I
will post information about the Hitler Youth Section, Deutsches Jungvolk from
Wikipedia and other links.
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Allgemeine Flagge des Deutschen Jungvolks,
1933-1945
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Formation
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1928
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Extinction
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1945
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Type
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Political youth organisation
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Region served
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Nazi Germany
Weimar Republic
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Parent organization
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Nazi Party
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Affiliations
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Hitler Youth
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Formerly called
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Jungmannschaften
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The
Deutsches Jungvolk (German: "German Youth") was a youth
organization in Nazi Germany for boys aged 10 to 14, and was a section of the
Hitler Youth movement. Through a programme of outdoor activities, parades and
sports, it aimed to indoctrinate its young members in the tenets of Nazi
ideology. Membership became fully compulsory for eligible boys in 1939. By the
end of World War II, some had become child soldiers.
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Deutsches Jungvolk fanfare trumpeters at a
Nazi rally in the town of Worms in 1933. Their banners illustrate the
Deutsches Jungvolk rune insignia.
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Development
The
Deutsches Jungvolk or "DJ" (also "DJV") was founded
in 1928 by Kurt Gruber under the title Jungmannschaften
(Youth Teams) but was renamed Knabenschaft and finally Deutsches Jungvolk
in der Hitler Jugend in March 1931. Following the enactment of the Law
on the Hitler Youth on 1 December 1936, boys had to be registered with the
Reich Youth Office in the March of the year in which they would reach the age
of ten; those who were found to be racially acceptable were expected to join
the DJ. Although not compulsory, the failure of eligible boys to join the DJ
was seen as a failure of civic responsibility on the part of their parents. The
regulations were tightened further by the Second Execution Order to the Law
on the Hitler Youth ("Youth Service Regulation") on 25 March
1939, which made membership of the DJ or Hitler Jugend ("HJ")
mandatory for all Germans between 10 and 18 years of age. Parents could be
fined or imprisoned for failing to register their children. Boys were excluded
if they had previously been found guilty of "dishonourable acts", if
they were found by "a medical officer of the HJ or of a physician
commissioned by the HJ" to be "unfit for service", or if they
were Jewish. Ethnic Poles or Danes living in the Reich (this was before the
outbreak of war) could apply for exemption, but were not excluded.
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Deutsches Jungvolk recruits of 1933 learn
fire fighting techniques
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Training
and activities
The
DJ and HJ copied many of the activities of the various German youth
organizations that it replaced. For many boys, the DJ was the only way to
participate in sports, camping and hiking. However the main purpose of the DJ
was the inculcation of boys in the political
principles of National Socialism. Members were obliged to
attend Nazi party rallies and parades. On a weekly basis, there was the Heimabende,
a Wednesday evening meeting for political, racial and ideological
indoctrination. Boys were encouraged to inform the authorities if their
parents' beliefs were contrary to Nazi dogma.
Once
Germany was at war, basic pre-military preparation increased; by the end of
1940, DJ members were required to be trained in target shooting with smallbore
rifles and to take part in "terrain manoeuvres".
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Deutsches Jungvolk recruits line up for roll
call at a rally in Berlin, in 1934
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Recruits
were called Pimpfen, a colloquial word meaning "scamps" or
"brats" but literally meaning "farts". Groups of 10 boys
were called a Jugenschaft with leaders chosen from the older boys; four
of these formed a unit called a Jungzug. These units were further
grouped into companies and battalions, each with their own leaders, who were
usually young adults.
Recruits
were required to swear a version of the Hitler oath:
"In the presence of this blood banner which represents our Führer, I swear to devote all my energies and my strength to the savior of our country, Adolf Hitler. I am willing and ready to give up my life for him, so help me God."
Der Pimpf,
the Nazi magazine for boys, was particularly aimed at those in the Deutsches Jungvolk,
with adventure and propaganda.
Uniform
and emblems
The
DJ uniform was very similar to the Hitler Jugend equivalent. The summer
uniform consisted of a black shorts and tan shirt with pockets, worn with a
rolled black neckerchief secured with a woggle, usually
tucked under the collar. Headgear originally consisted of a beret, but when this
was discarded by the HJ in 1934, the DJ adopted a side cap with
coloured piping which denoted their unit.
The
emblem of the DJ was a white Sieg rune on a black
background, which symbolised "victory". This was worn on the uniform
in the form of a cloth badge, sewn onto the upper-left sleeve of the shirt.
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12-year-old Jungvolk platoon
commander, Alfred Zech (from Goldenau in Upper
Silesia) earned the Iron Cross Second Class in 1945 for rescuing wounded
soldiers whilst under enemy fire.
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Wartime
In addition to their pre-military
training, the DJ contributed to the German war effort by collecting recyclable
materials such as paper and scrap metal, and by acting as messengers for
the civil
defence organisations. By 1944, the Hitler Jugend formed part of the
Volkssturm,
an unpaid, part-time militia, and often formed special HJ companies within Volkssturm
battalions. In theory, service in the Volkssturm was limited to boys
over 16 years of age, however much younger boys, including Jungvolk
members, often volunteered or were coerced into serving in these units; even
joining the "Tank Close-Combat Squads" which were expected to attack
enemy tanks with hand-held weapons. Eye witness reports of the Battle
of Berlin in April 1945 record instances of young boys fighting in their DJ
uniforms, complete with short trousers.
Disbandment
With
the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945, the organization de facto ceased to
exist. On 10 October 1945, it was outlawed by the Allied Control Council along
with other Nazi Party organizations. Under Section 86 of the German Criminal
Code, the Hitler Youth is an "unconstitutional organisation" and the
distribution or public use of its symbols, except for educational or research
purposes, are not permitted.
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