From 1933-1945, the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) was the sole official youth organization in Nazi Germany.
This quasi-paramilitary organization was made up of:
– Hitlerjugend proper) for male youth aged 14-18 yrs.
– Deutsches Jungvolk (German Youth) for boys 10-14 yrs.
With emphasis on physical training and Nazi indoctrination, Hitler Youth were viewed as future “Aryan“ leaders who would fight faithfully for the Third Reich.
The Bund Deutscher Mädel (Band of German Maidens), the only female youth organization allowed in Nazi Germany, was composed of:
– Jungmädel Bund (Young Girls’ League) for girls ages 10-14 yrs.
– Bund Deutscher Mädel proper for girls ages 14-18 yrs.
– BDM-Werk Glaube und Schönheit (Faith & Beauty Society) open to girls 17- 21 yrs.
The BDM used campfire romanticism, summer camps, folklorism, tradition, and sports to indoctrinate girls in Nazism and train them for their roles in German society as wives, mothers and homemakers.