The fascination of a uniform
I wanted to be included in it all. According to my recollections the uniform was already a desireable garment in my childhood; and on the whole, when one spoke of future a profession at that time, a uniform always stood at the focal point. I saw and recognized uniforms daily; however, regarding a profession relating to this, or to a wish regarding a profession, or to what various professions did, I certainly had only vague ideas. It cannot therefore be hard to believe, that my statement: "When I am big, I will be a...", changed daily, if not hourly. First of all it was a railwayman, then a street-car driver, also the flip of a coin for a postman or a policeman. A street-car driver with a shako, of which there naturally weren't any, would perhaps have been the finest. The millworker, in Nürenberg called plain and simply a "sweepings farmer", stood also as a valid choice on account of his leather apron which served as a quasi-uniform.

The uniform addiction intensified when I was 5 or 6 years old and each Sunday I watched SA-men marching along the Heroldsberger Weg. I learned later that they regularly called into the "Am Brunnen vor dem Tore" pub, in order to develop their ideological ideas.

However, on a lovely spring or summer day in the year 1939, I no longer know the exact date, an armed forces parade took place in Nürnberg on the occasion of Adolph Hitler's 50th birthday. I stood with my father on the west side of the Spittlertorgrabens, roughly between Kontumazgarten and Pegnitz, and watched for hours long, from the Neutorgraben, the gleaming military marching past me. I was especially taken with the Bamberger Cavalry. It was the 17th Cavalry Regiment of the 3rd Cavalry Division. (Thirty years later a Mandant in my practice told me that he himself had taken part in this parade as a rider, and that the regiment 9 months later, lay partly motorised in the stand-by region of Marburg and Gießen awaiting the attack on France.) Anyhow, after this spectacle when we were at home I expressed, vociferously, the wish to be allowed also to wear a uniform such as those I had seen many times in the parade. Since my father was a tailor, I soon had that wish fulfilled. I received a field-grey jacket with the red collar patch of a troop officer of the artillery. The epaulettes were formed so that they were exchangeable. Thus it could happen on any morning in the circle of my pals that I appeared as a sergeant of the pioneers and lunchtime went home as a general in the infantry.

Anyway, soon there would be a "correct" uniform ready for me. It consisted, in the summer, of a brown shirt with two pockets on it; a black shoulder epaulette on the right shoulder; and on the left sleeve the letter "J" and the Jungvolk-Raute (a Hitler-Youth-type, badge). In addition, there was a black neck scarf (like a Boy Scout neckerchief) held together by a leather "knot" band. The black knee-hose, unlike those of today, were very short. Then there was still a little forage cap to put on, on the front of which there was a metal "Jungvolk-Raute". In addition to this there was a leather belt with a clasp and a shoulder strap as well as a sheath knife. In winter one wore ankle length assault trousers, and a black jacket with two pockets, as well as a black cap. Sheath knife, leather belt, shoulder straps , and "Jungvolk-Rauten" badge were just the same as with the summer uniform.

On the 20th April, 1942, in my tenth year, it was then finally the time. I joined the "Kinderabteilung", the children's branch of the Hitler Youth or, as I would like to call them today, the "Deutsche Jungvolk". I was a happy boy, when I was admitted into the 4th Boy-Company of the 13th Troop, "Forcade" (a Fredericksburg officer), Jungstamm III, Jungbann "J". A swearing- in, or a special acceptance ceremony, for the "Deutsche Jungvolk" was not allowed. Not until their entry into the Hitler Youth, or in the "Bund Deutscher Mädel" (an organization for girls similar to the Hitler youth) did the "Pimpfe" and "Jungmädel" swear the following oath: "I promise, in the Hitler Youth to do my duty all the time in love and loyalty to the Führer and to our flag, so help me God.". The call to God was deleted the year the war started.

The duty was basically each Wednesday afternoon from 2pm until 6pm and mostly on Saturday afternoons or early on Sunday in order to successfully prevent eventually going to church. Despite all the later realizations and experiences, I must admit that I willingly joined the "Deutsche Jungvolk", and that I was happy to belong to them. In my parent's house I received only honest facts, without any encouragement which could generate enthusiasm in me for the National socialist regime. Out of pure pragmatic reasons, which I accept today, there was as well, nothing to stop me.What actually happened to the Jungvolk?

The ideological training was hurriedly romped through, dealing with the world of Germanic Gods, in the migrations of people, in the peasants, and later wars of liberation. The lives of Hitler, Horst Wessel, and Leo Schlageter were learned off by heart. Obviously the ideological instruction as well as the instruction about the Nazi philosophy of life was not so serious and did not cause a permanent damage. Naturally Prussian drill conventions also stood on the curriculum. The parade ground was the meadow in front of the wooden Catholic church which stillexisted at that time. I had no objections against the training and accepted it just as a naturally, and thoroughly acceptable, discipline measure. Sport, and this was certainly not my strong point, especially track and field, was also pursued. I didn't earn one of the coveted sports medals.On the other hand, the so-called "Wehrsport", or, paramilitary training, was considerably more interesting. Open-country reconnaissance and field exercises were demanded here. The high point was the so-called scouting game, or, field exercise. It was this game between two parties, from, according to the rules, two different troops, at least however between platoons consisting of young boys out of the two different troops. After general separation the opponents had to find each other, and after recognizing the situation of the adversaries, scrapped with them in a violent fight . The struggles were often no game, there was some earnestness involved. Finally, the troops came from various parts of the city. No child nor adolescent from Ziegelsteiner or Loher Mooser could appear with impunity in Buchenbühl or in Nordostbahnhof.The situation was supposed to have been no different before the Nazi period as well. The men of the "Rotfrontkämpferbund" and the "Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold" fought trying to break each others ribs, hindered from fighting only by the SA which by chance sometimes separated them, because they were the enemy of both. I could spot pieces of the Imperial Black-Red-Gold Group uniforms in our house as well. I could feel quiet often that political enmities from long ago were still there, and different from today, exploded in physical aggression.When I went to families in Ziegelstein in order to invite the boys living there to take an active part in the "Deutschen Jungvolk" I was sometimes abused as a Nazi, for whose parents they had to feel sorry; and furthermore, they could also not understand why my parents let me go to the Jungvolk. One is on the other hand still proud of earlier membership in political parties such as the SPD (this kind were still the friendliest), KPD, and USPD. Such opinions were made known to me with clarity and without restraint.

Wehrsport (a form of paramilitary training): Adventures in the field exercises.The field exercises, which were held often, especially between Ziegelstein Fähnlein 13 (Troop 13) and Buchenbuhl Fähnlein 14 (Troop 14), saved in oneself a certain humanness. Meanwhile, one knew himself still better through the occasional taking of prisoners. The woods between Ziegelstein and Buchenbuhl as well as around Buchenbuhl and also those of Haidberg provided the scenes for our aggression. Often we felt a sort of "Red-Indian- romanticism". Karl May was then highly estimated and the "Ziegelstaaner Bächlaa" alias the "Hirschsprunggraben" became the thundering Rio Pecos in our imagination.

I can still remember especially a big field exercise which took place during the Whitsun holidays in 1943 between the Jungbann "J" and the "Jungbann Nürnberg-Land" and which lasted several days, for it is supposed to have decisively influenced my "Jungvolk" career. My troop was quartered in various barns in Neunhof near Eschenau. We slept on straw. It was especially very cold on the straw in the early morning. As a rule we obtained our meals in the form of stew from the NSV (National Socialist Welfare Service). My Jungenschaft was to find out the location of the opposition. On contact with the enemy we were supposed to abstain from action and return as quickly as possible with news of the reconnaissance. We suspected that Rothenberg could be one of the enemy centres. We set off over Simonshofen through the Spitalwald to Rollhofen and further to Kersbach. Behind Kersbach we tried to reach the woods and went further through them and past the former cemetery of the fortress in the direction of Rothenberg. We also reached the Rothenberg fort as well, rather quickly, but in a way entirely different to that which we had planned. Shortly after we had carefully crept past the cemetery there was suddenly a rustling in the bushes and undergrowth and a large number of uniformed types threw themselves upon us. We were prisoners of the opposing "Jungbannes" und were led into a bombproof chamber of the Rothenberg fort and shackled there. We were kept in a good frame of mind by means of water and crisp bread.

On the next day we succeeded in freeing ourselves. We fled at the run past them in the direction of Güntersbühl, past Ödenberg, in order to reach Heroldsberg, where we could feel reasonably safe. But shortly before Heroldsberg our pursuers overtook us. There was a scrap, in which I fell backwards over the trunk of a felled tree, and I remained lying there after feeling a short crack in my right upper arm. We were successful in fleeing from our pursuers and made our way homeward to Ziegelstein. My arm really hurt, but I accepted it as bearable. We arrived at our 'home', as it was called, in Ziegelstein. Our Troop leader with his adjutant met us on the street "Am Anger" at the Ziegelstein Castle. The troop itself was already on its way back from Neunhof. Partially through our capture and the combined loss of time the original task orders couldn't be carried out. Our Troop detached itself from the enemy, without having actually come in contact with them.My arm in the meantime had swollen considerably, and the general opinion was that it was necessary to go to the doctor. First I went home somewhat anxious... I was anxious in view of the uncertainty as to what my parents would say about my swollen arm. But nothing happened that could dampen my morale, now my parents were also of the opinion that I must go to the doctor immediately. That therefore is what happened. The doctor diagnosed a clean break of the right upper-arm bone and the arm was in plaster for four weeks.

Career
The march back from Heroldsberg with a broken arm, strengthened during the leadership of the "Jungvolks" in the "Jungbann 'J' ", the view and opinion that I had accomplished a special heroic deed, until now unprecedented. The promotion to 'Jungenschaftsführer" was now taken for granted. At the same time I was assigned as an orderly (one of many) to the 'Jungbannführer" who resided on Guntherstraße. What did I have to do there? At certain firmly established times I had to appear at the Jungbannführer's, where I took delivery of a filled briefcase which was fastened to my arm by means of handcuffs. I had to sign for the briefcase when I took delivery of it. I then took the case to the Jungstammführer, to the "Gauleiter"(head of the Nazi administrativedistrict), to the city of Nürnberg or to the police headquarters to pass it on. On arriving at the respective destinations I again had to take delivery of the briefcase. I provided this "work" until the first days in April 1945. The down side was that unexpectedly, I had to devote much more time to the "Jungvolk". However on the positive side, I now received a pass with which I was allowed to use the Nürnberg-Fürther
streetcars (no bus lines) at no cost.The school at some time must have acquired knowledge of my "heroic deed", for on the 55th birthday of the Führer I received from the school, on the orders of the Bavarian Minister for Education and Culture, the book "Mölders und seine Männer" (Air-force General Mölders and his Men) as a token of my specialachievements, with the following dedication:

First Doubts
Our Fähnlein (Troop) got more tasks in the potato-fields of the
Ziegelstein farmers: picking Colorado beetles from the potatoes. Having pity for them, I took some beetles home and put them on the potato plants in our own garden with the result that I had to pick Colorado beetles in our garden too. In the course of the increasing air-raids the Jungvolk were employed collecting flak and bomb shrapnel on the Nürnberg airfield. Still, in addition, there came the task of replacing the broken window panes with cardboard after air-raids and bomb damage in the old and south parts of the city.An event even further in the past, that I wouldn't like to hold back from anyone, has remained in my memory. It must have been in the year 1943, in any case before the attempted assassination of Hitler on July 20th 1944. The news came that Hitler had just arrived, for a short time, in the Hotel "Deutscher Hof", his favourite hotel in Nürnberg, and that a march-past of the SA, SS, and Hitler Youth would take place on the Frauentorgraben. The meeting place and assembly point was the Könnigstraße. A mass of people in uniforms arrived there at the assigned time, formed themselves into nine ranks and then marched out of the Königstraße in the direction of the Frauengraben. After the passing of the "Deutscher Hof" with the "Eyes left!" the marching column turned into the "Färbersraße", dispersed themselves and ran at the double behind the wall and back to the "Königstraße" in order to reform, and for the second time, to march past the "Deutscher Hof". Our routine training for marching in nine rows was, to be sure, of great value.

Translated from the German by John Milloy (winso@cogeco.ca)

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© 2002 Erhard Bauer