Hitler Youth; Wikimedia Commons
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.
Bund Deutscher Mädel; Wikimedia Commons
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.