35038 BDM YOUNG GIRL, GERMANY 1945

BDM (Ger. Bund Deutscher Mädel German Girls' Union) is a Nazi organization to which German female youth aged 13 to 17 could and must have belonged. The BDM was a specific section of the Hitler Youth and was formed in 1930. From 1936, membership in the BDM was compulsory. Initially, the BDM focused primarily on the indoctrination of German girls in the national socialist spirit and took care of their physical development by organizing sports competitions and hiking tours. Interestingly, at the beginning, the BDM promoted the image of a modern woman as an equal member of society to men. Over time, however, the BDM message changed and began to focus on the image of a woman as a housewife and mother of children. At the end of World War II, girls who belonged to the BDM were used as medical aids in civilian and field hospitals, but also served in various auxiliary formations in Germany - including air defense. It is worth adding that the uniform of a BDM member was a white shirt with a black scarf and a black skirt over the knees.