us and sense of purpose were all aspects of the organizationthat the youth bought into and encouraged them to join. The HJ was the youths way ofmaking their voice heard and acknowledged. Leaders and Youth Officers Baldur von Schirach is the most renowned HJ leader. Schirach joined the Nazi party and the SA (Sturmabteilung-Nazi paratroopers) in 1925. In 1929, he became the leader of the National Socialist Students Union. He became Reich youth leader of the NSDAP in 1931, then Youth Leader of the German Reich in June 1933. The first thing Schirach did, after attaining this position, was send fifty HJ to occupy the national offices of the Reich Committee of German Youth Associations, which was an organization that Hitler had wanted to gain control. (xv) Membership in the HJ was remarkable. In 1932, 107,956 boys were enrolled. The end of 1939 enrolled almost eight million boys enrolled in the HJ. Part of the reason enrollment grew so fast wasthat Schirach knew how to play on the sympathies of the youth. He had gone through theyouth movement as well and was only 26 years old upon being appointed leader of the HJ. He knew that sport, outdoor activities, and independence was important to the youth. Healso knew that they had a striking nationalistic attitude. They were against the Weimargovernment and so were the Nazis. Shirach and Hitler Youth Koch p. 68 Part of the Reason the HJ was successfull was that youth led youth. In other words, theyouth were promoted to positions of leadership that enhanced their sense of independence. Schirach had many responsibilities as the HJ leader, such as dissolving other groups orincorporating them into the HJ. Educating t...
