Hitler Youth Uniforms: Hitler Youth --Seasonal Uniforms

Figure 1.--

The older section of the Hitler Youth movement, the Hitler Youth (HJ) consisting of boys from the age of 14 to 18. Boys progressed to the HJ sometime after their 14th birthdauy. The winter uniform for the HJ, consisted of black ski pants bloced at the ankle, worn with dark blue tunic. Under this was worn the traditional light brown shirt. There was special winter cap. A black neckerchief held in place by a brown leather toggle. A belt with the Hitler Youth buckle was alway worn. Many boys wore the belt with a shoulder strap. For summer wear the HJ left off the tunic and wore just the basic light brown shirt and black shorts. There was a campaign-style cap. This is the classic uniform in which the Hitler Youth were normally depicted. The summer uniform is the one most associated in the public mind with the Hitler Youth. It was normally worn with a black scarfe and woggle. The shirts were usally not buttoned and the scarfe worn under the collar. The HJ boys had a few insignias or patches on thier uniform shirt. The uniform was normally worn with grey kneesocks and shoes. The high-top shoes the younger boys wore were less common in the HJ, but some boys had boots.

Hitler Youth: Summer uniform

For summer wear the HJ left off the tunic and wore just the basic light brown shirt and black shorts. There was a campaign-style cap. This is the classic uniform in which the Hitler Youth were normally depicted. The summer uniform is the one most associated in the public mind with the Hitler Youth. It was normally worn with a black scarfe and woggle. The shirts were usally not buttoned and the scarfe worn under the collar. The HJ boys had a few insignias or patches on thier uniform shirt. The uniform was normally worn with grey kneesocks and shoes. The high-top shoes the younger boys wore were less common in the HJ, but some boys had boots.

Caps

The HJ caps varied more than any other uniform garments. The HJ caps in the 1920s and early 1930s wore a cap with a leather bill or peak. This was substituted in 193? with a campaign cap. Interestingly the American Boy Scouts adopted a similar cap style. While it was adopted by NAZI-approved nationlist groups in occupied countries, few Scout groups except the American Scouts adopted it.

Shirts

The standard brown shirted uniform like the Strom Troopers (SA), showing their origin as a junior auxilary of the SA. The SA was much more important in the 1920s when the Hitler Youth were founded than fter 1934 when Hitler had Roem and other SA leaders killed to placate the Army. The SA eventually complained that the brown Hitler Youth uniforms made them look like boy scouts.

Pants

The brown shirts were worn with black shorts or sometimes lederhosen. I'm not sure if the lederhosen were the choice of individual boys, or perhaps worn when the boys went camping. All of the boys, regardless of age, wore short pants during the winter. The boys tended to wear shorter cut shorts than was common for Scouts and other youth groups in the 1920s.

Kerchiefs and arm bands

Hosiery and footwears

Unlike the rest of the uniform, there was considerable variation concerning hosiery and footwear. I'm not sure what the regulatioins were, if any. Whatever they were, groups varied as to how strictly they insisted on conformity regarding both hosiery and foowear. Most boys wore plain grey kneesocks with their uniform, bit here there were many variations. We note that even in very well uniformed groups, there are often differences with the hosiery. . Sometimes the Hitler Youth boys wore white knee socks with that uniform. That was a uniform garment for special occasions. I'm not sure prescisely who or what determined the choice. Black leather shoes often completed the outfit. We note boys commonly wearing heavy boot-like shoes. These heavy xhoes were more common with the DJ than HJ. We never notice boys wearing sneakers (canvass shoes).

Hitler Youth: Winter Uniform

The winter uniform for the HJ, consisted of black ski pants bloced at the ankle, worn with dark blue tunic. Under this was worn the traditional light brown shirt. There was special winter cap. A black neckerchief held in place by a brown leather toggle. A belt with the Hitler Youth buckle was alway worn. Many boys wore the belt with a shoulder strap. Hitler Youth boys also had a winter uniform. It appears to have been very similar to the DJ winter uniform. HBU has seen photograps off DJ and HJ boys in winter uniforms. The only apparent difference was that many older boys wore long pants during the winter. I'm not sure who made the decission about what type of pants were worn, the boys' parents or the Hitler Youth unit. The winter uniform is less readily recognized than the summer uniform. I'm not sure just when the uniform was introduced.