Figure 1.- This is clearly a class portrait. We are not sure if it is a primary or secondary class. The boys look to be aboit 11-12cvyears old. Most of the boys are wearing their DJ uniforms and were known as Pimpfen boys. This was the youthful subsection of the Hitler Youth. The school portrait was taken somewhere in East Prussia. We are unsure why so many boys are wearing their uniforms to school. (Some of the boys not wearing the uinform may not have urned 10 yet. The boys seem to be about equally divided between wearing the winter iniform jaxcket. Knee socks were usually worn with the summer uniform. The winter uniform could have either knee socks or long stockings. Note that some of the boys wear long stockings although we are told that long stockings were discouraged in the Hitler Youth as too effeminate. But in East Prussia where boys commonly wore long stockings the rule doesn't seem to have been enforced. One boy seems to be wearing long trousers. Most of the boys wear high top boots. We don't know the exact date of the photo but it was probably taken about 1937. (The NAZIs made membership in the HJ manfatory in late 1936.)

There were no school uniforms during the NAZI era at most German schools. The boys wore their own clothes. There were differences depending on the level and type of school. The photographic record shows that primary boys mostly wore short pants and kneesocks or during the colder months long stockings. This was especially the case for the younger boys. Older boys wore shorts, knickers, and long pants. Both age and the type of school were factors here. Many parents let the boys wear long pants or knickers during the winter. Some children wore their Hitler Youth uniforms. For the most part this seems to have been a matter of individual choice. We do, however, see some classes where large numbers of boys wore their uniforms.

Primary Schools

HBC has very limited information on the clothes worn in primary schools during the Third Reich. Except for the appearance of Hitler Youth uniforms, the clothes worn were quite similar to those worn during the Weimar Republic era (1919-32). Strangely, as uniforms were ordained for just about every one in NAZI Germany, school uniforms were not required for school children. Most boys wore short pants. During the colder winter months some boys wore long pants, but many wore shorts with knee socks or long stockings. Lederhosen were common as were English style school sandals.

Secondary Schools

Many boys in scecondary schools wore suits during the NAZI era, especially the 1930s. As far as wec can tell, there was no major change from the Weimar years, except a general trend toward formality. We still see, however many boys wearing suits to secondary schools. Ans we see some boys wearing their HJ uniforms. We do not know how common tghis was. Most school portraits show a relatively small number of boys wearing their uniforms to school. We see many photographs with none of the boys or only a few wearing their HJ uniforms. A few photographs show quite a number of boys wearing HJ uniforms. We are not sure if thisas a pecial day or if certain schools or teachers or even HJ leaders encouraged the boys to wear their uniforms. The availability of clothing was not at first seriously affected by the War, Large quantities of clothing was essentially looted from the occupied countries--especially France. The relatively dressey standards began to change somewhat during the War, especially by 1942-43 when the War began to go seriously against Germany.

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Created: 8:05 AM 3/12/2010
Last updated: 8:05 AM 3/12/2010