Original German WWII HJ Complete West Köln-Aachen Uniform Set with Tan Shirt, Black Corduroy Breeches, Named Documents & Photos Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The organization of the HJ organization had numerous districts, and within these individual regiment style units called Bann were formed, which would often be named after army regiments raised from the area. Within these were smaller company sized units, and the Bann and company would be indicated on the shoulder straps, which also indicated the rank within the organization.

This very nice German WWII HJ National Youth organization complete uniform set from the district of West Köln-Aachen, complete with some youth organization related documents and pictures. There were several styles of uniforms utilized by the HJ, and this example has a lightweight tan shirt and black corduroy breeches. The shoulder strap insignia have a single rank “Pip” and a silver bar, indicating the rank of Oberkameradschaftsführer (Senior Comrade Unit Leader), which is about the same as an Unterfeldwebel / Sergeant. The strap is also marked with Bann number 840 and company number 10, with a Green & White leadership lanyard attached to the left shoulder.

The uniform also has a HJ Proficiency badge attached the front, and the correct West / Köln-Aachen district triangle on the left shoulder. Below this is a single Sigrunne patch with a red background. This uniform looks to have been used when the owner was still in the D J organization for younger boys, and we can see that the shirt itself has had the sleeves and the main body extended by several inches so it would still fit. We are not sure if this is due to material shortages at the time, or whether the member wanted to show how long they had been in the organization.

The uniform set is outfitted with the correct leather knife belt and maker marked plated steel buckle, as well as a leather cross strap. Around the neck is the correct HJ Scarf / Kerchief, with a leather scarf knot, and the set is completed with a very nice black HJ Field cap with fold down sides. Many of the items still have their original labels and RZM tags, and as far as we can tell are totally correct. There is even what looks to be a large name written on the inside of the knife belt, which we assume is the owner, along with a lot of smaller names, which would probably be their fellow members from when they were in the group.

Included with the uniform are some great research materials, including 4 photos and 3 identification booklets. One of these books is from the DLRG “Life Saving Organization”, one from the HJ Organization for Young Men, and one from the BDM Organization for Young Women. The all have the correct stamps and information, really representing some great research potential.

Complete HJ Uniforms sets like this are very difficult to find, and this is one of the very few that we have ever been able to offer. This would be perfect for any WWII display!

Please note that the Mannequin Head is not included. This comes on the standard shirt form display shown in the other full length pictures.

Approx. Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 8.5″
Shoulder to sleeve: 22”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15”
Chest width: 19″
Waist width: 17″
Hip width: 19”
Front length: 34.5″

Pants:
Waist: 17.5″
Inseam: 24.5″

In 1922, the Munich-based NSDAP established its official youth organization called Jugendbund der NSDAP. It was announced on 8 March 1922 in the Völkischer Beobachter, and its inaugural meeting took place on 13 May the same year. Another youth group was established in 1922 as the Jungsturm Adolf “AH”. Based in Munich, Bavaria, it served to train and recruit future members of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the main paramilitary wing of the NSDAP Party at that time.

One reason the HJ so easily developed was that regimented organizations, often focused on politics, for young people and particularly adolescent boys were a familiar concept to German society in the Weimar Republic. Numerous youth movements existed across Germany prior to and especially after World War I. They were created for various purposes. Some were religious and others were ideological, but the more prominent ones were formed for political reasons, like the Young Conservatives and the Young Protestants. Once AH came onto the revolutionary scene, the transition from seemingly innocuous youth movements to political entities focused on AH was swift.

Following the abortive Beer Hall Putsch (in November 1923), NSDAP youth groups ostensibly disbanded, but many elements simply went underground, operating clandestinely in small units under assumed names. In April 1924, the Jugendbund der NSDAP was renamed Grossdeutsche Jugendbewegung (Greater German Youth Movement). On 4 July 1926, the Grossdeutsche Jugendbewegung was officially renamed HJ Bund der deutschen Arbeiterjugend (HJ League of German Worker Youth). This event took place a year after the NSDAP Party was reorganised. The architect of the re-organization was Kurt Gruber, a law student from Plauen in Saxony.

After a short power struggle with a rival organization—Gerhard Roßbach’s Schilljugend—Gruber prevailed and his “Greater German Youth Movement” became the NSDAP Party’s official youth organisation. In July 1926, it was renamed H -Jugend, Bund deutscher Arbeiterjugend (“H” Youth, League of German Worker Youth”) and, for the first time, it officially became an integral part of the SA. The name H -Jugend was taken up on the suggestion of Hans Severus Ziegler. By 1930, the Hjugend (HJ) had enlisted over 25,000 boys aged 14 and upward. They also set up a junior branch, the Deutsches Jungvolk (DJ), for boys aged 10 to 14. Girls from 10 to 18 were given their own parallel organization, the League of German Girls (BDM).

In April 1932, Chancellor Heinrich Brüning banned the H Youth movement in an attempt to stop widespread political violence. However, in June, Brüning’s successor as Chancellor, Franz von Papen, lifted the ban as a way of appeasing “AH”, the rapidly ascending political star. A further significant expansion drive started in 1933, after Baldur von Schirach was appointed by H as the first Reichsjugendführer (Reich Youth Leader). All youth organizations were brought under Schirach’s control.