Figure 1.--From the outside looking at the countless images of the Hitler Youth and Balilla, they certainly look very similar. Despite their varying effectiveness, they had many of the same trappings, goals, methods, and activities. The press caption here read, "Il Duce Inspects Italian Youth: Mussilini is shown in these two pictures inspecting mmbers of Italian Youth organizations. Top, Il Duce is passing before feminine members of one of these organizations. Bottom, Il Duce, accompanied by Ettore Muti (left) , Secretary of the Fascist Party, inspects an armed group of boys. Picture by Clipper today." The photograph was dated August 26, we think 1940, but about this time Muti resigned as Party Secretary to more fully participate in the war effort, including the Battle of Britain. Muti was shot when Mussolini was arrested (1943). The caption was written by an AP editor. He seems unaware that the Fascists have banned all other youth groups. Click on the image to see the top image of Mussolni with the girls group.

From the outside looking at the countless images of the Hitler Youth and Balilla, they certainly look very similar. Despite their varying effectiveness had many of the same trappings, goals, methods, and activities. They were both uniformed youth groups. They adopted similar salutes. Both were mass organization in which the children were required to participate. Other youth groups were banned. They both participated in civil events and partriotic events as part of the pagentary of the regime. Both groups had summer camps that promoted para-military activities which extoled military values and war. Both engaged in ultra-nationalistic Fascist ideological education. Both idealized their national leaders, Hitler and Mussolini. Both attempted to create the ethos of a united, unified national enterprise. And in group activities the children were theoretically treated the same regardless of their social background. (Here we are more sure about the HJ than the Balilla.)