Hitler Youth Uniforms

Figure 1.--This Hitler Youth wears the summer uniform with black lederhosen, a popular choice for boys involved in outdoor activities.

Like the Scouts before them, the Hitler Youth uniform had to be purcahased by a boys' parents. Many parents enthusiastically outfitted their children. This also created some problems. Some parents had difficuty with the cost of buying the uniform and other gear. Some parents objected for politcal groups. After all the brown shirts of he Hiter Youth boys was styled like the thugish NAZI S.A. Storm Troopers. The parents didn't dare say that and often claimed that they couldn't afford to buy the uniform.

Jost Hermand

Jost Hermand writes in his book, A Hitler Youth in Poland, on page 4, that his mother "had strong objections to the Hitler Youth ... However, since membership in the Hitler Youth was already mandatory at the time (April 1940), she couldn't do much about the fact that I had to 'report for duty' every Saturday afternoon and sometimes even on Wednesday afternoons. But at least she could make sure that I looked 'smart' in my uniform. This got to be quite expensive since we also had to buy the accompanying knapsack, knife and scabbard, shoulder strap and leather belt, as well as the various insignia."

Henry Metelman

Henry Metelman in his book, A Hitler Youth: Growing Up In Germany In The 1930s, on pages 113-114, "Then the order came through from the Hitler Youth that everyone had to wear a proper uniform brown shirt.

When I passed it on to my parents, father just laughed. "You know how a bull hates a red rag when it is waved before him. Well, that is what a brown rag does to me. The very last I would do in my life is to give money to buy a brown shirt for my son."

"But what shall I tell them when I turn up at the next meeting without one?"

"Tell them that my wages are too low to pay even for family necessities. Just tell them that I have no money, they will have no option but to accept that."

"At the next meeting after we had lined up in military column and our leader strode along in front for inspection, he noticed several of us, standing in the middle out of sight and wearing our ordinary clothes. As expected, he at first shouted at us: 'Did I not tell you to turn up in proper uniforms, where are your brown shirts?' We were ordered to step out in front for all to see. And as it so happened, without having pre-arranged anything, we all had exactly the same excuse: 'my parents have no money to pay for one.' Well, that was that, though he moaned a little bit at first, it then happened as father had predicted, he could do nothing about it.

At the next meeting we unbrownshirted ones had to step forward again and each of us was given a parcel, which we were told not to open but to hand to our parents at home."

"When mother did so, she said: 'Oh look, Fritz, two sturdy brown shirts for the boy.' There was also a note in it, saying 'with the compliments of the Party.' 'Well, good', said mother, 'then the boy has two good shirts which saves me buying material and sewing them.'

The time period the author refers to is early 1935. There is no mention made of other uniform parts--short pants, insignia, etc.--in this section.