Figure 1.-- Here some Umghird boys re preparing for some kind of public event, presumably something associated with the collaborationst Nasjonal Samling. They do not look as enthusiastic as many of the German boys we see. Drums were an important part of these nationlist events.

The Nasjonal Samling (NS) youth unit was the Umghird. The Hird wasan ancient Norse word meaning the King's followers or liegemen. It was the gebneral term used for the Hirden, the NS equivalent of the NAZI Strom Troopers (SA). And just as the Hitler Youth began as a SA unit, thev Hirden youth group was the Umglird. Adult Hirden units were formed after the NS itself was founded (1933), but before the German invasion never amounted to more than a few hundred members. I'm not sure when the Umghird was founded, but membership in the NS was very small before the 1940 German invasion, so the Ughird would have had no real following before the War. In addition, the Norwegian Government in 1935 had banned the wearing of political party uniforms (1935). Like the Hitler Youth, the Umghird was divided into two units, the Guttehird (boys 10-14 years old) and the Umghird (boys 14-18 years old). As in the Hitler Youth, the primary function for the older boys was to prepare them for and funnel them into military units. This was particularly true of the Umghird as the organization only became a reality after the War had begun. The various NS youth organizations: the Umghird, Unghirdmarinen, Guttehird, and the corespinding girls' organizations (Gjentehird and Småhird) were known collectively as the NS Ungdomsfylking (the NS Youth Front). Participation was at first after the German invasion voluntary, but on March 1, 1941, all physically fit Norwegin children between the ages of 10 and 18 years were required to join. All other Norwegian youth organizations were at that time outlawed and their property seized by the state.