Figure 1.-- This is uniformed group of SAJ boys who apparently formed a drum band. The group was from Essen. They look somewhat like Hitler Jugend uniforms, especially with the drums. Their uniforms were, however different. Notice the caps. Some of the SAJ boys here wear the tunics, but most wear shirts. Essen was a heavily industrialized city in the Ruhr--Germany's industrial heartland. As a result, there would have been a great deal of support for Socialist and Communist parties. There is no doubt these are SAJ boys as it is marked on their drum.

The SAJ appears to have had a basic uniform. There was quite a variety of outfits in photographic record. And in some images not a great deal of compliance. The boys in many images wear a belted tunic which some tuck into black shorts. The girls in particulsr were less likely gto werar uniforms. We are not sure why that was. Perhaps there was less interest among the girls in wearing uniforms.

Essen Group

Here with this Essen group we see some of the tunics, but shirts seem more common (figure 1). The shorts are worn with both knee socks and long stockings. The belts over the tunics don't support their short pants, but are woen for the look. At least one of the boys is wearing suspenders in addition to his belt, but the belt in this case is for his shorts. Many of the boys also wear long stockings. Long stockings a knee socks were very common for boys and girls at the time. Many of the boys the age here had begun to wear long pants. We believe they are all wearing shorts here because it was a youth group. What is curious is that several of the boys are wearing black or other dark long stockings, especially black stockings as they had an association with formality. Knee socks were more common with youth groups or older boys swearing short pants.

Hostel Group

On the previous page, we see a SAJ group staying at a youth hostel. The boy in the foreground, to the right, sitting on the ground (he looks as old as eighteen) wears black long stockings but apparently with round garters rather than a Strapsleibchen. The other boys with long stockings may be wearing a Strapsgurteln (garter belts, like modern hockey garter belts) which some older boys preferred to the more juvenile Leibchen. The girls are all wearing dresses of course, and one seems to have a pinafore. Few of the girls for some reason are wearing uniforms. They are wearing long stockings, but not black or other dark long stockings.

Poles in the Ruhr

A reader writes, "I would not be surprised if some of these boys are of Polish ancestry. Essen, the city of Krupp, attracted many Poles to work in factories and especially coal mines. Many had their own organisations and bands until they became totally Germanized after World War I." Almost all of these Poles would have been working-class and we assume stronger supporters of the SPD and labor unions. (Probably not the KPD because of their Catholocism.) Interestingly, the NAZIs never went after the Poles in the Ruhr, despite the horendous actions against the Poles in Poland. Of course we do not know what the NAZIs would have done had they won the War to groups like Jewish Michling and Poles in the Reich.