Hitler Youth Uniform Hosiery: Long Stockings-Regional Trends

Figure 1.-- This German boy in West Prussia had his phtograph taken in 1940. He looks to be about 12 or 13 years old. He wears heavy ribbed long stockings (presumably brown) with his HJ uniform. We notice a number of HJ boys in East Prussia dressed this way. We think that East Prussia may have been (1) more conservative about boys' clothes and (2) chillier (so that mothers thought long stockings essential). Notice the snow on the ground. Although long stockings were not usually worn with such uniforms, we see examples of long stockings, simply because it was customary for many German boys to wear them with their ordinary civilian clothes. And mothers wanted their boys' protected from the cold weather. The boy seems to be standing next to his younger sister. I imagine the snap shot was taken by one of their parents.

There may have been some regionalal variation. We tend to see it most commonly in rural areas. Long stockings seem especially prevalent in East Prussia. At least we have found several photographs showing boys in East Prussia wearing their Hitler Youth uniforms with long stockings. East Prussia the northeastern corner of Germany, wedged between Poland, the Baltic Sea, and Lithuania. East Prussia since World War I, was separated from the rest of the country by the Polish Corridor. The northerly more continental climate meant that there were harsh winters. It was also a largely agricultural area without industry or large cities. It was the most conservative part of Germany and the powerbase of the Junkers who owned large agricultural estates. This presumably is a factor in the conservative clothing trends.