Hitlerjugend | |
Motto |
|
---|---|
Formation | 1933 (1922) |
Extinction | 1945 |
Type | Youth organisation |
Legal status | Defunct, Illegal |
Region served
|
Nazi Germany |
Leader | |
Parent organization
|
Nazi Party |
The Hitler Youth (German: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ in German) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins dated back to 1922. From 1933 until 1945, it was the sole official youth organisation in Germany and was partially a paramilitary organisation; it was constituted of the Hitler Youth proper for male youth aged 14 to 18, the German youngsters of the Hitler Youth (Deutsches Jungvolk or DJ) for younger boys aged 10 to 14, and the League of German Girls (Band of German Maidens or BDM).
With the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945, the organisation de facto ceased to exist. On 10 October 1945, it was outlawed by the Allied Control Council along with other Nazi Party organisations. Under Section 86 of the Criminal Code of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Hitler Youth is an "unconstitutional organisation" and the distribution or public use of its symbols, except for educational or research purposes, is not permitted.
In 1922 the Munich-based Nazi Party established its official youth organisation called Jugendbund der NSDAP. It was announced on 8 March 1922 in the Völkischer Beobachter, and its inaugural meeting took place on 13 May the same year. Another youth group was established in 1922 as the Jungsturm Adolf Hitler . Based in Munich, Bavaria, it served to train and recruit future members of the Sturmabteilung (or "Storm Regiment"), the adult paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party.