35065 HITLERJUGEND BOY 1, GERMANY 1945

The Hitler Youth (abbreviated: HJ) is a German Nazi youth organization of the NSDAP party that was formed in 1922 under the name Jungsturm. The rapid development of the organization took place in the early 1930s, especially after 1933, when Baldur von Schirach was the leader of HJ, and considerable funds were allocated from the state budget for its development. From March 1939, under a special law, all young male Germans aged 10 to 18 were to join the Hitler Youth. In the same year, the Hitler Youth had over 7.7 million members! From 1940, when Artur Axmann became the leader of HJ, the organization began to transform into auxiliary and rear units of the German armed forces, and underage Germans from HJ acted as part of air defense or helped to remove damage caused by Allied air strikes. From 1943, the Hitlerjugend became a de facto military reserve, and in June of the same year, the 12th SS Panzer Division of the Hitlerjugend was formed based on the youth from HJ. In the last months of the war, youth from HJ often fought on the front lines, and during the Berlin operation (1945) even children aged 12-14 were sent to the front.