Hitler Youth Activities: War Work--Assisting Refugees

Figure 1.--These HJ boys helping refugees. They appear to be at a Berlin train station. They are loading babby carriages on a city bus. Baby carriages roved useful in transporting not only babies, but what meager possessions the refugees could bring with them. We suspect this photograph was taken in 1943 before the intensive bombing of Berlin began in 1944.

The NAZI creted a massive flow of refugees throughout Europe. As the War turned against Germany, more and more Germans were turned into refugees. This began with the Allied bombing raids as the Allied methodically destroyed one Getman vity after another (1943). The problem was relativey minor until the Inited States jouned the Briish in the around-the-clock bombing of Germany. Hitler Youth boys and girls were among those attempting to assist the mass of refugees. At first the number was limited. Another massive refugee problem was created as the resurgent Red Army after Stalingrad (January 1943) began to drive west. Germans in Eastern Europe began joining the retreating Wehrmacht collums. And eventually the Red Army reached the eastern rovinces of the Reich. Millions of Germans were desperately trying to reach the saftey of the rapidly shrinking Reich (1944). The refugee stream continued to stream west (1945). There was, however, no comparable stream east when the Western Allies entered the Reich.