beautiful, noble, and intelligent. Children were also taught that purity was essential and to be proud of their own purity. For these children, Jews and many other races were de-humanized, making many actions that outside observers would call immoral seem like amoral issues to them. One of the most important goals of the “Hitler Youth” was to prepare German children for their role in society. Boys were to be the soldiers, the proud defenders of the fatherland. Strength, ferocity, and mercilessness were prized, especially because the “Hitler Youth” was encouraged to compete with and criticize other young men’s groups like the Boy Scouts or church groups. These other organizations often had their property vandalized or members were assaulted. The Hitler Youth dominance was a result of their strict fitness regime and physical training, as well as their numerical superiority. They were also given soldier-like drills, including rifle practice, and the members who showed the most promise were taken to special preparatory schools to develop their potential as officers in the Wermacht. German girls were also given instruction on how to best serve their country. Their primary responsibility was to bear sons for Germany and protect its cultural values, as well as produce strong healthy German children. Hitler considered this domestic effort to be as important as warfare because of the degradation of German culture that he believed had ruined Austria. The girls were given less strenuous exercises that helped them get ready for motherhood. These ideas are well expressed in a poem written by an unknown member of the Hitler Youth, presumably a female.
Figure 9- A German girl holding a Nazi flag, the text reads "Nuremburg Rally"
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