Hitler Youth [Hitler Jugend (HJ)]
    As early as 1922, the SA maintained authority of the German youth under the aegis of the Jugenbund der NSDAP (Youth League of the Nazi Party). In 1935, the HJ was officially formed and designated as a Party branch. Adolf Hitler appointed a youthful leader named Baldur von Schirach as the initial Reich Youth leader. The 1939 Youth Service Decree made membership in the HJ mandatory for all German youth between the ages of ten and eighteen, except those whose blood was not pure Aryan. As Germany mobilized for an all-out war effort, the HJ became a convenient reservoir for manpower. HJ units were formed in the majority of the occupied countries and members of the HJ served with all branches of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS. As the war progressed, the premilitary training of the HJ between the ages of 16 and 18 was taken over by the Army. For more information click here to see LTC (Ret.) Tom Johnson's 8 vol set "Collecting the Edged Weapons of the Third Reich", or some of the other reference books that we offer.