Hitler Youth Uniforms: Accessories and Insignia


Figure 1.--This picture shows the armband, belt with special buckle and the highly prized dagger (with scabbard). The dagger is inscribed with the Hitler Youth motto--"Blut und Ehre", Blood and Honor.

Many accessories were associated with the Hitler Youth uniform. These were worn with both winter and summer uniforms. The boys wore a swastica belt buckle. A proud momenent in each Hitler Youth boy's life was when he was awarded his dagger escribed with the motto "Blood and SoilHonor" ("Blut und Ehre"). Hitler Youth boys wore a leather waist belt and cross strap. For the purpose of a command structure, Germany was divided up into a number of Hitler Youth Districts or HJ-Gebiete. Arm badges in the shape of a triangle were worn on the left upper arm of their shirts or tunics which showed the name of the wearer's HJ District. All male Hitler Youth members were issued with a short bladed knife, the HJ-Fahrtenmesser or Travelling Knife. This was carried in a metal sheath worn from the waist belt. This was for many of the boys one of their most prized possesions.

Assessories

Many accesories were associated with the Hitler Youth uniform. These were worn with both winter and summer uniforms.

Belt

We have very limited information on Hitler Youth belts. We know that they had destinctive regulation belt buckles, but we know very little about the actual belt. he boys could not use just any belt as it has to fit the regulation belt buckle. The examples we have seen are all wide, dark leather belts. Presumably there were regulation belts, but here we have o detailed informtion yet. There had to be some kind of a fixture to accomodate the more narrow leather shoulder strap.

Shoulder strap

Many Hitler Youth boys wore a shoulder strap. The Hitler Youth were not the only youth groyp with a sholder strap, but they are the best known such group. Actully many early Scouts wore shoulder straps. The Boy's Brigade uniform for years had a white shoulder strap. Virtually all the natiolists groups which appeared in the 1930s and 40s war years had sholder straps. We note that while virtually all early Hitler Youth boys had shoulder straps, by the time of the War in the 1940s that many boys did not have the shoulder straps.

Arm band

The official Hitler Youth arm band was red with a white strap and swastica. I'm not sure id very boy got an arm band. In many images Hitler Youth boys are not wearing them. Perhaps they were only for ceremonial occasions. The arm band was made destinctive, in part because the SA began to compalin that their browm shirted uniform was being confused with that of the Hitler youth. Thus the arm band was given the destinctive white strap. It is multi-piece construction with the swastika being sewn in several pieces onto the white background which is sewn on top of the white strip which is sewn on the red armband.

Belt buckle

The Hitler Youth had two different belt buckles, both silver-colored steel belt buckle. The younger DJ boys wore a belt buckle with a simple runic lighting bolt symbol. There were two designs, both very similar. The older HJ boys wore a shield device. It was an eagle with wings spread over a diamond containing a swastica and surounded by the HJ moto. There were two designs. The forst was an early design, the second was more common. There was also a buckle with the NAZI flag, but I do not think that it was acommonly worn. There was also a different belt buckle for youth laeders.

Dagger

A proud momenent in each Hitler Youth boy's life was when he was awarded his dagger escribed with the motto "Blut und Ehre" (Blood and Honor). All male Hitler Youth members were issued with a short bladed knife, the HJ-Fahrtenmesser or Travelling Knife. This was carried in a metal sheath worn from the waist belt. This was for many of the boys one of their most prized possesions. Note the diamond shaped red and white device with a black swastica on the dagger handle

Epaulettes

New entrants in the DJ did not have epauletes or shoulder badges (Schulterklappen). Some DJ bous had one and the HY leaders might have two, one on each shoulder. They came in different colors. We are not yet sure precisely what they represented. Presumably they also indicate rank.

Pins

HJ boys were issued diamond shaped pins that they wore in their caps. I think the DJ boys got the pins also, but am not sure. I do not know about the BDM girls.

Lanyards

The lanyards were an especially important part of the Hitler Youth uniform as it was an indication of rank. They were only issued to youth leaders that had compledted a leadership course of some kind. Attached to the lanyard was of course a whistle which was worn buttoned in a breast pocket. These lanyards or braided cords (Kordel, Fangschnur) came in different colors representing different ranks. A green Fangschnur indicated thatvthe person was a she was a Fähnleinführer leading a group called a Fähnlein (little flag) of about 100 boys pr girls in the BDM.

Belts and Shoulder Straps

Hitler Youth boys wore a leather waist belt (????) and shoulder cross strap (Schulterriemen). I notice in many pages the boys wear only regular belts. Presumably the shoulder strap was the correct uniform belt for all boys, but was not always insisted on by the group leaders. I had thought ther belts were brown, but the one here is black. The shoulder straps were eventually issued with different colored piping indicating the HJ branch. All thse belts were balck, except that the Marine-HJ had blue shoulder straps.


Figure 2.--HBU believes this sleeve device desinated this soldier as a member iof the elite Hitler Youth Division. This armored Division fought at Normany, preventing the British from taking Cael until a month after the landings. The Division itself was desimated, in part because of the fantical heroism og the boys.

Insignia, Patches, and Badges

We have noted a variety of insignia and patches on both HJ and BDM uniforms. For the purpose of a command structure, Germany was divided up into a number of Hitler Youth Districts or HJ-Gebiete. Arm badges in the shape of a triangle were worn on the left upper arm of their shirts or tunics which showed the name of the wearer's HJ District. his was worn by both the HJ and DJ boys as well as the BDM giels. We also notice that all but the youngest boys had an oval runic lighting bolt patch. The single lighting bolt was the emblem of the HJ. It was also used on belt buckles and banners. It was course similar to the double lighting bolt symbol of the dreaded SS. Only the HJ and DJ boys wore it. The BDM girls did not wear it. We are unsure what the DJ boys had to do to earn their lighting bolt patch. There were other insignias and pathches that we are just beginning to identify. We also notice badges that were awarded for sports, shrpshooting, and other proficency achievements. There not only were insinia for Hitler Youth uniforms, but a military unit formed from Hitler Youth boys also had special insinia, "Hitler Jugend" on Germanic script.







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Created: September 12, 2000
Last updated: 5:54 PM 2/21/2012