From: Susan Ferrill (sferr@ONRAMP.NET)
Date: Sun Feb 04 2001 - 12:29:29 PST
Ron, Yeah, that is what I figured, too. But when I questioned my cousins, they insisted that they just dropped out without any repercussions at all. Maybe it was just a case of having relatives in "high places"-- something neither they nor I are proud of, just a fact mentioned. I really and truly thought that it would have concentration camp time for them once they refused to participate. Susan At 02:26 PM 2/4/01 -0600, you wrote: >I suggest getting the 'Google' search >engine <http://www.google.com/>http://www.google.com/ >and punching in "Hitler Youth" then gleaning information from every URL >that pops out. > >I had a friend who was in the Luftwaff and he said that after 1934 in >Germany you either joined in with a show of enthusiasm or you were in >serious trouble, no ifs, ands or buts about it > >Regards ..... Ron Gillen > >Rg ============================== > > >Susan Ferrill wrote: >>Hi, >> >> >>I am a lurker here, but I have something to add to these questions, from >>at least 2 former members' experiences. I recently met 2 elderly cousins >>from Germany, Berlin and Hildesheim, that I didn't even know were still >>alive until I found some information on the Internet. We talked a little >>about >>what life was like for them during WWII. >> >>For one thing, they said they were raised to love all people, including >>Jews. >>They said they loved the Jewish people and counted them among their >>friends----but they had to keep quiet about it in order to remain alive. >>I wonder how many Germans were in the same boat. >> >>As for the Hitler Youth movement, they told me that they had to join. It >>was compulsory unless you wanted to get into trouble. They were >>promised field trips, outings, parties, etc. In reality, they said all they >>did was stand in line, arms raised, spouting slogans for hours and >>hours. They never had a party, they never went on a field trip. These >>were just promises made to lure people into the Hitler Youth. They >>said they quietly stopped going one day as a result of the broken >>promises. I never learned why they didn't get into trouble for dropping >>out, but I have sneaky suspicion that one of their uncles who was >>in the SS helped them out. He would have been the same person >>who kept my great uncle and 2nd cousins on the other side of my >>family out of jail in WWII--they were avid Communists back then >>and from what I heard he was always getting them out of trouble. >> >> >>At 06:27 PM 2/4/01 +0000, you wrote: >>>. >>>Gabriella Taylor said.... >>> >>> >Thank you so much for your personal information, experience, and analysis >>>of >>> >Hitler Youth. Though I have a fairly good general idea of what it was >>>about, >>> >>>I'm unsure about the question of "personal information, experience" since, >>>as far as I'm aware, Eddy was not a member of Hitler Youth. However, >>>several >>>subscribers to this MEMORIES list were, and perhaps we can look forward to >>>other views. >>> >>>A search on our archives at >>>http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/memories.html for the term (hitler >>>jugend) gives several accounts which may help Gabriella Taylor. Also, the >>>many personal stories found at >>>http://timewitnesses.org/english/stories.html >>>(now available in French and German as well as in English) might yield >>>further information. >>> >>>================ >>>Tom Holloway >>>tom.holloway@u3a.org.uk >>>tom@holloways.org <=== private email >>>http://timewitnesses.org >>>01926-771772 >> >> >>Houston, Texas, USA >>http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/3487 > > >Houston, Texas, USA >http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/3487