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Hitler Youth
Page 5
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Jungen eure Welt, Youth (Your) World, The Yearbook of the Hitler Youth (Item YOUTH 5-1) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Published by the Central publishing House of the NSDAP (Franz Eher Verlag), this is a magnificent book on youth in general with emphasis, of course, on the Hitler Youth. This 471-page volume is just chock full of pictures and interesting text. Subjects such as prehistoric creatures, horses, dogs, Africa, Islam architecture, and the sciences intermingle with hundreds of pictures of National Socialist and Wehrmacht subjects. The book measures 7 x 10 inches and is about 1 1/2 inches thick. It is in remarkably perfect condition. This is a great HJ collectable as well as a historically important archival treasure.
PRICE: $265.00 |
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Roll of H.J. Insignia (H. J. Abzeichen) (Item YOUTH 5-3) |
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| DESCRIPTION: We came across this roll of Hitler Youth insignias in cloth at a show in Kassel, Germany. We will not venture to count how many hundreds of individual ‘HJ’ diamond-patterned insignias are contained in this roll. Instead, we will offer strips of 5 at a time, 1 at a time, or the whole roll. The patches seem to be for the earlier sports shirts for both boys and girls. The actual pattern measures about 2 inches high and an inch and a half wide, but when detached from the roll each piece will measure about 3 inches long with the extra cloth mount. They are still with vibrant red coloration and the swastika stands right out there. We have no reason to think that these are not originals as they are obviously N.S. quality.
PRICE: 1 insignia, $15; strip of 5, $50; whole roll (hundreds) $500. Dealers should snap this right up! |
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Deutsche Arbeiter Jugend Pin (Item YOUTH 5-4) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is one of the nicest looking Hitler Youth Pins set in beautiful enamel presentation. It depicts the swastika rising form what was darkness and now rising to light as the sun itself. This was the official organizational pin of the German Worker Youth, an organization within the Hitler Youth, itself. That was a training ground for future labor leaders and technicians.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Grouping of Mounted Pictures from Dr. Arthur Seyss-Inquart (Item YOUTH 5-6; PERS 3-1; ART 10-12) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is an astounding collection from the personal collection of Dr. Arthur Seyss-Inquart. He was a prominent National Socialist official in Austria. He was born in Stannern Moravia, then part of Austria-Hungary. He studied law at the University of Vienna and served valiantly in WWI and was decorated for bravery on a number of occasions. He went into law practice in 1921, joined with the Chancellorship of Dollfuss in 1933, later was appointed Minister of the Interior by Kurt Schuschnigg, when the German Führer announced intentions of marching into Austria. Schuschnigg suddenly resigned as chancellor and Seyss-Inquart was appointed Chancellor of Austria. He was more than happy to greet the German troops as they gloriously crossed the border after the Anschluss. He, like millions of Austrians, gloried in the union once more of Germany with what was the Ostmark (eastern territory of the once-proud Germanic Reich). It was he who signed the legislative act of reuniting Austria with the Reich. He received the honorary rank of SS-Gruppenführer from Reichsführer Himmler and in May 1939, he was made minister without portfolio in the NS government. Later in 1939, he was made administrative chief for southern Poland, but did not take up that position before the general government was created and then he became a deputy to the Reich’s Governor Hans Frank. Following the capitulation of the low countries, he was appointed Reichskommissar for the liberated Netherlands, and was charged with the civil administration, with creating close economic cooperation with Germany, and with defending the interests of the Reich. The actual administration of the Netherlands was largely controlled by Seyss-Inquart, himself. He oversaw the politicization of cultural groups right down to the Chess Players’ Club through the Kulturkammer, and set up a number of politicized associations. He never tired of indulging in efforts to better the community doings and lent much support to the Hitler Youth and girls’ NS groups. He introduced measures to combat terror and revolution from the left by imposing huge fines on groups and individuals who tried to bring down the legal government, he executed murderers and some potential murderers (reds). He took measures to remove Jews from the government, the media, and leading positions in the economy. When the allies advanced into the Netherlands the NS regime attempted to enact a scorched-earth policy, and some docks and harbors were destroyed. Seyss-Inquart, however, greatly limited these actions, which would have destroyed much of the Netherlands. He remained Reichskommissar until May 8, 1945, when, after a meeting with Grand Admiral Dönitz to confirm his blocking of the scorched-earth orders, he surrendered to the Americans in Hamburg. At the Nuremberg trials he was found guilty of a whole shopping basket of the “star chamber” crimes similar to what the U.S. Government indulges in now, like planning aggressive war, crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, etc. He was sentenced to hang. His last words were: “I hope that this execution is the last act of the tragedy of the Second World War and that the lesson taken from this world war will be that peace and understanding should exist between peoples. I believe in Germany.” The pictures are almost a memorial to this energetic and resourceful man. They reflect his interest in the youth of Holland and the remarkable culture that they so markedly mastered at that pivotal point in history. The pictures are all mounted on 9 x 12-inch very heavy stock cardboard. Most of the pictures are 6 1/4 x 8 inches. There are also some 9 x6-inch pictures. There are 59 pictures altogether. Of all of the young girls’ organizations and BDM (Bund Deutscher Madel), two pictures have Dr. Seyss-Inquart in them. There are pictures of the girls and maidens working at various crafts, indulging in various sports activities, playing at music, enjoying theater, collecting donations for the WhW, learning cooking, participating in ceremonies, hiking, studying the arts, tilling the soil, reading poetry, sharing lots of fellowship, engaging in acrobatics, painting, and involvement in health care, performing aerobics and ballet, etc. It is not known if this group of pictures is all, if any, from the Netherlands or if Dr. Seyss-Inquart had them for training and indoctrination purposes, but on the back of each picture card is the stamp identifying them as his property. The stamp reads: “Dr. Arthur Seyss-Inquart Den Haag.” This may be one of the most important groups of archival photos ever offered on line and Germania once more is proud to offer it to the genuine collector of fine memorabilia.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Hitler Youth Songbook, Uns Geht die Sonne nicht unter (Item YOUTH 5-7) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is a Hitler Youth songbook whose title translates to For us the sun will never set. It is fine little songbook of the Hitler Jugend. It is in fairly decent shape as far as the pages are concerned, but the spine and first page or two are loose—but there! The book includes songs of all the NS favorites and semi-sacred hymns and marching songs of the Third Reich. The HJ campfire tunes are also included. It’s tattered a bit, but important for the HJ collector or Bewegungsglauber.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Bund Deutscher Mädel Bust in Wood (Item YOUTH 5-9; ART 11-4) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Are you ready for the ultimate in Third Reich art and culture? This hand-carved bust portrait of the BDM girl could easily be construed as: “What it was all about.” The perfect Nordic-Aryan female in all her Teutonic glory is portrayed in the natural medium of oak (the holy tree of Germany). Here is the strength and beauty of “Germania” depicted by a master artist, who signs his name as W. Wiesbrock, who lived in Paderborn. This was and is an important object d’art to the NSDAP Bewegung (idea). The BDM represented the highest ideals of young womanhood. Der Bund deutscher Mädel (League of German Girls) The Bund deutscher Mädel, which was also known by its abbreviation of BDM, was the female branch of the overall German youth movement in the Third Reich, the Hitler Youth. Membership in the Hitler Youth was open to all German girls and boys who were at least ten years old or older. Membership requirements were simple: prospective members had to be Germans who were of no more than one-eighth Jewish heritage, and had to be physically and mentally sound. Once a girl reached 18 years of age she was expected to join the National Labor Service, the Reichsarbeitsdienst, but she was allowed to remain a member in the BDM until she either got married, had children, or decided to quit the BDM and go on to other pursuits. The majority of BDM leaders on the regional and national level, as well as the BDM’s medical staff consisted of ladies with university degrees and job training who were in their late twenties or thirties. In 1936, membership in the Hitler Youth officially became compulsory under the Hitler Youth Law. However, this was often not enforced until after the outbreak of the war because the voluntary membership already included most eligible girls in Germany. The Hitler Youth Law mainly served to originally recognize the Hitler Youth as part of the German regime, which opened up the possibilities of monetary contributions from the government, without which a lot of the Hitler Youth’s activities and programs might not have been possible. Besides preparing the young women in the Bund deutscher Mädel for what were meant to be their future tasks in the community, the BDM also offered a wide variety of other activities that were attractive to potential members and that were very similar to what is offered by youth organizations today. BDM members were able to get reduced rates at movie theaters, go on field trips, and attend camps that lasted anywhere from one day to several weeks. They were also able to compete at local, statewide, and national sports festivals, and attend youth festivals with international participants. Local BDM groups usually held two get-togethers each week, one of which was a sports afternoon, the other of which was called Heimatabend, or home evening. During the home evening, girls played music, learned and sang folk songs, played games, or did arts and crafts. After the outbreak of the war, they also used this time to write letters to soldiers at the front, or prepare care packages for them. The BDM placed big importance on the girls’ educations and expected that they would finish school and learn a trade, which was something that was often unheard of for women at that time, many of which worked as untrained helpers or secretaries. Many of the ladies who became regional and national leaders of the BDM were successful women who held degrees and doctorates, and served as a positive example to the girls they led. BDM leaders were always supposed to set a good example, and as such were discouraged from smoking or drinking in public. The aspect of learning a trade appealed to many of the young women who joined the organization, and it made the BDM appear progressive and emancipating. In the Hitler Youth, girls were almost equal to their male counterparts, which was very unusual for its time. They were able to partake in many of the same activities such as traveling, sports, and regional and national vocational competitions. Only few activities, such as the motorized Hitler Youth, remained closed to girls, although the national youth leadership allowed groups to get additional programs started if interest and funds were available. It was only until shortly before the outbreak of the war, that the BDM began including programs that were geared more toward the “traditional” roles of the women. The Glaube und Schönheit, or Belief and Beauty Society, was founded in 1939, and many of its courses were geared toward house-holding and child care, and “feminine” sports such as eurythmic dancing. The Early Years After the First World War, while Germany was suffering through a horrible depression and the strict sanctions imposed on it by the Treaty of Versailles, the German Youth Movement went through a revival and many new youth groups were formed. Some of them were scouting groups while others were mainly nature or hiking clubs. It comes as no surprise that even in the early days of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, the NSDAP or Nazi Party, which was originally founded in 1920, youth groups played an integral role was well. Although none of these groups were centrally organized within the Nazi party at first and started out with only a few members, they quickly gained popularity and their numbers grew. Out of all these groups, the Grossdeutsche Jugendbewegung (Greater German Youth Movement), which was founded by 20-year-old law student Kurt Gruber, became active as early as 1923 and was eventually christened the Hitlerjugend at the 1926 party rally at Weimar. Although there was now a male youth organization, there was not yet an official female organization, but plenty of young women whose brothers were members of the Hitler Youth had begun forming their own groups which became known as Hitlerjugend Schwesternschaften, or Hitler Youth Sisterhoods. The girls’ groups still remained widely overlooked and it wasn’t until 1930 that the actual Bund deutscher Mädel was officially founded. Although the group was now official, membership was still much lower than in its male counterpart, and the BDM would never be able to reach quite the same numbers that the Hitler Youth had. By the end of 1932, directly before Hitler’s takeover, the BDM was only about 25,000 members strong. From the official inception of the Hitler Youth in 1926 throughout most of the existence of the Hitler Youth and the Bund deutscher Mädel, Baldur von Schirach served as the head of the organization with the title of Reichsjugendführer, which literally translates to National Youth Leader. Von Schirach reported directly to Hitler. From the very beginning, the female part of the Nazi party, the Nationalsozialistische Frauenschaft (NSF), tried to gain control of the female youth which it thought better taken care of under the heading of the female section of the party than the male leadership of the overall Hitler Youth, but Hitler himself decided otherwise. The head of the BDM was the BDM Reichsreferentin, who reported to Baldur von Schirach, but who was in charge of the BDM without having to wait for “male” approval for their decisions. According to Jutta Rudiger, who held the rank of Reichsreferentin from November 1937 through the end of the war in 1945, both Baldur von Schirach and his late-war successor Artur Axmann, let the BDM leaders run their own organization and only offered advice and an open door if there ever were any concerns or problems. The BDM’s Work While the male Hitler Youth’s work consisted of mainly paramilitary training, the work of the Bund deutscher Mädel consisted mostly of the very same things girl scouts enjoy today–sports, camping, orienteering, first aid, and arts and crafts. Some of the BDM’s activities included the following: Sports–Physical training didn’t play as important a role as it did in the male Hitler Youth, but it was still an important part of their work. Each BDM group held one weekly sports afternoon that was instructed by older BDM girls, and sometimes Hitler Youth leaders. Sports generally included track and field events as well as gymnastics. Some regions also offered fencing, ice skating, or rowing clubs. Organized trips–At a time where few people traveled on their vacation, organized trips and summer camps were an exciting opportunity for the girls of the BDM. Trips were organized to local events and sights, as well as to national, and even some international events. Other times, foreign youth groups visited BDM girls at home in Germany, which was a great opportunity for youth from many different countries to get to know each other. Charity work–Similar to girl scouts today, BDM girls back then also helped with charitable work, such as collecting work for the Winterhilfswerk which supported poorer families by providing them with heating coal and warm clothing during the colder winter months, or collecting old clothing or old newspapers for new uses. With the outbreak of World War II in fall of 1939, the Bund deutscher Mädel found itself in a delicate position. On one hand, the Nazi party now wanted the girls to be educated more toward the traditional roles of women–to be mothers and homemakers–, but at the same time the war ironically placed women in the position of having to fill jobs formerly taken by men in both civilian life as well as in the armed forces. Women now became air-raid wardens, military signals auxiliaries, and stenographers, but they also served in more traditionally female wartime roles as nurses, troop supporters, or stayed home with the children. For the BDM, the war also necessitated some changes to their schedule. When local groups met now they often spent time sending letters and postcards to soldiers at the front; knitting scarves, wool socks, or ear warmers for the troops; or making care packages. Group choirs now often practiced songs that they would later perform for wounded soldiers at hospitals throughout Germany, and girls would wait for trains with soldiers to arrive to welcome them with flowers, sandwiches, or coffee. “Train-station services,” in particular, became an important part of the work with the BDM Gesundheitsdienst, or health service, where girls–many of whom had little more than basic first aid training–would welcome injured soldiers and refugees at the train station and make sure they were taken care of. Most of the time, they provided hot drinks, hot soup, or sandwiches; helped people find their way around the station, and helped with some nursing care if it was needed. The girls of the Gesundheitsdienst wore white nurses’ aprons with the Hitler Youth diamond insignia and a kerchief-style head covering with the insignia of the Gesundheitsdienst, a runic insignia shaped similar to the letter “Y.” Many of the older BDM girls also took job positions and placements that would be considered full-time jobs in addition to school, to help as nurse aides, substitute teachers, or factory workers. The BDM’s own publication, Das Deutsche Mädel (The German Girl) magazine, featured ads for stenographers, and nurses once the war had started, and had articles about girls working as ticket agents on trains, or as nurses, that were meant to get them excited about “doing their part” as well. Unlike the male Hitler Youth which took a very active part in the last-ditch defenses at the end of the war, the girls in the BDM generally did not take part in the fighting, although many helped to fortify towns or dig trenches to stall the advancing Allied troops. Although Martin Bormann had sent a letter to the regional leaders suggesting that women and girls should also be trained in the use of weapons for self-defense, many girls took up arms against the Allies, and those who did mainly did so against the Russian army in the East which, they were told, was raping and killing any women they came across. The Hitler Youth and the Bund deutscher Mädel, together once the largest youth organization in Europe–maybe the world–found itself in ruins and disbanded at the end of the war, just like the political party they’d originated from. Credit to author Chris Ashby, who is the author of much of the above information. The bust is about 15 inches high to include the base. The bust alone is about 10 inches high. The angelic, but strong, countenance is typical Teutonic with the Aryan physiognomy very evident. The base that measures 5 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches bears a bronze plaque 4 1/4 inches square that simply says: “BDM 1938” flanked by the symbol of the parent Hitler Youth Organization. The wood on the base has cracked over the years, but is holding well. We don’t think it will go anywhere. The head is perfect! We consider this relic to be the personification of the ideals of a youthful dream now lost to the more realistic agenda of Orwell’s 1984 that is now upon us. Blut und Ehre. PRICE: SOLD |
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Rare Early Hitler Youth Belt Buckle (Item YOUTH 5-10) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This buckle is shown in LTC (Ret) John R. Angolia’s book, Belt Buckles & Brocades of the Third Reich, page 86 and listed as NSDAP Jugend and describes it as a variant pattern. We believe this pattern was from the late 1920s when the sales catalogs listed them as “NSDAP Jugend,” Assmann 21429. The item is quite colorful with a colored celluloid insert with the bright national colors and swastika. It’s in nice condition and sound.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Document Letter Bestowing the Badge of Honor of the Hitler Youth (Item YOUTH 5-11) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is the ultra-rare document for the award of the Erehnzeichen der HJ, (Badge of Honor of the Hitler Youth), that is more scarce than the badge itself. This award was given to members of the Hitler Youth and the Bund Deutscher Mädel, which had joined prior to October 2, 1932 (Potsdam Day). It also could be awarded for a special act of merit. As of March 1836 the badge could be worn on a military uniform and this is the letter of confirmation that it was presented at Potsdam in 1939, to a Gefreiter Gerd Zimmerman, on the staff of Aufklarungs Abteilung 8; this was a reconnaissance battalion. The document is in very good shape and if put with the badge would be a great display item and signed by the district HJ leader. The piece is framed with original frame from family.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Hitler Youth Badge of Honor with Oak Leaves (Item YOUTH 5-12) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This badge, which counted as an official party decoration, was instituted in 1936. Only 250 were ever issued and it ranks as a very rare decoration. The recipients, apart from members of the HJ itself, were often highly placed persons: Himmler, Robert Ley, and Albert Speer are some examples. The badge is 1 1/4 x 3/4 inches. It was given for exceptional service and could be worn on any deserving uniform. This is extremely rare and in great condition. It is only partially discolored, but will possibly clean up. The characters ‘RZM’ and ‘BM 1/122’ stand so high as to be able to read them like Braille.
PRICE: $1,500.00 |
Page Five |
Please refer to item designator in parentheses in all correspondence.
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