Deutsche Jungvolk: Seasonal Winter Uniform Garments

Figure 1.--Notice the two older boys in the back. Both wear the winter uniform, but the younger boy wears short pants and the older boy long pants. Notice the little boy and girl wearing strap shoes. I'm not sure who the children are. It does not appear to bethe family of one of the top NAZIs.

We have collected detailed infornmation on the DJ Winter uniform. The cap was a distinctive dark blue ski-type cap, matching the winter jacket. It was completely dfferent than the summer cap. I don't think it had ear flaps, at least I have never noted the boys wearing them down. The cap was worn with the same diamond shaped Hitler Youth pin that was worn in the brown summer cap. The cap is similar to what German readers have described to us as a Schirmmütze. I have no idea how to translate it. DJ boys in the winter wore the same black neckercjief held in place by a brown leather toggle tat they wore in the summer. Often this is not apparent because the knerchief was worn under the jacket which was almost always worn buttoned. This was the same neckerchief worn by the oklder HJ boys. It was a unifornm item adopted from Scouting. Boys wore the standard light brown shirt under their winter jackets. Ther were no special winter or summer shirts. It was initially the result iof inexpensive surplus military garments. But it fit in with the para-military look of the SA--popularly known as the Brown Shirts. And the HJ began as a SA unit. Hitler Youth boys are not normally depicted wearing the arm band. I'm not sure if they needed permission to wear it if only the officers were allowed to do so. Wearing the arm band appears to havebeen more common in the early years. "The first Hitler Youth style uniforms featured a brown shirt and black shorts and a unique arm band with a Nazi swastika minus the white circular background, with a white horizontal stripe added to easily distinguish youth members from brownshirted storm troopers, the SA, who resented being confused with the youths." The white horrizontal stripe was also incorporated into the Hitler Youth flag. The winter uniform consisted of either a dark blue tunic or the dark blue blouse with large collar. Some images show boys wearing both uniforms, so HBU is not quite sure about who decided what was to be worn and when. This may have varied over time. In many images, some boys do not wear the winter jacket. This may have been because it was a warm day and some boys did not think the winter jacket was needed. Perhaps some parts did not buy the winter jacket for their boys. Presumably the group leader would have announced the appropriate uniform. The fact that many boys showed up without the jacket, suggests that they were not sharply reprimanded, although this probbaly varied from group to group. These jackets were not all that heavy. We're not sure how the boys dressed on really cold days or if outseide activities were suspended when it was really cold. The winter uniform for the DJ, depending on the boy's age, consisted of black shorts or long dark blue trousers. HBU does not know if the various groups set requirements about wearing short or long pants or if it was left up to the parents. Available images suggest that different units set such rules. It appears, however, to be highly variable. although the boys in individual units appear to often dress identically. The long pants were often worn as ski pants blouced above the ankles--but some boys wore them as regular long pants. A belt with the Hitler Youth buckle was alway worn. Many boys wore the belt with a shoulder strap. We notice some units where none of the DJ boys wore the shoulder strap, only the HJ boys assisting with the unit. In other groups some DJ boys wore the shoulder strap and some did not. The boys that wore short pants with the winter uniform usually wore grey kneesocks. Some boys wore ankle socks, but the kneesocks were more common. Often theyy were not pulled up to the knee. Many images show boys with socks that do not look long emough to be pulled up the the knee, even if not cuffed over like turn-over-top socks. White kneesocks were also worn, but this appears to have been a dressy style for formal occasions. DJ boys did not wear long stockings, even in the winter. There may have been some exceotions here in rural areas, but basically the Hitler Youth did not approve of long ober the knee stockings. It is quite rare to see DJ boys wearing rhem even in the coldestvof weather. Boys mostly wore leather shoes. Some boys wore boot-like shoes. For the most part I believe the same accesories were worn with both the winter and summer uniform. I do not know if there was a standard toggle/woggle or the boys could choose. The Hitler Youth knife was one of a boy's most trasured possessions.

Cap

The cap was a distinctive dark blue ski-type cap, matching the winter jacket. It was completely dfferent than the summer cap. I don't think it had ear flaps, at least I have never noted the boys wearing them down. The cap was worn with the same diamond shaped Hitler Youth pin that was worn in the brown summer cap. The cap is similar to what German readers have described to us as a Schirmmütze. I have no idea how to translate it. A HBC reader reports, "I used to wear a blue Schirmmütze. I noticed an image of a boy wearing one on the long stocking page. My Schirmmütze was bought for me, because I liked the "Michel aus Lönneberga" (Swedish: Emil) books by Astrid Lindgren so much. My parents used to read the books to me and the main character wearing a Schirmmütze is pictured in them. I decided I wanted to wear one of them. You could open its sidewings. I wore it during the winter." These caps were popular after the War into the 1950s.

Nerckerchief

DJ boys in the winter wore the same black neckercjief held in place by a brown leather toggle tat they wore in the summer. Often this is not apparent because the knerchief was worn under the jacket which was almost always worn buttoned. This was the same neckerchief worn by the oklder HJ boys. It was a unifornm item adopted from Scouting.

Shirt

Boys wore the standard light brown shirt under their winter jackets. Ther were no special winter or summer shirts. It was initially the result iof inexpensive surplus military garments. But it fit in with the para-military look of the SA--popularly known as the Brown Shirts. And the HJ began as a SA unit.

Arm Band

Hitler Youth boys are not normally depicted wearing the arm band. I'm not sure if they needed permission to wear it if only the officers were allowed to do so. Wearing the arm band appears to havebeen more common in the early years. "The first Hitler Youth style uniforms featured a brown shirt and black shorts and a unique arm band with a Nazi swastika minus the white circular background, with a white horizontal stripe added to easily distinguish youth members from brownshirted storm troopers, the SA, who resented being confused with the youths." The white horrizontal stripe was also incorporated into the Hitler Youth flag.

Figure 2.--These boys mostly wear the winter uniform with short pants. One boys wears longs. HBU does not know if the various groups set requirements about wearing short or long pants. As only one boy here wears longs, it looks like they might have. Some of the boys on back appear to be wearing the summer uniform. Notice the older boy, he is probably like the Scouts that often help out in Cub Scout packs. Notice the sleeve insignia on his jacket.

Jacket

The winter uniform consisted of either a dark blue tunic or the dark blue blouse with large collar. Some images show boys wearing both uniforms, so HBU is not quite sure about who decided what was to be worn and when. This may have varied over time. In many images, some boys do not wear the winter jacket. This may have been because it was a warm day and some boys did not think the winter jacket was needed. Perhaps some parts did not buy the winter jacket for their boys. Presumably the group leader would have announced the appropriate uniform. The fact that many boys showed up without the jacket, suggests that they were not sharply reprimanded, although this probbaly varied from group to group. These jackets were not all that heavy. We're not sure how the boys dressed on really cold days or if outseide activities were suspended when it was really cold.

Pants

The winter uniform for the DJ, depending on the boy's age, consisted of black shorts or long dark blue trousers. HBU does not know if the various groups set requirements about wearing short or long pants or if it was left up to the parents. Available images suggest that different units set such rules. It appears, however, to be highly variable. although the boys in individual units appear to often dress identically. The long pants were often worn as ski pantsm blouced above the ankles--but some boys wore them as regular long pants.

Belt

A belt with the Hitler Youth buckle was alway worn. Many boys wore the belt with a shoulder strap. We notice some units where none of the DJ boys wore the shoulder strap, only the HJ boys assisting with the unit. In other groups some DJ boys wore the shoulder strap and some did not (figure 2).

Socks

The boys that wore short pants with the winter uniform usually wore grey kneesocks. Some boys wore ankle socks, but the kneesocks were more common. Often theyy were not pulled up to the knee. Many images show boys with socks that do not look long emough to be pulled up the the knee, even if not cuffed over like turn-over-top socks. White kneesocks were also worn, but this appears to have been a dressy style for formal occasions. DJ boys did not wear long stockings, even in the winter. There may have been some exceotions here in rural areas, but basically the Hitler Youth did not approve of long ober the knee stockings. It is quite rare to see DJ boys wearing rhem even in the coldest of weather.

Shoes

Boys mostly wore leather shoes. Some boys, mostlt younger boys, wore boot-like high-top shoes. These shoes were worn but younger German biys into the 1940s. .

Accesories

For the most part I believe the same accesories were worn with both the winter and summer uniform. I do not know if there was a standard toggle/woggle or the boys could choose. The Hitler Youth knife was one of a boy's most trasured possessions.