Figure 1.--This unidetified photograph looks like it was taken in the 1930s, but we are not sure just when. The first impression is thsat they were Hitler Youth boys because of the \dark short pants and this is possible. Note that the boys are wearing white shorts and are hiking in a small group without any formation. This is unlike the Hitler Youth. Also the guitar was not a common HJ acoyerment. The HJ went in for more martisal music such as drums and buggles. And note how the back packs are done differently. In HJ units the backpacks would have been dome the same.

We have large numbers of unidentified images imges of German children participating in youth groups. Scoiuts and Hitler Youth boys are fairly easy to identify. There were, however, large numbers of other youth groups. Many were quite small. These photographs are very difficult tio identify because we know so littkle abouty these vgroups. It is, however, fairly easy to date the photographs with a fair degree of accuracy. This may permit us to gradually identifythe groups. The chronology also helps us understand trends in the German youth movement.

The 19th Century

We begin to see youth groups in Germany during the late 19th centur. The principal group was Wandervogel, but thee were others. We are unable at this time to identify many of these groups. We note German boys wearing what look to be organization uniforms in the late 19th century, perhaps as early as the 1870s. We are not sure what these early groups are. The earliest groups may be band units. We note some 19th images of German boys wearing a variety of uniforms which are clearly not just band groups. We have no idea as to what organization they belong. Many of these images show boys with musical instruments suggest some kind of band groups. The uniforms are quite varied. One example here is a Berlin boy about 1880 with a drum and fancy uniform. Hopefully our German readers will provide us some insights here. Some may belong to village or community bands, but we believe that other kinds of organizations are involved. We have found some images of German boys in uniforms we can not identify. Some of these images we have since identified and developed some information like the gun clubs and fire rescue brigades. Some images we have been unable to identify.

The 20th Century

The topic of German youth groups is difficult because there were in Germany during the early 20th century a large number of small youth groups, often with informal uniforms. We have some limited information on these groups, but rarely information on their uniforms. In the aftermath of Germany's defeat in World War I the appolutical Wandervogel movement splintered and large numbers of small youth groups formed with sectarian and political agendas--bith left and rigt wing. The Hitler Youth was but one of those groups. It is impossible to list all of these groups. Some of the most important were: Adler unf Falken, Bismark Jugend, Bund der Artamenen, Deutsche Falkenschaft, Deutsche Freishar, Deutsche Kolberg, Deutsche Pfadfinderbund, Freischar Junger nation, Freischar Schill, Geusen, Hidenberg Jugend, Jugenbund Graf von Wartenburg, Jugendverbande, Jungend-Internationalem Jungwolf, Jungdeutscher Orden, Jungstrom Kolberg, Scharnhorst Jugend, Schilljugend, Tannenbergbund, and many more. We have found images of some of these groups, but do not know enough about the uniforms to identify them. We note one unidentified group in the early 1930s. These different organizations were closed or asbsorbed into the Hitler Youth by the NAZIs beginning in 1933. Thus the histortu of German youth groups has since been less complicated.