German National Youth Groups


Figure 1.-- Some special groups were formed to provide boys so that men could be released for the war effort. One group was called the Wehrkraft Jungen. They worked as mailmen, in hospitals or collected Kriegsliebesgaben (charitable gifts) for the front-line soldiers.

HBU does not know of any uniformed German youth group in the late 19th century. There may have been informal groups, but we know of no formal groups organized in the 19th century. The British Boys' Brigade foprmed in the 1880s, but the first German group known to the authors is the Wandervogel which was organized in 1901. The Scouts followed a few years later. Baden Powell at first treated Wandervogel as the German Scout association. The NAZIs ansorbed or banned other youth grouos and developed the Hitler Youth as a massive compulsory youth novement. After World War II, the Boy Scouts were reconstuituted. The Communists in the East set up the Young Pioneers, another compulsory youth movement. Youth groups in the West gradually declined in importance. Quite a number of youth groups were organized in Germany in the years before and after World War I. The first group was Wandervogel. The best know groups are the Hitler Youth and Scouts. There were, however, a large number of different groups of varying size in the 1920s. HBU at this time has only limited information on the other groups, but some of them were of considerable importnce. They were all either disbanded or ansorbed into the Hitler Youth in 1933. There are today in German youth groups associated with gun clubs.

Chronology

HBU does not know of any uniformed German youth group in the late 19th century. There may have been informal groups, but we know of no formal groups organized in the 19th century. The British Boys' Brigade foprmed in the 1880s, but the first German group known to the authors is the Wandervogel which was organized in 1901. The Scouts followed a few years later. Baden Powell at first treated Wandervogel as the German Scout association. He considered doing the same for the Hitler Youth, but decided against it. The NAZIs ansorbed or banned other youth grouos and developed the Hitler Youth as a massive compulsory youth novement. After World War II, the Boy Scouts were reconstuituted. The Communists in the East set up the Young Pioneers, another compulsory youth movement. Youth groups in the West gradually declined in importance.

Early 20th Century (1900-14)

The Wandervogel was formed after the turn of the 20th century. It was a loosely orhanized German youth movement. It never spread outside of the German speaking countries. The Boy Scouts were organized later, but was viewed by many as an essentially foreign (British) oriented group.
Wandervogel: The Wandervogel was formed November 4, 1901, and became Germany's most important youth groups. It many ways they were similar to the Scouts stressing hiking and camping. There was also a strong participant in sport, much more so than the Scouts. The Wandervogel was partly a manifestation of the perceptible mood of boredom and restlessness appearance of Wilhelmian Germany was little more than a facade which concealed latent tensions beneath the surface. Dr Alexander Lion who had served as a Staff Surgeon in German South-West Africa, like Baden-Powell made much of the importance of scouting, reconnaissance and pioneering skills. On his return to Germany, Dr Lion became a leader of the well established 'Wandervogel' Baden-Powell had equated the Wandervogel as a German boy scouting movement and was in correspondence with Dr Lion in the Autumn of 1908. Exchange visits took place between B-P's Scouts and the Wandervogel in 1909. Wandervogel was popular due to the involvement of sports. Boys were able to go on weekend retreats, where they would hike and learn to survive on their own in the wilderness. Organized sporting events of soccer and other various competitions kept the interests of the children. The Wandervogel were noted for their love of the land, not the new, modern conveniences of the cities. Hiking and skiing were chosen over activities such as watching a movie or going to a dance. The Wandervogel reflected the main attitudes of the of the youth movement.
Boy Scouts: The Boy Scouts were organized later, but was viewed by many as an essentially foreign (British) oriented group. I'm not sure just when the Scouts formed in Germany, but it was probably around 1908-10. I'm not sure how important the Scots were during this period or the differences in membership of the Scouts and Wandervogel.
Other: The Hohe Meissner meeting of 1913 showed the spirit of the youth.

World War I (1914-18)

Scouts groups in England and France performed a variety of home front activities tonsupport the World War I effort. I'm not sure if this was the case in Germany or if the Scouts were as established as they were in England and Germany. Some special groups were formed to provide boys so that men could be released for the war effort. One group was called the Wehrkraft Jungen. They worked as mailmen, in hospitals or collected Kriegsliebesgaben (charitable gifts) for the front-line soldiers.

Weimar Era (1919-33)

German youth during the 1920's were involved in an incredible diverse number of mostly small youth organiztions, perhaps as many as 2,000 such groups--although a much smaller number of groups of any size. The most popular German youth organization after the War was still the Wandervogel, but the idelism of the movement had been sapped by the War. The Wandervogel was non-political, but German boys after the War were strongly politicized. Boys were highly nationalistic and convinced that their country had been wronged by the Versailles Peace Treaty and the oldr more politically conscious boys critical of the Weimar Government. Many youth organizations were a rejection of the Weimar government, which was one of the reasons why they were so easily supportive of the Hitler Youth and NAZI regime in general. They were also disenchanted with the older generation and their new sets of values: work and money. These and other attitudes made it a relatiively easy matter for the NAZIS in 1933 to fold them and most other independent youth groups into the Hitler Youth.

The Third Reich (1933-45)

Hitler's influencial ideas and powerful personality reached past the adult members of the Nazi party, to the German children. Hitler felt that by teaching the future generation about fascism, then all of his plans and ideas would succeed with the help of the children. Hitler then acted as the father of the German children. He gained their respect and support at a young age, which was a new tactic which had never been used before. This effort of course was facilitated when the NAZIs seized power in 1933 and quickly took contol of the schools as well as independent youth groups. Hitler gained the children's respect and support by teaching them strict manners and discipliary orders while they were still in school. He also enforced the teaching of Fascism and xenephobic nationalism in the schools. The guiding light behind the Hitler Youth in the early years while the NAZIs were working to take power and in the NAZI Government which seized power in 1933 was Baldur Von Schirach, who was eventually tried at Nuremberg and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Von Schirach within weeks after Hitler seized power sent 50 Hitler Youth to take over the offices of the independent Federation of German Youth. Other Hitler Youth units were soon ordered to seize the offices of youth groups all over Germany. The Catholic youth and a a few other groups were spared until 1936. Of course Jewish youth groups were not folded into the Hitler Youth, but eventually their property and facilities were seized.


Figure 2.--Baldur Von Schirach attending the funeral of a 15-year old Hitler Youth boy who had been killed.

The War Years (1939-45)

The Hitler Youth remained the only legal youth program for German children during the war years. The HJ proved enormously successful in molding the attitudes and behavior of German youth. The HJ played an important role in the War effort, colecting materials on the home front, recruiting youths to the militatry, and mannning anti-air craft batteries. A very effective SS panzer division was formed of Hitler Youth boys which fought fanatically on the western fronr after D-Day. Large numbers of Hitler Youth boys were inducted in the Volksstrum (People's Storm or home guard) in ther last ditch defence of German cities during late 1944 and 1945 as the allies entered the boundaries of the Reich.

The Post-War Era (1945- )

Various youthbgroups were revived in German in the pst-war era as part of the de-nazification effort. The Boy Scouts became the major gtoup, but several different national associations were formed. Other groups like Wandervogel were organized.

Organizations

Quite a number of youth groups were organized in Germany in the years before and after World War I. The first group was Wandervogel. The best know groups are the Hitler Youth and Scouts. There were, however, a large number of different groups of varying size in the 1920s. HBU at this time has only limited information on the other groups, but some of them were of considerable importnce. They were all either disbanded or ansorbed into the Hitler Youth in 1933. There are today in German youth groups associated with gun clubs.







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Created: November 15, 1998
Last updated: 8:15 PM 3/4/2010