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Boys began wearing shorter shorts in the 1930s, usually with kneesocks. Dressy kneesocks were often white. Sandals were rarely worrn except by very little boys. Sailor suits declined in popularity. Lederhosen became increasingly common. I'm not sure to what extent the NAZI party influenced boys' clothing. The party's influence is unclear, but may have well influenced the type and style of clothing manufactured. The NAZI's interest on folk culture may have been one factor. The Hitler Youth became an important part of a boy's life by the mid-1930s. The uniform may have affected boys' clothing in general. Black shorts and white kneesocks becoming increasingly common in the 1930s. Shaved hair styles were no longer seen, but short cuts were common.
Hitler and the NAZIs seized power in 1933 and the regime lasted until early 1945 when the Russians in the east and the Americans and British from the west occupied the country. After Hitler's suiside, Admiral Donitez surrendered in May 1945. The NAZI era included two destinct periods of approximately equal duration, a peace time and war era.
Hitler became chancelor in March 1933. It took about a year for the NAZI's to consolidate their take over of the Government which was not fully possible until President Hindenburg died in 1934. The supression of Jews and other minorities was announced with the 1935 Nuremberg Laws. A major step in the NAZI program was to seize cintrol over youth groups. This began even before the death of Hindenburg. Groups like the Scouts were incoroprated into the Hitler Youth. This was largely accomplished in 1933, but Catholic groups were allowed to operate until 193?. Thus by about 1935 NAZI policies began to be seen in boys' clothing. HBC does not fully understand the extent of these changes. We have noted some trends. Sailor suits declined in popularity. Boys except for the youngest stoped wearing sandals. Black short became popular as did white kneesocks for dressy outfits.
NAZI policy was to not divert the entire economy to military production. Hitler was concerned this would make the War unpopular. Thus production of clothes, including children's clothes, was not at first affected by the War. This was in sharp contrast to other countries, including both occupied countries like France and Britain which was battered by the Germans. The NAZIs increadibly canceled many war orders in 1940 thinking that the War had essentially been won. This only begun to change in 1942 after the Whermacht was stopped at the gates of Moscow by the Red Army in the winter of 1941. It was not until 1943, however, that the German economy was fully put on a war footing. Conditions for civilians deteriorated seriously in 1944 and it became increasingly difficult to obtain children's clothing.
HBC at this time has only limited information on the garments worn by German boys during the NAZI era meaming much of the 1930s and the first half of the 1940s (1933-45). Fashion of course beginning in 1939 were affected by the War. Boys wore mostly plain shirts. Light colors were common, rarely did boys wear bright-colored shirts. Collared shirts were still the primary shirt type. Long sleeved shirts were common. Many boys buttoned their collar buttons for a formal affect. We note boys even at school or at play with buttoned collars. Sailor suits declined in popularity during the 1930s. While still common in the 1920s, they become much less common in the 1930s, except for very young boys. Most German boys wore short pants. This was especially the case in the Summer when older boys might even wear shorts. Yonger boys might wear suspender shorts. Boys began wearing shorter shorts in the 1930s, usually with kneesocks. Boys began wearing black shorts even when not involved in Hitler Youth activities. Older boys might wear knickers in the 1930s, but long pants became more common in the 1940s. Lederhosen became increasingly common, but were still primarily a regfional garment. They were particulsarly popular in southern Germany (Bavaria) and Austria which after 1938 was annexed by Germany. Knickers and longpants were also worn seasonally. Boys mostly wore kneesocks. We also se many boys wearing long stockings. Younger boys might wear long stockings with short pants during the winter. Dressy kneesocks might be white. We note some boys rolling their kneesocks down to their ankles.
Many German boys wore virtually shaved hair in the early 20 the century, through the early 1920s. This style disappeared uin the 1930s, although boys still had short hair cuts.
Age was an important factor in boys clothing. Younger boys normally wore short pants, often year-round. Even teenagers wore short pants, although older boys might wear knickers--especially during the winter.
As in most northern countries, seasonality was an important factor in boys' clothing. The boy's long sleeve shirt suggests that the photograph was not taken during the summer. Many German boys wore short pants year round, not just during the summer.
Casual clothing appears to have become increasingkly common in during the NAZI era. This may have been a result on the NAZI emphasis on outdoor activities. Later the War made more casual styles almost a necesity.
I'm not sure to what extent the NAZI party influenced boys' clothing. The party's influence is unclear, but may have well influenced the type and style of clothing manufactured. The NAZI's interest on folk culture may have been one factor. HBC has noted suggestions that the quality of clothing produced in Germany declined during the NAZI era. Authors often claim that NAZI policy created an economic miracle, usually citing employment statistics. The rearmament program did create jobs, but it also caused great strsses on the economy. NAZI policy went to great length to avoid inflation as the hyper-inflation of the early 1920s was a major factor in affecting public opinion against the Wimar Republic. One way in which public prceptions were manipulated was to reduce product quality. Thus parents could aford to buy the same number of pants, shorts, socks, and shoes, but the quality of those items was not nearly as good as in the 1920s.
Any understanding of the experience of German children during the NAZI era can not escape a basic understanding of the regimes racial policies. The attitude toward the Jews is best known, but other groups were also affected. Then there was the complication of children who were of mixed ancestry--"mischlings". Racial background affected membership in the Hitler Youth and the right to wear the uniform--a uniform that even many children from anti-NAZI or non-Aryan families often desired.
The Hitler Youth became an important part of a boy's life by the mid-1930s. The uniform may have affected boys' clothing in general. Black shorts and white kneesocks notably were styles worn by the Hitler Youth and these styles became increasingly common in the 1930s. The NAZI promotion of health and outdoor activity may have have created an increased demand for casual and outdoor clothes.
HBC readers might also want to look at the NAZI education section to see what school life was like during the Third Reich. This section has a great deal of information on NAZI education, including how the boys dressed at school. Interestingly, in regimented NAZI Germany where everyone seemed to have a uniform, the children never wore school uniforms.
Several German readers have provided us accounts of their boyhood during the NAZI era. Many of these accounts provide some interesting accounts about clothing.
We do not know this boys name. We do know that he is German and was born about 1920. The family was not rich. We would guess lower-middle class. The parents appear to have encouraged artistic pursuits. The father was interested in photography and took artfully as well as humorously posed images of his son. While an entire albumn survived the War, we have only a few of the images. There is thus images from infncy to joining the German National Labor Service (RAD) about 1940. He apparently was wounded in the War.
HBC readers ma find a book series called "Zeitgut" (roughly translated meaning "time material"). It is publishd in German. The publisher collects stories and reports written by witnesses of the last century. The stories tell about certain events, facts, experiences, adventures etc that happened in the last century in Germany. It seems that most reports deal with the period between 1920 and 1950. Our German readers may want to have a look at some of these books.
A German reader has provided us a fascinating look at his experiences and clothing growing up in NAZI Germany and his experiences as a teen-ager after World War II. He explains that the type was strongly by the historical situation, i.e. the Third Reich before World war II and the sad times during the War and the poor and reviving situation after the War. Clothing was influenced by the economical situation of my parents which was always very good, and of course by my age. He focused on hosiery.
A HBC reader interviewed a German man named Max in the city of Schwerin. Max recalls that he and his brothers wore identical short pants sailor suits for chruch and special occassions. His mother insisted that he and his brothers wear long dark stockings with their sailor suits. Our German reader has made many valuable contributions to HBC and is also submitting valuable interview such as this one. The following are Max's responses with comments in brackets.
Gerhard Thamm has published a fascinating book, Boy Soldier: A German Teenager at the NAZI Twilight. Gerhard grew up in Lowe Silesia. Silesia was an area of Poland annexed by Prussia in the 18th century. After World War II it was returned to Poland by the Soviets who annexed huge areas of eastern Poland. Gerhard at the age of 15 was cnscripted into the German Army in 1945. Afyter the War he managed o get to West Germany and worked for the U.S. Army, eventually becoming a CIA agent.
A German boy tells us what he can remember about growing up during the NAZI era, he was quite young. His first recollections are the aftermath of Reichs-Kristallnacht. He remembers more about World War II and its aftermath and how is family coped with the post-war occupation. He provides an especially insightful study of the German self image.
Tomi Ungerer has provided us a fascinating view of his Alsatian boyhood during World War II. His Tomi: A Childhood Under the Nazis was published in 1998) and by describes life in NAZI occupied Alsace from the viewpoint of the author, born in 1931. The book provides a great deal of information about Alsace, quite a lot about daily life under the Nazis, but unfortunately for HBC's perspective, only limited information about about clothing. The illustrations are particularly good; many of these are the work of the author, a talented artist.
A HBC reader has suggested a book written by Alois Harasko Bilder aus dem Sudetenland. Th Sudetenland is an area awarded to the new country of Czecheslovakia by the Versailles Peace Treaty ending World War I. It had a large German minority which were used by the NAZIs as an excuse to dismember Czecheslovakia in 1938-39. The text is in German. The experiences of several diffent boys are discussed, including a description of their clothes.
Wolfgang W.E. Sammuel has published a very highly regarded autobiography, German Boy. We have not yet had the opporunity to read it.
Wolfgang W.E. Sammuel, the auhor of German Boy has published a collection of 26 adults who were children in World War II. The children come from different areas throughout Germany as well as Prague. Most of the childrn were displaced, many lost their fathers. [Wolfgang W.E. Sammuel, The War of Our Childhhod: Memoirs of World War II (University Press of Mississippi, 2002), 356p.]
I was born in March 1935 and grew up in Stuttgart, a city of about 0.5 million in southwest Germany. I have many family photographs showing how I was dressed as I was growing up in Germany. I recall a good bit aboyt my boyhood clothes, but the family photographs help me recall the details. The family photographs begin a age 2 1/2 years. I had all sorts of stuffed animals--a large sable. I began Kindergarten at age 4 in 1939. I began school at 6 1/2 years old in the Fall of 1941. My school picture shows me with the book satchel we all had. Our family liked to go skiing during the Winter.
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