Artifact
Hitler Youth knife and case
This Hitler Youth knife and case is shaped like a military bayonet and bears the emblem of the Hitler Youth.
Beginning in 1933, the Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls had an important role to play in the new Nazi regime. Through these organizations, the Nazi regime planned to indoctrinate young people with Nazi ideology. This was part of the process of Nazifying German society. The aim of this process was to dismantle existing social structures and traditions. The Nazi youth groups were about imposing conformity. Youth throughout Germany wore the same uniforms, sang the same Nazi songs, and participated in similar activities. Knives such as this one emphasize the paramilitary nature of the Hitler Youth organization. It was designed to train boys as future fighters and soldiers for the Nazi cause.
These items were found in a warehouse in Aachen, Germany, by US Army soldier Sidney Conners in July 1944.
Tags
- US Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, gift of Sidney and Phyllis Conners