HitlerJugend: The Hitler Youth

Formation

Blue eyed, fair skinned, articulate and Aryan indoctrinated. This was the model concept of the The Hitler Youth, famously known in German as the HitlerJugend, a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party derived from the existing youth organizations of the German boys and girls in the following category: Hitlerjugend proper, for male youth ages 14–18; the Deutsches Jungvolk, for ages 10–14. the girls' section Bund Deutscher Mädel, the League of German Girls.It existed from 1922 to 1945. Later in war, they were to play a crucial part in the Battle for Germany.

The very first German youth program was established by the German Nazi Party and was given the name Greater German Youth Movement. This was an entirely different outfit from Jungsturm Adolf Hitler, another youth group based in Bavaria and formed the recruitment pool of Hitler’s Storm troopers.

The Nazi youth groups were temporarily disbanded following the abortive Beer Hall Revolution but they simply went underground. In 1926, it emerged as the Greater German Youth Movement or the HitlerJugend, coinciding with the reestablishment of the German Nazi Party and became the official Nazi youth organization.

Rise To Prominence

By 1930, the Hitler-Jugend had over 25,000 enlisted boys aged 14 and upwards. It also had a junior branch, the Deutsches Jungvolk, for boys aged 10 to 14. Girls from 10 to 18 were given their own Nazi organisation, the League of German Girls or Bund Deutscher Mädel.

Much has been incorporated into the training and development of the HitlerJugend. They were perceived as future of the Aryan race and were indoctrinated in anti-Semitism. One objective was to instill them as fanatic defenders of the Reich and loyal to no other but to the Fuhrer, Hitler. The HitelrJugend program put more emphasis on physical and military training than on any other essential pursuit. They were even trained to spy on their parents and report Jews.

When the Boy Scout movement was banned throughout Germany and German-controlled countries, the HitlerJugend rose in prominence. They trained with weapons , assault tactics, swimming, archery and rifling. Some promising HitlerJugend boys were incorporated into the Luftwaffe Training Program. Physical cruelty was rampant to harden them into fanatic fighters.

By the end of 1932 or a few weeks before Hitler’s rise to power, it was at 107,956. At the end of 1933, this had grown to 2,300,000 members. The increase came in part through obligatory membership of eligible boys and girls. This was enforced in 1936, swelling membership of the HitlerJugend to over five million. This legal obligation was reaffirmed that virtually all eligible boys and girls belong to the HitlerJugend even if some few parents were opposed to the idea.

During the War

The HitlerJugend would play and active part during the war. Artur Axmann, its new leader, began to reform the group into an auxiliary force which could perform war duties. They were in German fire brigades and assisted with recovery efforts to German cities affected from Allied bombing. They also served among anti-aircraft defense crews.

By 1943, Nazi leaders began incorporating the Hitler Youth into the army reserve to draw manpower which had been depleted due to huge military losses. In 1943, the 12^th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, under the command of SS Brigadeführer Fritz Witt, was established. The Division was a fully equipped panzer division of the Waffen SS , with the majority of the enlisted men drawn from HitlerJugend boys between the ages of 16 and 18. The division saw its first action in the Battle of Normandy against the British and Canadian forces around Caen. The division, true to its fanaticism, earned itself a reputation for ferocity. Most of these young soldiers will die in battle and held their ground rather than surrender.

As German casualties mounted from the Eastern and Western front in 1944, members of the Hitlerjugend at a younger age were started to be drafted. This was so evident in the Battle of Remagen and Berlin. The Volkssturm or the Home Guard, was commonly drafting 12 year olds into its ranks, not to mention scores of hastily formed units composed of old men. In the Battle of Berlin, these youngsters formed part of the last line of German defense and were reportedly among the fiercest fighters. Many of these youth soldiers were to die under Russian guns, who showed little compassion to the German whether it be women or children.