GERMAN PRE AND POST MILITARY TRAINING

[UPENDRA GADKARY]

During the Nuremberg Trials a charge was levied against Hitler that he had started a "Sports Programme" since the early 1920's under the garb of which he wanted to give military training to Germans and ultimately prepare for the Second World War.

In 1933 he instituted the SA Military Sports Badge to give pre and post military training to all German's of military age and also conceal the real fact that he was preparing Germans for war by showing a sports activity.

Can anybody give his views as to how far Hitler was successfull in concealing his military training programme.

[Dennis Redler]

I watched a documentary about the Hitler Youth on TV last summer. In it an ex-member recollected a sports match with English boys in the 1930's.He commented on how the British team was friendly and very relaxed ,but the German team arrived on the field marching and singing. The British were amused and a bit confused. He ended his interview by saying that at 13 the German boys were already "little soldiers".

[CHRISCHA]

To build on Dennis's reply, after the Hitler Youth, the young men would do six months RAD (labour corp) service before their conscription into the armed forces.

[Christian Ankerstjerne]

Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A driving through a brick wall at a 'Panzersportfest' near Wünsdorf. This vehicle is from the 2. Abteilung, Panzerregiment 5, 27 June 1936

There were also Machinegun 'show-offs' for very small children, and young people with an interrest in aviation were using glider aircrafts to train for the Luftwaffe.

The book 'Hitler Youth; The Hitlerjugend in War and Peace 1933-1945' by Brenda Ralph Lewis (ISBN 87-7842-109-8) also has a large section on this subject...

Christian