History of the Hitler Jugend

The establishment of Jugendbund der NSDAP was announced on 8 Mar 1922 in the Völkischer Beobachter and the inaugural meeting was held 13 May. This organisation was not the only nazi youth organisation in Germany, but it was the only one that was affiliated with the NSDAP. The leader of the Jugendbund was Adolf Lenk and he answered to the Oberster SA-Führer, head of the SA. The Jugendbund was divided into the Jungmannschaften (boys 14-16 years old) and the Jungsturm Adolf Hitler (16-18 years old).

The first public appearance of the Jugendbund was in the "battle of Coburg" 14-15 Oct 1922, when elements of it took part along with some 800 SA-members. In 1923 the Jugendbund held its first national congress, having expanded beyond the boundaries of Bavaria.

It was meant to take part in the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, but did not, however it was banned following the failure of the Putsch along with the rest of the NSDAP.

During the time the NSDAP was outlawed, Lenk made two attempts to resurrect the Jugendbund, first as the Vaterländischer Jugendverband Grossdeutschlands and later as the Grossdeutsche Jugendbewegung (GDJB), but both attempts ended with his arrest.

Kurt Gruber, who had been leader of the Jugendbund in Saxony also made an attempt to resurrect it, he too used the name Grossdeutsche Jugendbewegung (GDJB). His attempt was more successful both because the authorities in Saxony did not ban his GDJB and he also cooperated with other organisations of the far right. His GDJB was renamed Frontjugend when it became the youth branch of the Frontbann (a name used by the SA), but later changed its name back to GDJB.

Another large nazi youth organisation during this time was the Schilljugend, formed by Gerhard Rossbach in Austria and led in Germany by SA-Gruppenführer Edmund Heines.

When Hitler was released he did not immediately decide on who should lead the new official youth movement of the NSDAP, and soon Lenk decided to leave the competion and following the refusal of Rossbach to accept Hitler as the leader, the task was handed to Gruber.

The GDJB was rechristed the Hitler Jugend, Bund Deutscher Arbeiterjugend (HJ) and made the official youth movement during the Reichparteitag held at Weimar 3-4 July 1926. Gruber was made Reichsführer der HJ but did not move his headquarters to Munich and chose to keep it at Plauen. The HJ was once again a part of the SA and also used the SA uniform, which caused some members to be killed because they were mistaken for SA soldiers. This prompted the design of a unique HJ-uniform.

The HJ did not increase its membership by more than a few hundred during the next few years and this did of course not please Hitler. He ordered the HJ headquarters to be moved to Munich in 1931 and Gruber was soon forced to leave his post. The new post Reichsjugendführer was created to head the youth movements of the NSDAP (HJ, National-Sozialistischer Schülerbund (NSS), National-Sozialistischer deutsche Studentenbund (NSDSt.B)) and Baldur von Schirach was appointed to the post. He also was head of the NSDSt.B and Adrian von Renteln was made head of the HJ and NSS.

A section for boys 10-14 years old was formed Dec 1928 in Plauen under the name Deutsche Knabenschaft but the name was changed to Deutsches Jungvolk in der HJ 27 Mar 1931 when it was formally made a subsection of the HJ.

At the same time it was decided that a section for girls over the age of 14, Schwesternschaft der HJ, would be founded; it was not made official until July 1929. It was renamed Bund deutscher Mädel (BDM) July 1930 and a section of girls 10-14 years old, Jungmädelgruppe (JM), was founded Apr 1931. An equivalent of the NSS for girls, the National-Sozialistischer Schülerinnenbund (NSSi) also existed but it was merged with the BDM July 1932.

von Renteln resigned in 1932, having done much to rid the HJ of many incompetent or otherwise unsuitable leaders (most of their replacements coming from the middle- and upper-class dominated NSS and NSDStB), and von Schirach took over his posts too (the NSS was soon merged with the HJ).

The HJ was made independent from the SA 13 May 1932, not least to prevent it from being banned along with the SA by the Weimar authorities, however it was banned along with its parent organisation 13 Apr - 17 June 1932.

The first national HJ rally was held in 1928 with 600 boys present and a year later 2.500 boys took part in the party rally in Nürnberg. A National Youth Day was held in Potsdam Oct 1932 following the success of the NSDAP in the elections in July when it became the largest single party, and some 100.000 youths attended the rally.

After Hitler came to power the enrolment into the HJ increased dramatically and some of the other right-wing youth organisations decided to merge with the HJ, first the Scharnhost Jugend but soon several others, until by the end of 1933 all such groups were made part of the HJ, with the exception of Bund der Artamenen, that became Landjahr der HJ in 1934.

Vice Admiral Adolf Trotha set up an alternative youth movement to the HJ, the Grossdeutsche Bund, but this was of course not tolerated and it was forced to disband in May 1933. Trotha was awarded the ceremonial post of Honorary Commander-in-Chief of the Marine HJ.

1 Dec 1936 Jugenddienstpflicht was decreed and all youths had to join the HJ, but it was not until 25 Mar 1939 that HJ service was made compulsory (only for 17 year old boys) and until 12 Sep 1941 that is was made compulsory for boys and girls from the age of 10.

Following the outbreak of war a large number of HJ members volunteered to do the work of men that now were at the front, however as the war progressed the volunteers were not enough and almost all youth were forced to take part. von Schirach was replaced by Artur Axmann who had fought in Poland and France as well as being the head of the HJ Social Office. He later returned to the army to take part in the invasion of Russia where he remained until he lost his right arm below the elbow in Dec 1941.

The role of the HJ in the war was not only doing the civilian work of the men of the front, but soon they also began serving as flak-helpers before being sent to the front during the final part of the war.