 1936, when all children in Germany were required by law to join up

Not coincidentally, that was the same year the government banned all other competing youth organizations, including the Boy Scouts

In the absence of competition, the Hitler Youth was easily able to co-opt many pre-existing scouting traditions and activities

Most units met once during the week and again on the weekends. The boys participated in hikes, arts and crafts, sing-alongs, and camping trips where they would

tell stories around a fire. One former member recalled enjoying a test of courage in which the

boys had to jump from a high diving board. Those that completed the test were awarded a dagger

inscribed with the words blood and honor, which is a bit intense for what essentially was a high

dive merit badge, but Hitler wasn't exactly known for his chill. Meanwhile, the girls groups taught

young women how to take care of their homes and families through activities including sewing

farming, cooking, nursing, and singing, as well as things like winter coat drives and gymnastics

The girls were also encouraged to keep their bodies in good shape so they could attract a

mate and eventually bear racially pure children to be the next generation of Germany. It sounds

pretty bleak, but it was all so normalized that the children didn't realize the group's insidious purpose

They would later recall their time in the Hitler Youth fondly, just like a class trip to Disney World chaperoned by Dracula

As the war went on, members of the Hitler Youth were fed increasing amounts of propaganda glorifying Hitler

And the boys group became increasingly militaristic According to a 1941 report in Time magazine mathematics is taught in terms of bullet trajectories range finding sextant reading aerodynamics

Members of the youth group were increasingly used to aid stormtroopers as they carried out

their atrocities. There were no more camping trips and sing-alongs. Instead, the Hitler Youth were used for activities

like raiding Jewish synagogues, destroying holy texts, and forcing Jews to clean pavement with toothbrushes

In other words, things escalated quickly. There was a ton of pressure on youngsters to join the Hitler youth

but some still refused for a variety of reasons, including politics, religion, or just good old-fashioned teenage rebellion

Those rebels took their own groups underground, and some even fought back

Many of these illegal groups included both boys and girls and allowed for different gender roles

than the Hitler Youth did. Each of these rebel groups had their own personalities. For example

the Edelweiss pirates wrote anti-Nazi graffiti on walls, helped facilitate the black market

and sometimes even directly attacked the Hitler Youth, working to sabotage their activities

Meanwhile, the Leipzig-Moyten rooted their rebellious activities in deeply held communist beliefs. And the swing kids, who were the subjects of a 1993 film starring Christian Bale, wore their

hair long, dressed in American and British styles, listened to jazz, and, of course, engaged in swing

dancing. Teens would revisit this form of rebellion in the late 90s, only to discover that the cherry

popping daddies weren't as edgy without the looming threat of Nazi occupation. Scout groups outside of

Germany fought back as well. In France, a troop of Boy Scouts saved 40 Jewish children from

deportation. And in Poland, a group of Scouts resisted the Germans in Auschwitz and ultimately

escaped the camp. All of these rebel youth groups, both in Germany and other countries

faced the very real risk of arrest and imprisonment in concentration camps

Many were even executed. Over time, it became increasingly clear the goal of the Hitler Youth was to create more soldiers for the Third Reich

Starting in 1943, all boys were forced to serve in the military starting at 17

Having spent their childhood absorbing the Fuhrer's ideology, these kids made for some wildly fanatical and highly obedient soldiers

Around this time, the SS formed a special division from Hitler Youth members born in the year 1926

This division of teenagers was first sent to France, where it was instrumental in events like the Ardennes Abbey Massacre of Canadian POWs

and the ask elimination of French resistance fighters. Others directly fought Allied troops in the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge

By 1945, when it was becoming apparent that the war was a lost cause for Germany

they began pulling even younger Hitler youth members out of school and sending boys as young as 15 to the front These boys were asked to carry out suicide missions and anyone who refused was

immediately eliminated. It turns out Hitler did not accept notes from anyone's parents excusing

their absence. Despite this treatment, Hitler continued to tout the great importance of the

youth. On April 20, 1945, he was filmed in front of a bunker with 19 members of the Hitler youth

The boys proudly displayed iron crosses pinned to their chests as the Fuhrer told them

Despite the gravity of these times, I remain firmly convinced that we will achieve victory in this battle

and above all for Germany's youth and you, my boys. Ten days later, he would off himself inside that very bunker

Wonder if he gave himself a merit badge. After the war was over, the SS was declared a criminal organization

and its members were targeted for arrest. Former Hitler Youth Leader Baldur von Schirach

was among the first Reich leaders tried at Nuremberg for crimes against peace, humanity, and defenseless civilians

He served 20 years at Spandau Prison, was released in 1966, and passed away in 1974

The Hitler Youth themselves were treated with kid gloves, pun intended. Whether or not it was true

the Allies thought of the Hitler Youth as misled youngsters, so members weren't prosecuted

That being said, Allied soldiers made a habit of taking captured members of the Hitler Youth

to see the liberated camps in the aftermath of the atrocities that had been committed within

Those who weren't near the camps were made to watch disturbing footage of them. And some members were even forced to bury the remains of the camp's victims

which sounds pretty harsh, because it was. But it was important to try and replace their happy memories of their time in the Hitler Youth

with the reality of what had occurred in the camps. Others used the skills they learned to scavenge and survive

in the battle-torn landscape of post-war Germany. In 1945, school attendance was declared compulsory in part

just to get the former Hitler Youth off the streets. After Germany was divided, East Germany fell under the control of Soviet Russia

Remnants of the Hitler Youth were rebranded as the Free German Youth and began marching under Soviet Unity Party banners and pictures of Joseph Stalin

Did those guys not learn a lesson? Eh, maybe they just said a thing for father figures with mustaches

The Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls were outlawed, but the damage had already been

done. Millions of German children had already spent their formative years being shaped by

Hitler's youth organizations. The groups are widely considered one of the most chilling aspects of

the era, but their legacy still has an outsized impact on 20th century Germany. In fact, during

the Cold War era, many senior leaders of both East and West Germany were former members of the

Hitler Youth. It wouldn't be until after the reunification of Germany in 1990 that the era

of mandatory participation in state-sponsored political youth groups would finally come to an end