The Nazi Party youth movement was divided into two parts, the Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls.
The Nazis established the Hitler Youth organization in 1926 to teach German boys the beliefs of the Nazi Party. Following the Nazi Party’s assumption of power in 1933, the Hitler Youth became Germany’s principal youth organization. In 1936 it was made a state agency, and those who did not join were considered traitors. During World War II, failure to join was a criminal offense. Hitler Youth activities were intended to wean boys away from their families and inspire a sense of loyalty and conformity to the ideas and policies of the Nazi regime. They consumed most of a boy’s time, and included drills, rallies, and Nazi Party social gatherings, and learning practical, often military-related, skills. The Hitler Youth was intended to transform boys between the ages of 14 and 18 into, in Adolf Hitler’s own words, “a violently active, dominating, brutal youth” — highly disciplined and fanatically loyal. By the beginning of the war, 7.7 million boys had worn the brown-and blue parade uniforms of the Hitler Youth.
The League of German Girls was established in 1928 and organized similarly to the Hitler Youth. Their parade uniforms were navy blue skirts, white blouses, brown jackets, and twin pigtails. The central focus of this group was to remind young girls that they were the “carriers of the Nazi world view.” Towards that end, they were expected to dedicate themselves to service and physical fitness aimed at preparing them for motherhood. At the age of 17, women in this group were eligible for an organization called Faith and Beauty, in which they received advanced training in domestic science and preparation for marriage. Membership in the League of German Girls was compulsory by the time the war began. In that year, over two million girls were members.
