Did young people enjoy the Hitler Youth?

The Hitler Youth had been part of the Nazi movement since 1925 but it really came into its own after 1933. In fact the Hitler Youth was only part of a comprehensive youth movement: for boys aged between 6 and 10 there was the Pimpfen or Little Fellows, between 10 and 14 there was the German Young People, and for boys aged 14 to 18, the Hitler Youth; for girls aged between 10 and 14 there was the League of Young Girls, whilst for those aged between 14 and 18 there was the League of German Girls.

To a degree, it was popular, particularly before 1939 when Germany went to war. But we need to remember that the Nazis made a monopoly of sports and leisure facilities and other youth groups were eventually banned, and they provided youth movements in rural areas where it had previously been something of a hit and miss. Both boys and girls in rural communities could, for the first time often, enjoy walking and sports, even weekend camping trips.

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An analysis of this data reveals a number of interesting points but we need to be aware of a number of key dates too. The Nazis closed down all other youth groups in 1933 except the group linked to the Catholic Church (and youth groups had long been a popular part of life for young Germans). Consequently, we see an immediate leap in membership of the Hitler Youth and it continues to steadily rise so that by the end of 1935 almost 50% of young Germans are members. In 1936 all alternative youth groups were banned, the Nazis enforced a monopoly of sports facilities and leisure activities for all children and membership of the Hitler Youth was made compulsory. And membership figures again increased significantly whilst still continuing to grow so that at the beginning of 1939 close to nine out of every ten children were members. What the statistics don’t tell us, however, is whether these children attended regularly or whether they were happy members.

There were many who enjoyed their time in the Hitler Youth. The poor and, as we have noted, those from rural communities, both of whom had fewer opportunities to go walking and camping in other parts of Germany and play sports before, now thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to do so. We need to remember, too, that this a time before television, the internet and computer games, and young people enjoyed getting out into the countryside and playing games and sports more than they do today, there was little else to excite them. However, this lessened after 1936 when membership became compulsory for with compulsory membership came an increase in the ideological purpose of the Hitler Youth: discipline was tightened, and for boys there was a greater emphasis on military matters like map reading and boring drills, whilst for girls, who also did drill, there was a stronger emphasis on domestic skills and motherhood.

In truth, it is difficult to come to a firm conclusion about just how popular the Hitler Youth was. Historians can select countless positive reflections from young Germans and countless negative reflections. But a report from the leadership of a group in a working class district of Hamburg in 1934 sent to the members and their parents seems to suggest that young Germans in their local group weren’t exactly in love with the movement:

‘You are not turning up to do your duty and are not even giving any excuses for your absence. Instead you are pursuing private pleasures. The ‘liberal Marxist I’ counts amongst you once more, you are denying the National Socialist ‘we’. You are sinning against the interests of the nation….’ [And then, as an ex-teacher the bit I really like]: ‘you are excusing yourselves because you are overburdened with school homework and want to go for a spin on your bicycle. When you get to school you use your Hitler Youth service as an excuse for not finishing your homework.’²

As W.C. Fields once said, ‘Never work with children or animals.’ But on a serious note, for us as historians this is a particularly useful source as, coming from the Hitler Youth movement itself, it is hardly likely to mislead us, and the frustration almost leaps from the page. It also seems unlikely that this report would be unrepresentative. It could be that middle class children would be more attuned to the ideals of the movement, but they would be hardly less interested in pursuing their own ‘private pleasures’.

1 Tim Kirk, The Longman Companion to Nazi Germany, p. 110

2 Quoted in Richard J. Evans, The Third Reich in Power, p. 276