Hitler Youth
• "My program for educating youth is hard.
Weakness must be hammered away. In my
castles of the Teutonic Order a youth will
grow up before which the world will
tremble. I want a brutal, domineering,
fearless, cruel youth. Youth must be all that.
It must bear pain. There must be nothing
weak and gentle about it. The free, splendid
beast of prey must once again flash from its
eyes...That is how I will eradicate thousands
of years of human domestication...That is
how I will create the New Order." – Adolf
Hitler, 1933.
Branch of the Nazi Party
• 1922 – 1945
• There were three sections.
One for males 14-18
One for males 10-14
One for females
• 2.3 million kids were members in 1933
• Their motto was “Blood and Honor”
Flag
Propaganda Poster
Hitler Youth
recruitment
poster. The
wording
translates to:
"Youth serves
the leader. All
ten year-olds
into the Hitler
Youth."
Uniforms
The kids wore a brown
shirt and black shorts
and an arm band with
a Nazi swastika. The
arm band had a white
horizontal stripe to
easily distinguish the
young members from
brown shirted storm
troopers, the SA, who
resented being
confused with the
youths.
Why Were They Formed
• They were taught racist
views.
• They were trained to be
soldiers. They had
weapons training and
assault courses.
• Older kids were
encouraged to be cruel
to younger kids so the
Nazi leaders could weed
out the weak and
harden the rest.
Training
• Nazi leaders had preparatory schools (prep
schools) to train the most radical and devoted
followers.
Schools
• Every classroom had a picture of Hitler.
• History books were rewritten to support Nazi
beliefs.
• Kids were taught how to distinguish inferior
races of people by physical characteristics.
• Hitler Youth songs also contained anti-Semitic
lyrics including one song that said: "Yes, when
the Jewish blood splashes from the knives,
things will go twice as well."
Did You Have to Join
• In 1936 Germany passed a law that required
all Aryans had to join.
• In 1936 the law changed to require all Aryans
join, even if their parents disagreed.
Requirements
• You spent the first few months on probation while you
were trained.
• Then you had a test - recite all the verses of the Horst
Wessel Song and answer questions about Hitler's life and
the history of the Nazi Party.
• Then you had a physical test – run 60 meters in twelve
seconds and take part in a cross country hike lasting a day
and a half.
• Finally you had a courage test - jump from a first or
second story ledge into a large canvas held by older boys.
• After passing all of the tests, you were entitled to wear the
brown shirt with a leather shoulder strap and the Hitler
Youth dagger bearing the inscription Blood and Honor.
What Did They Do at First?
• They helped repair cities that had been
bombed.
• They delivered mail.
• They helped firefighters.
• They served on anti-aircraft crews.
Nuremberg Rally
• Saturday, Sept. 10 – 80,000 Hitler Youth march
into the stadium performing maneuvers.
• They spell Adolf Hitler in the stands.
• Hitler talked about his own troubled youth.
• "You, my youth, are our nation's most precious
guarantee for a great future, and you are
destined to be the leaders of a glorious new
order under the supremacy of National Socialism.
Never forget that one day you will rule the
world!"
What Happened Later?
• They were drafted into the war at age 16.
• Later the age dropped to 12.
• During the Battle of Berlin, the children fought
ferociously, but the Russian troops were too strong.
All of the kids died, except 2.
8 Year Old Soldiers
• If the boys happened to get cornered by
American patrols, they often battled until the
last boy was killed rather than surrender. And
the boys kept getting younger. American
troops reported capturing armed 8-year-olds
at Aachen in Western Germany and knocking
out artillery units operated entirely by boys
aged twelve and under. Girls were also used
now, operating the 88mm anti-aircraft guns
alongside the boys.