Figure 1.--The photograph here shows a group of German boys in the uniform of a military club called "Marine-youth Fatherland" (MJV). The photograph was taken during the early 1920s. One observer describes the group as an extracurricular voluntary group that German boys joined to supplement their school training.

We are not entirely sure just what is involved in the photograph here. The We know the German boys are in a group called the "Marine-youth Fatherland" (MJV). Unfortunately we know virtually nothing about the group. Aone source writes, "The MJV was supposed to transcend differences of class and income group and to foster qualities of leadership, discipline, and masculinity." It clearly is a navy related group. What we do not know if it is a youth group like the Sea Scouts or more of a cadet (military training group) group. Perhaps it was something in between. One source describes the group as a "military club". We have noted this term before, but do not understand precisely what is meant by the term. We do know that the German military persued various efforts to evade the restrictive terms of the Versailles Treaty. This may have been one of those efforts.

The Organization

We are not entirely sure just what is involved in the photograph here. The We know the German boys are in a group called the "Marine-youth Fatherland" (MJV). Unfortunately we know virtually nothing about the group. Aone source writes, "The MJV was supposed to transcend differences of class and income group and to foster qualities of leadership, discipline, and masculinity." It clearly is a navy related group. What we do not know if it is a youth group like the Sea Scouts or more of a cadet (military training group) group. Perhaps it was something in between. One source describes the group as a "military club". We have noted this term before, but do not understand precisely what is meant by the term.

German Evasions of the Versailles Treaty

We wonder if this was not a military-inspired rogram to evade the limits of the Versailles Treaty. We do know that the German military persued various efforts to evade the restrictive terms of the Versailles Treaty. One of the military's concern were limitations on military personnel. In response the military supported a range of organizations designed to train personnel and maintain an unofficial reserve force. Youth organizations were some of the groups maintained for this purpose. This may have been one such effort.

The Boys

The boys look quite old. We would say they are older teenagers. Some may have been older secondary students, but many German boys in the 1920s did not go to secondary school so some may have already finished school. Working-class boys mostly only attended primary school which they would have finished at about 13-14 years of age. A reader writes, "I believe that these are gymnasium boys (selective secondary schools) and about 17-19 years old.

Military Clubs

These boys are presumsably engaged in their military activities either after school hours or in the summer vacation. Once source suggests that military clubs in Germany recruited boys from across the class spectrum. A reader writes, "Maybe this means different levels of middle-class and upper-class lads, since the working-class boys would probably have jobs by the age of 16-19 and wouldn't be available."

Schools

Some countries like Britain had school connected cadet programs. I don't think this was the case in Germany, although we do not yet have details on the German cadet program. The photograph was taken during the early 1920s. One observer writes that the boys joined this voluntary group to supplement their academic training at school. As far as we can tell, German youth groups, even the Hitler Youth, were entirely independent of the schools.

Uniforms

The uniform of the Marine-youth Fatherland consisted of naval berets, sailor-suit shirts with a neckerchief, knee length short pants, dark nee socks, and hightop boots.