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Hello, everyone. I have been studying WWII extensively but this is a topic that is new to me and needs your insights on. Based on reading, Hitler Youth accepted its members who are as young as 12-years-old and its membership peaked at 8 million in 1940. The child soldiers were used as the last line of defense and were reportedly among the fiercest fighters. My questions are three-fold.
1. I am fully aware that the Red Army was hell-bent on revenge arriving in Germany after what happened in Soviet Union. But given the fact that Hitler Youth is a little teenage soldiers, were they given mercy by the Red Army? Or did the Red Army fight and treat them like other adult Whermacht soldiers? For all Hitler Youth taken prisoner, were they let go after WWII because they were children?
2. What is Hitler Youth's contribution to the Whermacht? How much casualties did it suffer out of its 8 million membership?
3. Did Hitler Youth accept boys only and hold no female members?
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I'm not sure I can satisfactorily answer any of your questions, but I may be able to point to some sources of information. The only book I have read about the activities of the Hitler Youth Volkssturm (home defense force) is one given me by a friend titled "Hitler's Last Courier" by Armin D. Lehmann. The Volkssturm was headed up by Artur Axmann. At sixteen, Lehmann was one of the Hitler Youths serving as a runner between Hitler's underground bunker and the Hitler youth units deployed around Berlin. He was among the last people to see Hitler alive. Although indoctrinated and brainwashed into Nazism at a young age, Lehmann later denounced Nazism, moved to the US and became an activist and spokesperson for peace.
Of the accounts I have read of the Soviet assault on Berlin, little quarter was given regardless of age or gender. There may have been isolated cases of compassion shown, as I believe Lehmann brings out in his book, but fanatical German resistance made the Soviets pay a heavy human price for victory. Many young German boys served along with older men in panzerfaust units that took a toll of Soviet tanks in the heavy street fighting of Berlin. Lehmann indicates that many of the captured young members of these units were sent to Soviet prison camps and some never returned. He also alludes that there were girl counterpart units in the Volkssturm, but I don't believe he elaborates on it.
Tony Le Tissier has been a prolific writer on the battle of Berlin and one book that might be of interest is one titled "Death was our Companion: The Last Days of the Third Reich." I believe that book details the activities of the Volkssturm in the defense of Berlin.
I know a man who was in the Hitler Youth. His take on it was "It was like the Boy Scouts" They were basically taught to spend alot of time in nature and to exercise. They were also indoctrinated into German supremacy. He did not seem to think he was forced into Nazi propaganda...I think he would have been about 18 or 19 when the war ended, and by that time was no fan of Hitler. And there was a girl's program along the same lines.
Hitler's youth movement was divided into divisions based on age and sex. By the time you reached the most senior division (denoted by the single Sieg (lightening bolt) rune) basically age 15 you were in all respects undergoing military basic training and could move right into a military service (Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe or Kreigsmarine) depending on aptitude when you reached the minimum age. Those of good racial stock, racial characteristics, the right attitude and highest ability would be sent to the SS.
I know a man who was in the Hitler Youth. His take on it was "It was like the Boy Scouts" They were basically taught to spend alot of time in nature and to exercise. They were also indoctrinated into German supremacy. He did not seem to think he was forced into Nazi propaganda...I think he would have been about 18 or 19 when the war ended, and by that time was no fan of Hitler. And there was a girl's program along the same lines.
Yep;it was much like the scout in its inception. It was popular to youth i that have the terms of the first world war ;it allowed young people to actaully congragte and have alot of activities. It of course was used to promote facism but hat was not a hard job lokin gat the terms of teh peace that almopst guaranteed such a oleader has Hitler who took cental control of the economy and started to ignore the peace terms.If you read books in which they interviewed geman civilians you will see that the russian professional army that was first troops they meeet where much different from those that followed; who were bascailly a mob really that raped ;plundered and murdered.
I came across this fantastic book entitled "Through Innocent Eyes - The Chosen Girls of the Hitler Youth" that goes into such truthful detail about the upbringing of the girls in the League of German girls. This is based upon the author's mother's personal journal from the time she was in the Hitler Youth. It will answer many unanswered questions like:
My mother/grandmother grew up in Germany during WW2. She was in the BDM.
What was it like for the girls in the Bund Deutscher Maedel (League of German Girls)
What did the girl learn in the BDM?
What was their average day like?
How was their life different than my life growing up today?
The level of detail and truthfulness about the duties of the girls, and the organization of the BDM as a whole as never written about before. It let me know finally come to terms with what really happened and what the BDM was really all about. "Through Innocent Eyes" is truly an inspiring, and uplifting read, diametrically opposite to all the other literature written about the Hitler Youth. But, much has been written - this book is written all about the girls, and I don't really think there is another book out there that goes into so much detail. Well worth it.
When I lived in Germany, an older lady and I became good friends (1986 or so).
Her father was a General in the Wehrmacht, her grandfather was a General who had served in Russia during WWI. And their name was Von something. She said that because of her father's position she was required to be in the Girl's Hitler youth or her father would be suspect/in danger. She was made a leader and they drilled etc.
She told me more, but this project of yours would be an interesting. One of those things people who had been through it didn't like to talk about.
And from what I was told, the Russian occupation of Berlin was horrible and oppressive. My admiration for those Berliners grew.
When I lived in Germany, an older lady and I became good friends (1986 or so).
Her father was a General in the Wehrmacht, her grandfather was a General who had served in Russia during WWI. And their name was Von something. She said that because of her father's position she was required to be in the Girl's Hitler youth or her father would be suspect/in danger. She was made a leader and they drilled etc.
She told me more, but this project of yours would be an interesting. One of those things people who had been through it didn't like to talk about.
And from what I was told, the Russian occupation of Berlin was horrible and oppressive. My admiration for those Berliners grew.
What Berliners got a taste of was what was meted out to 10,000 Russian villages, towns and cities like Minsk, Smolensk, Pskov, Kiev, Rostov, Kharkov, Stalingrad, Novogrod and the list goes on. Given that Red Army Forces had been witness to unspeakable German behavior for the past 4 years , I think the Red Army showed great restraint when they finally clawed their way into Berlin, do you know that 90,000 Soviet Troops died in the effort to take Berlin and extinguish Hitler's regime. Do you think Americans would be so understanding if German Forces had killed 20 million of our people and and raped burned and pillaged every American village, town or city in the eastern third of our nation?
I came across this fantastic book entitled "Through Innocent Eyes - The Chosen Girls of the Hitler Youth" that goes into such truthful detail about the upbringing of the girls in the League of German girls. This is based upon the author's mother's personal journal from the time she was in the Hitler Youth. It will answer many unanswered questions like:
My mother/grandmother grew up in Germany during WW2. She was in the BDM.
What was it like for the girls in the Bund Deutscher Maedel (League of German Girls)
What did the girl learn in the BDM?
What was their average day like?
How was their life different than my life growing up today?
The level of detail and truthfulness about the duties of the girls, and the organization of the BDM as a whole as never written about before. It let me know finally come to terms with what really happened and what the BDM was really all about. "Through Innocent Eyes" is truly an inspiring, and uplifting read, diametrically opposite to all the other literature written about the Hitler Youth. But, much has been written - this book is written all about the girls, and I don't really think there is another book out there that goes into so much detail. Well worth it.
Please see this thread for more information about who this poster actually is and what her book is really about:
As for the claims above...this is what the BDM was really about, grooming girls to take their proper place in the Reich as fully indoctrinated servants of Hitler, willing to do anything for their fuhrer...they were not the "girl scouts" that this poster would have you believe...
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Hitler Youth and Bund Deutscher Maedel
