Growing Up Female in Nazi Germany

CHAPTER 1: "The Path of the German Girl"

CHAPTER 1 “The Path of the German Girl” Contrary to what one would expect, the “Aryan” required an unprecedented degree of “pedagogical” in›uence in order to unfold his or her “natural” superiority. The “members of the master race” were surrounded by an entire web of specially created organizations; these enveloped all their activities, shaping the phases of their lives. In the bosom of the League of German Girls, views about how to “educate”1 a “German girl” and mold her into a proper “German woman” took on concrete, palpable form. External appearance was standardized: a navy blue skirt, ‹tted with buttons for girls ages ten to fourteen, and a white blouse, whose left sleeve sported a triangular emblem emblazoned with the name of the respective Obergau (area) of the league, topped by a black neckerchief fastened together by a brown leather knot. The out‹t was complemented by white stockings, replaced in the cold winter months by long brown hoses, and laced shoes. In inclement weather, girls donned a brown vest, the so-called Kletterweste (climbing vest), or a black peasant costume jacket, the Berchtesgadener Jäckchen (Berchtesgaden jacket). Here was an image of girlhood both smart and sporty, devoid of any super›uous frippery. The uniform clothing underscored membership in a group and German folk community . Its unambiguous message: no one was to deviate from the prescribed norm. The “path of education” of a “German girl” had to be as uniform as her external appearance. Next to the parental home and the school, the League of German Girls was considered the third educational institution in society.2 It was responsible for “educating” “female German youth . . . in the spirit of National Socialism, dedicated to service to the 21 1. When I use the word education here, I refer to National Socialist discourse. However, since I do not consider the League of German Girls to be an effective pedagogical instrument in the framework of an ideological system—as I will elaborate on in chap. 3, section “Between Tradition and Progress,” this study—I have left the term here in qualifying quotation marks. 2. Hitler Youth Law, Dec. 1, 1936, RGBl. I 1936, 993, § 2. people and the folk community.”3 How this external National Socialist “education of girls” was to be organized and implemented within the league closely geared to National Socialist conceptions and ideals was set down in precise detail. “The Path of the German Girl” We use the term “children” for those non-uniformed creatures of a younger age who have never taken part in a social evening, have never been on a march.4 The National Socialist state began to educate its wards at the age of ten, which, as Baldur von Schirach phrased it, marked the end of childhood . The legal foundation for entry into the League of German Girls was paragraph 9 of the Second Ordinance on Implementation of the Hitler Youth Law (HJ-Law). Article 1 of that law stated: “All young people must report to their local Hitler Youth leader by the 15th of March at the latest in the calendar year in which they reach the age of 10, in order to enter the Hitler Youth.”5 Children were mobilized for registration by means of public announcements, information passed on in the classroom, and registry lists. Every April 20, Hitler’s birthday , brought a special festive ceremony as new members of the Hitler Youth were initiated. Young girls ‹rst joined the Jungmädelbund, the female equivalent to the Deutsches Jungvolk of the male Hitler Youth. After six months, the girls were expected to pass the Jungmädelprobe6 and were then given the leather knot, an ID card, and the emblem, thus becoming full-›edged members of the organization. Once “graduated” into the League of German Girls, they had to purchase the uniform, which was obligatory when in service. The regular round of service in the League of German Girls consisted of the Heimabend (social evening or afternoon get-together), sports activities, and excursions. The Heimabend was a two-hour affair that took place once a week. Jungmädel under the age of fourteen had their get-together in the afternoon, while the older girls gath22 Growing Up Female in Nazi Germany 3. Hitler Youth Law, Dec. 1, 1936, RGBl. I 1936, 993, § 3. 4. Baldur von Schirach, Die Hitler-Jugend. Idee und Gestalt (Leipzig, 1934), 87. 5. Second ordinance on implementation of the Hitler Youth Law from March 25, 1939. RGBl. I...