Reeducating Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was an organization created upon Hitler’s assumption of power in 1933 and grew to 8 million boys by 1939. It’s purpose was to indoctrinate boys about the superiority of Germany and the Aryan race, and Germany’s need for living space. It also served to develop absolute devotion to Adolph Hitler and to harden boys to become future soldiers. In the late 1930’s it became compulsory for boys age 10 and older to join. By 1943 Germany began enlisting boys ages 12 and above into active duty. This article from Oct. 8, 1945, says that “those who were the equivalent of American high school seniors were taken into the army and the two classes below them were taken into the antiaircraft defenses.” Thousands of these boys became prisoners in the last months of the war and reeducation camps, the “Baby Lager” as the inmates called it, were set up to teach them democracy and standard high school courses that they had missed when schooling stopped in 1943. At this camp near Compiegne in France the teachers were non-Nazi prisoners. The aim was to let the enemy work out it’s own reeducation as much as possible. The boys went to school three days a week and worked three days a week. The bugler, instead of playing taps, played Brahm’s Lullaby.