Did the Hitler Youth and Deutsches Jungvolk shave?

Forums New posts
volkund

volkund

Joined
Jan 23, 2022
Messages
107
Thanks Received
18
been curious about this for a while now. did the HJ/DJ ever shave? i seen in another post that they carried shaving items but did they ever shave?

many thanks.
 
In the toilet bag are mentioned: soap, towel, comb, brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, shoe polish, sewing kit, in summer: sunburn cream.

Even taking into account that sexual maturity 80, 90 years ago was later than today due to the nutritional and health situation, it is certainly conceivable that some 17 or 18 year olds with strong hair growth also had a beard fuzz on their upper lip (a few decades later, this was vainly cultivated). In the 30s and 40s, beards were completely out of fashion, so that should have been removed. And of course, shaving was "proof" of adulthood. I'm thinking of the flak helpers around adults, for example - even though there may not yet have been anything to shave...
Some older people may have done it that way, but it was certainly not the rule.

What was required was "freshly washed, well coiffed, short hair, clean fingernails" - and certainly smooth cheeks.
 
Jack said:
In the toilet bag are mentioned: soap, towel, comb, brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, shoe polish, sewing kit, in summer: sunburn cream.

Even taking into account that sexual maturity 80, 90 years ago was later than today due to the nutritional and health situation, it is certainly conceivable that some 17 or 18 year olds with strong hair growth also had a beard fuzz on their upper lip (a few decades later, this was vainly cultivated). In the 30s and 40s, beards were completely out of fashion, so that should have been removed. And of course, shaving was "proof" of adulthood. I'm thinking of the flak helpers around adults, for example - even though there may not yet have been anything to shave...
Some older people may have done it that way, but it was certainly not the rule.

What was required was "freshly washed, well coiffed, short hair, clean fingernails" - and certainly smooth cheeks.
Click to expand...

many thanks, always wondered why they had no body hair or anything in photos or videos. correct me if i'm wrong.

cheers.
 
I had a quick look as what is said in the regulation for Luftwaffenhelfer,
dated January 26, 1943 (Az, II b Nr. I/43 (Chef d. Lw./L Wehr 1 III).

It was said what they had to bring with them themselves other then
uniform, underwear and such. With "sonstiges" (other things) it is said:
1 Rasierzeug (nach Bedarf). So they had stuff to shave, when needed.

They had to take care for it themselves.
 
Last edited:
Great, Wim, that you had the source so quickly. Here it is again for anyone interested to read, it can be found in Addendum 7 (highlighted in red, pic 2).
It is always interesting to compare these orders with the reality (procurement of books, radios, room design, etc.).
You don't have permission to view attachments.
You don't have permission to view attachments.
 

Attachments

    You don't have permission to view attachments.
Jack said:
Great, Wim, that you had the source so quickly. Here it is again for anyone interested to read, it can be found in Addendum 7 (highlighted in red, pic 2).
It is always interesting to compare these orders with the reality (procurement of books, radios, room design, etc.).
You don't have permission to view attachments.
You don't have permission to view attachments.
Click to expand...
very nice! is there a version with english translations online?

many thanks!
 
No, these volumes were only published in German in the early nineties, and in a very small edition.
But it would not be a problem to translate the other listed garments into English ;-).
 
No, not a reprint, at least not that I know of, Wim. My text comes from the Nikolaisen. And he also self-published it (otherwise a publisher would surely have told him he had to reduce the two thick volumes to one...).
According to his source reference, the original he quoted is in the Bundesarchiv.
 
I must correct myself. It was the 1981 book with the documentation, not the two volumes from 1993.
The subject of the flak helpers only came up scientifically at the beginning of the 1970s, and Nicolaisen was the first to research it properly on the basis of sources - throughout his life, based on his own biography, since he was also a flak helper.
In the book, the addendums up to number 7 are published, so I don't know the rest, Wim.
He was visiting the Bundesarchiv in Koblenz, he wrote, so that was certainly the same original copy as yours.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top