Hitler Youth Uniforms: Hosiery and Footwear--Barefeet

Figure 1.--HJ boys and BDM girls generally do not appear in barefeet. This was something you saw in the difficult years after World War I. In Germany it was a sign of poverty and thus rarely seen once the country began to recover from the War. There were some exceptgions. Boys at the beach or participating in boating activities ae otten seen in brefeet. The same is true for Marine HJ boys while engage in certain ctivities aboard ship like swabing the deck. Another exception is boys in camps, although even here they usually wore some sort of shoes, almost always with some kind of hosiery. At camp where the boys were not on display to the general public we sometimes see the boys barefoot for some games or even marching about, although marching barefoot was not common.

HJ boys and BDM girls generally do not appear in barefeet. This was something you saw in the difficult years after World War I. In Germany it was a sign of poverty and thus rarely seen once the country began to recover from the War. And of course the HJ which was a kind of a symbol for the New Germany did not want the boys appearing un barefeet. Just as parents did not want o give the impression of poverty, the HJ was also concerned about the public images of its boys. This was the same for all other youth groups as barefeet were such a universal symbol of poverty throughout Germany. There were some exceptgions. Boys at the beach or participating in boating activities ae often seen in brefeet. The same is true for Marine HJ boys while engage in certain ctivities aboard ship like swabing the deck. Another exception is boys in camps, although even here they usually wore some sort of shoes, almost always with some kind of hosiery. At camp where the boys were not on display to the general public we sometimes see the boys barefoot for some games or even marching about, although marching barefoot was not common.