Hitler Youth Activities: Fighting Skills--Boxing

Figure 1.--Here we see a boxing match at a HJ summer camp. Hitler took a personal interest in promor\ting boxing. He saw it as thev'ideal sport' because it developed agressiveness.

Boxing was widely practiced throughout the Hitler Youth and other Party organisations, like the SS, SA, and RAD. Hitler even addressed the subject in Mein Kampf. He went into some detail. He described boxing as the "ideal sport" for men and boys. We do not know if he boxed as a boy or when he was in the military. It seemsd to be something that he thought was good for others. And we see quite a few boxing activities at HJ camps. Here we are less sure if this was something all the boys did or something that interested boys signed up for. Nor do we know to what extent actual lessons were given. We note quite a number of boxing matches at HJ summer camps. We do not see boxing lessons, but quite a number if matches that groups of boys are watching. From the context of the picture, it is not vsomething the group will participste in in, taking turns. Of course that does not mean that there were not such sessions. Our information here is very limited. This seems more of a voluntary competition. We know that there were natiional sports competitions. We believe that boxing was one of the events involved in these competitions. One source reprts that Hitler was especially interested in promoting boxing because it developed aggrsiveness. He apparently pushed for it to be added to the school program. [Burleigh] HJ Leader Baldur von Schirach testified, "Hitler took very little interest in educational questions. As far as education was concerned, I received next to no suggestions from him. The only time when he did make a real suggestion as far as athletic training was concerned was in 1935, I believe, when he told me that I should see to it that boxing should become more widespread among youth. I did so, but he never attended a youth boxing match. My friend Von Tschammer-Osten, the Reich Sports Leader, and I tried very often to persuade him to go-to other sporting events, particularly to skiing contests and ice hockey championships in Garmisch, but apart from the Olympic Games, it was impossible to get him to attend." [Schirach]

Sources

Burleigh, Michael. The Third Reich: A New History.

Schirach, Baldur von. Testimony as a defendent at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trial. May 23-24, 1946.