This League of German Girls jacket has two embroidered cloth patches handstitched to the upper left sleeve: a dark triangle displaying the name of the member’s region, South Franconia (Süd Franken), and a Hitler Youth insignia.
Beginning in 1933, the Hitler Youth and its organization for girls and young women, the League of German Girls, played an important role in the new Nazi regime. Through these organizations, the Nazi regime indoctrinated young people with Nazi ideology, including antisemitism and racism. All prospective members of the Hitler Youth had to be "Aryans" and "genetically healthy." Their duty was to serve Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. Hitler Youth boys and girls were required to wear military-style uniforms, in keeping with the "soldierly" character of the Nazi Party, and conform to certain standards of behavior. Youth of both genders had to take part in physical exercise to prepare for their future lives in Nazi Germany. Boys engaged in military training, while the League of German Girls primed girls to be future wives and mothers. It trained girls to care for the home and family. Girls also learned skills such as sewing, nursing, cooking, and household chores.
This jacket was brought back to the United States by Arthur R. Myers, a US Army soldier who participated in the Allied invasion of Nazi Germany.
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