The Hitler Youth
People everywhere have been told the story of the Holocaust and World War II. Most people, however, have been given the story from the Jewish perspective. Many people have written numerous books, and research papers have been published concerning the Holocaust and the horrors bestowed upon the Jews. One point of view not so commonly explored is that of the German youth. These very young innocent children were brainwashed into thinking anything and everything Germany and Hitler did benefited them and Hitler's desire to create "the ultimate race". These kids knew nothing of the horrible death camps and the cruelty that transpired in them. The Jews were not the only ones to suffer. The Germans too endured much suffering and hardship in search of a better life. " My program for educating youth is hard. Weakness must be hammered away. In my castles of the Teutonic Order a youth will grow up before which the world will tremble. I want a brutal, domineering, fearless, cruel youth. Youth must be all that. It must bear pain. There must be nothing weak and gentle about it. The free, splendid beast of prey must once again flash from its eyes...That is how I will eradicate thousands of years of human domestication...
Hitler began training new youth in camps called "KLV's" (History Place). Nazi's evacuated children, with or without the parents permission, from the cities in danger of being bombed (History Place). These KLV's, (short for kinderlandverschickung), were sometimes very harsh (History Place). "From 1940 to 1945, over 2.8 million German children were sent to these camps" (History Place). Boys and girls stayed in different camps. The boys performed "paramilitary field exercises, hikes, and marches" along with the forced recitation and singing of Nazi slogans and songs (History Place). It may be difficult for one to understand why anyone would go through such trial and struggle in such tough camps voluntarily. But, the German Youth considered it a privilege and an honor to be a member of the Hitler Youth, so they would do anything and everything to be a member of such a splendid part of Germany's history. Dvorson, Alexa. "The Hitler Youth: Marching Towards Madness." The Rosen America entered the war in December of 1941. The first thousand bomber raid occurred May 1942 against Cologne. The young boys Hitler had been training were officially reassigned to man the anti-aircraft batteries on January 26, 1943 (History Place). As a result, new "Wehrertuchtigunslager" went into operation (History Place). These camps, also known as "WELS", were "defense strengthening camps" that provided at least "3 weeks of mandatory war training for all boys aged 16-18" (History Place). The youth believed very strongly in one of their favorite sayings: "Today Germany belongs to us, and tomorrow the whole world" (Dvorson 30). This saying and the
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Approximate Word count = 1101
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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