hitler's Children

Formerly "Hitler's Kinder", Munich, auf Deutsche 2000, it is an arrant discourse on the education of German children of National Socialist government. There are 30 excellent B/W photos plus 7 page Intro. which follows the education/educational systems for German youth growing up in the 1930's & 1940's. Details are provided in 5 provocatively titled chapters: - 1-Seduction, 2-Submission, 3-Bloodstock, 4-War, & 5-Sacrifice. A child, in 1936, at age 10 was seduced into Jungvolk (girls as Jungmaedel) & after training "graduated", earning sheath knife engraved "Meine Ehre heisst Treue" as official "Deutsches Jungvolk". Annually, new crops of ten-year-olds were dedicated to the Fueherer on his birthday, April 20th. At ages 14-18 lads joined Hitlerjugend (HJ) as Hitler Youths overseen by Baldur von Schurach, whilst girls entered Bund Deutscher Maeder (BDM), League of German Lasses. In 1937 Adolph Hitler Schools, under Robert Ley & Schurach, were devised along with special colleges, Ordensburgen. This book used more than 1000 interviews, & contains many quotations from populace living at the time. The methodology of applied propaganda was eerily assimilated by youth, moreso than parents, - it involved using simple Boy Scout tactics (hiking, camping & campfires, singing, chanting) & athletic competitions; pseudo-religious allegiances; instilling fear of hostile countries that pillaged, raped, etc.; & dangers of polluted blood lines (Jews, Gypsies, etc.) & attraction of uniforms, insignia, ribbons, flags, parades, marching bands & hierarchy of heroes. Allegiance was instilled to Fueherer, Volk & Vaterland (Leader - People - Nation) as national socialism along lines of "Father - Son - & Holy Ghost". Progressively, religion was replaced by nationalism (holidays, etc.). Teachings were three-fold at Hitler schools: 5 years spent on character building & racial philosophy, 2 years in military or labor services, & a few years in specialized teachings as administration, diplomacy, etc. Only the "fittest" were chosen & promoted, a pyramidal selection: - some were trained to command in the new German World Empire as military commanders or Gauleiter. Closure of WW2 saw progressive decimation of tens of thousands of German youths, ages 10 to 16, in the blitzkriegs & front lines ever worsening to the final days of Nazi defeat & Hitler's death on April 30, 1945 (suicide by cyanide & SIGSW to head). The book is somewhat choppy, has minor flaws instilled with translation, a few repititions & redundancies only apparent on careful reading. It is a good read, well indexed.