Figure 1.--Here we see some German Scouts in the 1960s. They look like Cubs. We are not sure which of the many associatiions they reptresent.

Americans expecting to find one national Scout Association will be bewildered by the many different German associations reflecting different religious or philosopical approach to Scouting. Many Associations are associated with specific Christian churches whil others are secular. Most Scout associations combine previously separate Guide (Girl Scout) and Scout associations. Many of these German Scout "associations" or only as large as the average American or English Scout troop, some have a few hundred or thousand members, and a few have between 10 and 100 thousand members. It is very difficult to even tell how many associations there are, let alone to list them. There is a neverending starting and closing of "associations". A counting of all the small and smallest Guide or Scout associations would produce a list of about 50 associations.