Hitler Youth: Membership

Figure 1.--After the NAZIs seized powe in 1933, they rapidly turned the Hitler Youth into a huge organization which came to increasinly control German youth.

The Hitler Youth grew from a group with a handful of boys to one of the most important uniformed youth froup in Europe. No group so thoroughly suceeded in their stated purpose. Had the NAZIs suceeded, the elite of Europe would have been raised and trained through the Hitler Youth. Membership increased from about 1,000 in 1923 to nearly 8 million in 1939 when Hitler launched World War II. Very detailed statistics are available on the growth of the NAZI Party youth organizations, principally the Hitler Youth, as the NAZIs were such good record keepers. Membership in the Hitler Youth was limited to Aryan boys. Here a basic understanding of NAZI racial laws. The principal laws were annoubced by Hitler on September 15, 1935 at the Nuremberg Paty Congress. Any understanding of the experience of German children during the NAZI era can not escape a basic understanding of the regimes racial policies. All Aryan boys could join the DJ and become HJ boys. HBU not certain about Mischlings. These were children with one (Mischling First Degree) and two (Mischling Second Degree) Jewish grand parents. Children with three Jewish grandparents were classified as Jews and could belong to the DJ and HJ.

Numbers

The Hitler Youth grew from a group with a handful of boys to one of the most important uniformed youth froup in Europe. No group so thoroughly suceeded in their stated purpose. Had the NAZIs suceeded, the elite of Europe would have been raised and trained through the Hitler Youth. Membership increased from about 1,000 in 1923 to nearly 8 million in 1939 when Hitler launched World War II. Very detailed statistics are available on the growth of the NAZI Party youth organizations, principally the Hitler Youth, as the NAZIs were such good record keepers.

1923: 1,200

1924 2,400

1925: 5,000

1926: 6,000

1927: 8,000

1928: 10,000

1929: 13,000

1930: 26,000

1931: 63,700

1932: 107,956

1933: 2,292,041

1934: 3,577.565: The Hitler Youth became a mass orgamization after the NAZIs seized power in early 1933. More than a million additional children were added to the organization in 1934. The membership reached 3,577,565 children.

1935: 3,943,303

1936: 5,437,601: The first Hitler Youth Law was promulgated in 1936. This essentially made membership compulsory, but did not explicityl say so. Nor did the Law establish any penalties for non-complince. Based on the law the HJ proceeded on the basis that all children both boys and girls should enter the HJ at age 10. Despite the new law, membership did not increase substantially the next year, but did in 1938.

1937: 5.879.955

1938: 7.031.226: Note that after the HJ was made mandatory in late 1936 that about 2.0-2.5 million addition children joined the HJ by 1938-39. It seems likely that these were from families that were not particularly supportive of the NAZIs and willing to resist within the narrow areas that the regime pernitted. Itis probably a useful indicator of actual political attitudes within Germany.

1939: 7.728.259: The Second Hitler Youth Law was promulgated in 1939. The law is notable for the much greater detail defining membership in the HJ. The Law begins by declaring that "Service in the Hitler Youth is honorary service to the German people." The Law explicity states that German children must join the Hitler Youth at age 10 and serve through age 18 yerars. Penalties are privided for guardians who do not comply, including confinement. The Law also gives officials the authority to require participation.

1940: Hitler launched World War II (September 1939). We do not yet have membership data for the War years.

1941: The NAZIs promulgated the Third Hitler Youth Law during World War II in 1941. We do not have details, but it was apperently designed to limit exemptions granted and to make the compliance for evasion more severe.

1942:

1943:

1944:

1945:

NAZI Racial Laws and Policies

Membership in the Hitler Youth was limited to Aryan boys. Here a basic understanding of NAZI racial laws. The principal laws were annoubced by Hitler on September 15, 1935 at the Nuremberg Paty Congress. Any understanding of the experience of German children during the NAZI era can not escape a basic understanding of the regimes racial policies. As the boys in the images posted in HBC can not speak to us, such background is needed to understand what was hoing through their heads and the experiences they had. The NAZI attitude toward the Jews is best known, but other groups were also affected. Then there was the complication of children who were of mixed ancestry--"Mischlings". Racial background affected one legal status and standing in the society. For boys a primary consideration was membership in the Hitler Youth and the right to wear the uniform--a uniform that even many children from anti-NAZI or non-Aryan families often desired to wear.

Eligibility

All Aryan boys could join the DJ and become HJ boys. HBU not certain about Mischlings. These were children with one (Mischling First Degree) and two (Mischling Second Degree) Jewish grand parents. Children with three Jewish grandparents were classified as Jews and could belong to the DJ and HJ. Ilse Koehn described her experiences. She was a Mischling Second Degree. Her beloved grandmother was Jewish and she disappeared suddenly during 1943. The family later found she was murdered at Theresienstadt. She was allowed to join the BDM although she herself did not know she was part Jewish. [Koehn.] I'm not positive precisely what the regulations were. Another Mischling Second Class tells us, "I grew up in Vienna, Austria and when I reached ten years of age in 1943 I like any other child had to report ready to join the junior version of the local group of the BDM (Jungmaedel, boys between 10-14 years were called Pimpf). Woe to any child which did not report as it was compulsory and disobedience could lead to a labour camp. I had to fill in a form containing amongst other details who were my parents, grandparents, great grandparents and their religious beliefs. Now my great grandparents on my fathers side were Jews and as soon as this was noticed I was told that I was not good enough to join up, but if ever necessary they would get in touch with me. If my memory serves me right I was somewhat upset by this because it made me different from the other kids my age." [Evans]

Sources

Evans, Lottie. "Lottie's Story," http://timewitnesses.org/english/~lotte.html

Koehn, Ilse. Mischling Second Degree: My Childhood in NAZI Germany (Puffin: 1981).