From: Ron Gillen (gillen@NCONNECT.NET)
Date: Sun Feb 04 2001 - 13:00:02 PST
I also knew a lady from Austria who married a GI there immediately following WWII. She had one helleva time getting into the US because she had been a member of the Hitler Youth. She explained to US authorities that in her school she was 'encouraged' to join, not signing up had all kinks of repercussions for her and her family. Finally the US authorities relented and she was allowed into the US. They had entertained the idea that membership was equivalent to being a member of the Nazi party while she related it was like being in the girl scouts and was the only youth organization open to children. Ron Gillen Rg =============================== Susan Ferrill wrote: > 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/ >> >> 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 >