Figure 1.--This is a Catholic school group photographed in Bonn in 1932. The boys look to be about 11-14 years old. They attended the famous Cztholic Gymnasium known as the Collegium Josephinum, an elite Roman Catholic boarding school in Bonn. We do not know if they were just a school group or a school unit of a larger nationl orgasnization.

This is a group at a private Catholic boarding school photographed in Bonn during 1932. The boys look to be avbout 11-14 years old. The school was the famous Catholic Gymnasium, the Collegium Josephinum. It was an elite Roman Catholic boarding school in Bonn. We do not know if they were just a school group or a school unit of a larger nationl organization. The boys are wearing their Jungschar (youth group) uniform, which consists of a light tan or kahki blouse with a belt, short trousers, long black stockings, and visored school caps. The boys look about twelve to fourteen. They wear baldrics over their shoulders, presumably part of the club's insignia, and they seem to be carrying banners identifying the group. The club seems to have engaged in humanitarian projects as well as recreational activities such as hiking. They are shown with their leader, who seems to be a bit older than the rest and who doesn't wear a school cap. Perhaps he was a young teacher at the Collegium Josephinum who organized the group as one of the school activities. The photo seems to have been taken on the steps of one of the school buildings. I think the question is if this was just a school group or if they belonged to a larger national group. We do not know how common this was a German denomimnational schools. Germany had a very active youth movement before the NAZIs with a large number of different groups, including many small groups. There was a Catholic Scout association in Germany, but the uniform here suggests these boys did not belong to it. The NAZIs seized power the year after this photograph was taken. The NAZIs seized control of the German youth movement (1933). The Catholics groups were allowed to stay indeopent for a few years, but were eventually forced into the Hitler Youth. An indedependent group at the school may have managed to stay out of the HJ even longer. A reaeder writes, "I agree that this group was just an independent group of boys formed at the school (the Collegium Josephinum) and not part of a larger national organization, but kile HBU I'm not certain. I don't recognize the uniforms as part of a national group. We know, for instance, that most of the boys at the school wore short trousers with long black stockings as part of their conservative school dress even though there was no official uniform. The black stockings look to me like a hold-over from the regular school habit of dress."