Becoming a Jungmädel

The following text is a direct translation from a 1940 Youth Leadership pamphlet for new members of the Jungmaedel, “The Jungmaedel Service”. The pamphlet gave new members an overview of the League, their service, and other pertinent information they needed to know. The illustrations are also from the original book, although the captions have been replaced with translations.

You can see the original pamphlet in the digitized materials section of this website, or purchase a printed copy of the translation in our digitized materials section.

© of this translation is 2006, Chris Crawford

You, too, belong to the Leader!

You, too, belong to our leader. He asks of you, and of all within our community, that we grow up to become obedient, service-minded and dutiful, and live in comradeship with those in our community. This is why you join the Jungmaedel League at the age of 10. Aside from your duties at home and in school, service in the Jungmaedel now also asks you to do your part voluntarily and joyfully.

You have to prove yourself as a member during the social evenings and sports afternoons, during day trips and week-long camps. The social evenings require your willingness to work together with others and to compromise. The sports afternoons require your courage and your dexterity. During trips and at camp you have to prove yourself to be dependable and able to work with others in your group. You should fulfill your duties consistently and proudly.

You prove your loyalty to your group through your service.

A good Jungmaedel never tries to get out of any of her tasks. She never says that she can’t do her tasks, that she’s afraid to do them, or worse yet, that she doesn’t want to fulfill them. A good Jungmaedel always steps up to the tasks and sticks to them. Your way in the Jungmaedel is straight and honest – too proud and too open to lie to your comrades or to suck up to your leaders!

Uprightness, honesty, and readiness to help are the main commandments of the Jungmaedel. Your Jungmaedel group is a shelter of comradeship!

Organization of the Hitler Youth

The Organization of the Jungmaedel League

Structure

The Hitler Youth as a whole includes all of the eligible German youth in order to raise them under the national socialist philosophy. Based on the members ages and the tasks of the individual sections, the following structure was designed:

1. German Jungvolk in the Hitler Youth (DJ), boys ages 10 to 14;
2. Hitler Youth (HJ), boys ages 14 to 18;
3. Jungmaedel League in the Hitler Youth (JM), girls ages 10 to 14;
4. League of German Girls in the Hitler Youth (BDM), girls ages 14 to 17:
5. the BDM-Society “Belief and Beauty”, girls ages 17 to 21.

As a Jungmaedel you join the group comprised of the youngest girls, the Jungmaedel League, and are later transferred into the League of German Girls and eventually into the BDM Society “Belief and Beauty”.

Organization

The Jungmaedel League is further structured into the following groups:

the Jungmaedelschaft, of about 10 girls,
the Jungmaedelschar, with 4 Jungmaedelschaften (40 girls),
the Jungmaedelgruppe, with 4 Jungmaedelscharen (160 girls),
the Jungmaedelring, with 4 to 5 Jungmaedelgruppen,
the Jungmaedel-Untergau, with 4 to 5 Jungmaedelringen.

Your Jungmaedel group consists of girls who are your own age. As far as possible, all groups of the Jungmaedel League are organized by age.

The Obergau Leader is the head of the Obergau, or region, which controls all of the work of the League of German Girls (BDM) and the Jungmaedel League (JM) in their respective Untergaue, or counties. The Obergau Leader has at her disposal a special Jungmaedel commissioner. All Obergaue across the nation are numbered and named after regions within their borders, for example Obergau Nordmark (6). You wear the name of your Obergau on your sleeve triangle.

The Obergaue themselves are under the control of the National Youth Leadership, which has its offices in Berlin. At the head of the Youth Leadership staff stands the National Youth Leader, Baldur von Schirach.

Jungmaedel Leader Ranks

Leaders of Jungmaedel groups are awarded rank according to both their position and also their responsibilities. The following ranks and their respective insignia are in use in the Jungmaedel League:

Jungmaedelschaftsfuehrerin – she wears a red-white lanyard
Jungmaedelscharfuehrerin – she wears a green lanyard
Jungmaedelgruppenfuehrerin – she wears a green-white lanyard
Jungmaedelringfuehrerin – she wears a white lanyard
Jungmaedel-Untergaufuehrerin – she wears a red lanyard
Jungmaedel-Gaufuehrerin – she wears a black-red lanyard

All higher leaders – that is, all leaders starting with the JM-Untergaufuehrerin – wear the dark blue leaders’ uniform of the League of German Girls.

Jungmädel Service

Admission

Girls who were born between July 1st, 1929, and June 30th, 1930, will be admitted into the Jungmaedel League between March 1st and March 10th, 1940, as long as they meet the minimum requirements for membership and have completed fourth grade. In order to meet the membership requirements, girls have to be of German heritage, German citizenship, and must be free of hereditary diseases.

Admission will take place at all previously announced Jungmaedel Admission Offices, as well as your local Jungmaedel Service Offices.

Based on your address on the membership listing, you will be assigned to a JM group that is working in the part of town you live in. You’ll be given a piece of paper with your assignment that includes all of the information you will need to know for your first meeting, including time and place.

Girls who aren’t properly developed for their age can be held back for a year and enter service at 11 years of age instead of 10.

Preparatory Service

Between March 20th and April 19th, new members have to attend preparatory service. During this time you have to fulfill the following requirements:

1. Participation in one social evening,
2. Participation in one sports afternoon (to include a test of courage),
3. Participation in one lecture about the tasks of the Jungmaedel.

Admission Ceremony

On the eve of April 20th, the birthday of our leader, Jungmaedel across the nation will meet for the admission ceremony where all new members are welcomed into our community. The National Youth Leader personally leads this ceremony from the Marienburg castle, which is then broadcast across the nation on all radio stations. During the ceremony, the JM-Group Leaders swear the new probationary members in with the following words:

“I promise to always do my duty in the Hitler Youth, in love and loyalty to our leader and our flag.”

Each Jungmaedelschaft Leader takes charge of her new Jungmaedel by greeting each one with a handshake, and presenting each with a membership certificate.

The Jungmaedel Challenge

During your service in the Jungmaedel you have to prove yourself both in character as well as in your physical abilities. During the first six months after being admitted into the League, you have to prove that you want to become a real Jungmaedel, that you will follow your appointed leader, and that you can fit into the community and become a good friend to those who are in your group.

Your physical abilities and your willingness to own up to any task set before you are to be tested in the Jungmaedel Challenge, which consists of the following simple tests:

Requirements of the Jungmaedel Challenge

Performance
60 meter run in 14 second
long jump of 2 meters
ball throw of 12 meters

Agility
2 forward rolls
afterwards getting up without use of hands
2 backward rolls
jumping through a swinging rope

Trip
participation in a one-day trip

All requirements must be met during your first six months in the Jungmaedel. The results of the tests will be written down in your Jungmaedel achievement book. After you have successfully completed the challenge, your Jungmaedel Group Leader will officially award you the right to wear the black neckerchief and leather knot  in a special ceremony on October 2nd, which is the anniversary of the first Youth Congress at Potsdam. Only then are you confirmed as a full member.

Jungmaedel who cannot meet the requirements within six months can repeat the challenge at a later point in time, which is to be determined by their leader.

If it turns out during your first six months in the Jungmaedel that you’re not ready to meet these challenges due to physical reasons, your leader can defer your service for one year after you’ve been examined by a doctor and the doctor agrees you are not yet ready.

Membership Fees

Initial Membership Fee

You pay a one-time charge of 10 Reich Pfennig to be admitted into the Jungmaedel.

Membership Fees

After joining the Jungmaedel League in April, you have to start paying your monthly membership fee of 35 Reich Pfennig starting in May. The fee includes your insurance coverage in case of an accident.

Even though it might be hard for your parents to come up with this money, or you may have to save it from your allowance, it has to be paid. It’s important that you learn to take care of your responsibility toward the League instead of buying things that you’d rather have instead. You should try to save the fee out of your spare change and always remember that the Hitler Youth only grew to the organization it is today because of the sacrifices made by its members.

Your membership fee should always be paid to your group leader on time. It is your leader’s task to collect the membership from all girls in her group and to account for the proper payment to her leaders.

Membership Fee Relief

If your father or mother can’t afford to pay the monthly membership fee for you and for your siblings, they can apply for fee relief. They will need to know the following:

In cases of very low income, or in cases of families with many children, the parent or parents can apply for Membership Fee Relief, which is applied for using form V 17. The form must be filled in by your parents. An endorsement through the NSV, which was required previously, is no longer required during wartime. After filling in the application, hand it to your group leader who will send it to the responsible accounting offices. You’ll receive a written confirmation when your form was reviewed, letting you know whether it was accepted or rejected.

If you are approved for fee relief, the JM Group Accountant will keep record of it and inform your Maedelschaft Leader.

Six month prior to the expiration of your Membership Fee Relief, you can renew your application. Your father or mother should talk to the JM Group Accountant before reapplying.

Accident Insurance

Your monthly membership fee includes a fee that is used for accident insurance. If something happens to you during your service through an accident, and you require medical attention, you will be reimbursed for your medical bills. Illnesses are not covered by this fee.

If you are in an accident, you have to do the following:

1. Fill in an accident report, which must be signed by your Group Leader, and send it to the Untergau Administrative Offices as soon as possible. Your leader can order the necessary form, U 132 HJ, through the Untergau Supply Office.

2. If you have additional health insurance, either of your own, or through a family insurance plan, you need to send your medical bills to your own insurance first. If that insurance does not cover all the bills, you can hand the rest of the bills into the Untergau Administrative Office.

3. If you don’t have additional health insurance, all medical bills are to be submitted to the Untergau Administrative Office.

4. You must follow all guidelines set forth in the Hitler Youth insurance pamphlet.

Illness Insurance Coverage

1. When you are a participant in seminars, leadership schools, trips, and other events that last more than two days and include at least seven people, the event leader has to enroll all participants in insurance with the Deutscher Ring insurance provider through the responsible Untergau Administrative Office.

2. Once enrolled with Deutscher Ring, you can be seen by any doctor or hospital in case of illness as long as you have a sick call notice. The costs you incur during your visit to the doctor or hospital will be reimbursed at the rates set forth in the contract.

3. Sick call notices are given by the event or course leader. If you get sick, the event leader will fill a note in for you that you have to give to the doctor or hospital where you are treated.

4. You must follow all guidelines set forth in the green insurance pamphlet titled “short-time insurance of the NSDAP for the Hitler Youth, with Deutscher Ring” insurance.

Langemarck Sacrifice Fund

By order of the National Youth Leader, you have to pay 1 Penning each month into the Langemarck Sacrifice Fund. These funds are used for the upkeep of our adopted cemetery on the Kemmelberg in Dranoutre, Flanders.

Mandatory Service

Service in the Jungmaedel League is a duty and demands devotion and dedication from each and every Jungmaedel. A girl can only be excused from service in case of an illness or another emergency, and only if the group leader has been notified prior to the absence.

If an absence could not be cleared with the group leader, a written notice from the parents explaining and excusing the absence needs to be given.

All JM Leaders are responsible for properly planning and executing the work they do with their respective JM groups. The Leader needs each and every girl to follow her instructions and to always be on time for the social evenings, sports afternoons, and especially for trips.

Jungmaedel service includes:

1. Once weekly a two hour social evening and a two hour sports afternoon,
2. Participation in one trip each month,
3. Participation in camping trips,
4. The additional Jungmaedel service.

These additional services are to be viewed mandatory as well:

1. Jungmaedel roll call
2. Participation in parent conferences and membership drives,
3. Participation in festivals and their preparations,
4. Participation in rallies,
5. Participation in collections for the NSV, etc. (only for ages 12 and older)

Jungmaedel Service Structure

Service in the Jungmaedel League is of great variety and very goal oriented.

During social evenings, girls have to pay attention and participate. Your leader will talk with you and your comrades about Hitler’s life and the fight of our organization. You’ll learn to understand the leader and his work for a greater Germany. You’ll also hear sagas and fairytales, learn about the habits and customs of your region, get to know famous men and women in German history and contemporary Germany, and hear about the struggles of ethnic Germans living in other countries. You’ll learn about people who are brave and of strong character, to serve you as an example for your own life.

During day and weekend trips you’ll get to know your immediate region. You’ll see the landscape and the people at work, learn about customs and songs, and get to know more about nature. Experiencing trips as a group will teach you to stand together and become good friends with your fellow Jungmaedel.

At camp, where you’ll be in entirely new surroundings and where you’ll find many different tasks that need to be done, you’ll learn to be more self reliant. Camp needs you to be cheerful and willing to participate. The large group setting also requires you to be disciplined so that everyone can get along.

A varied and interesting sports program will teach you about bravery and agility – you’ll get to know your body, do floor exercises, and participate in a variety of other sports. You should always attempt to get a good score in running, jumping, and throwing. Group games will require you to be resourceful and committed in order to do well with the rest of your group while competing against others.

Community work and social work should lead you toward unselfish and cheerful work for the community. It’s important to learn to place your own needs behind those of others. Community work for the NSV, the Winter Relief, and other charities stands in the foreground.

Enjoyable singing hours and eager practice and playing of our recorders make for a nice change in our service. Aside from music, acting and games are also important. Whether it’s Casper theater, shadow puppets, or impromptu plays, you’ll learn to use your imagination, inventiveness, and cheerfulness.

The Jungmädel Proficiency Badge

During your time with the Jungmaedel group, you should prove your proficiency in all aspects of your service. Therefore, once you’ve turned 12 years old, you can now try for the Jungmaedel Proficiency Badge. You have a whole year’s time to pass all sections required for the badge, and the results will be marked down in your JM Leistungsbuch (Proficiency Book). Once you have passed all tests, you are awarded the JM Proficiency Badge by the National Youth Leader himself.

You should be proud to have proven your physical prowess when you passed the JM Challenge at 10 years old, and you should be equally as proud to prove yourself through your work during social evenings, in sports, and on trips. You shouldn’t try to prove yourself just to earn the badge, however, but because you should want to prove yourself to yourself and your group.

Voluntary Sports

When you’ve met all your requirements within your general service in the Jungmaedel you can also volunteer for special duties.

For example, there are a number of voluntary sports groups where you may receive further training and experience: swimming, track and field, games, gymnastics, and ice skating. But you can only belong to one sports group at a time. A change to a different group is only possible if your leader will allow it, and only once on October 15th of each year. You’ll need the written permission of your parents in order to participate in these groups, and the training will be overseen by a doctor in case of an accident. You’ll be covered through the Hitler Youth accident insurance while you are participating. You have to wear your Jungmaedel sports uniform.

Jungmaedel Choir and Orchestra

You can join a Jungmaedel Choir or Orchestra if you have a talent and interest in singing or music, already play an instrument, or would like to learn how to play an instrument.

Appointment of Duty Positions

When your Group Leader appoints you to a duty position, for example, if she sends you as a courier or asks you to help clean the meeting room, or better yet, if she appoints you to be your group’s flag bearer, you should always consider this to be a very special reward that you’ve earned for doing a great job in your group. But your newly appointed position also requires you to always be on time and do your best because your comrades now count on you and you should set a good example for them in your duties.

The German Girl’s Path

Medical Supervision

All service in the Jungmaedel, to include an events, are always supervised through BDM and HJ doctors, as well as doctors from the Office of the Peoples’ Health.

During Jungmaedel Service

1. The duration of the social evening and sports afternoon may not be longer than two hours. In summer, service must be ended by 8 o’clock in the evening, in winter by 7 o’clock at the latest.

2. Trips. Each Jungmaedel Group must end its monthly trip in summer no later than 7 o’clock in the evening, in winter no later than 6 o’clock in the evening. Girls ages 10 and 11 should participate in a one-day trip once each month, girls ages 12 to 14 should participate in a trip lasting one and a half days each month.

Hiking Performance on one, or one-and-a half day trips

Trips Lasting Several Days

After each hour’s worth of hiking, a rest break of at least fifteen minutes should be taken. During hikes, the smallest girls always march in front and set the speed for the rest of the group.

Travels lasting several days will need to be cleared with the responsible Jungmaedel Group Leader or Untergau Leader prior to leaving on the trip. Extended travels, as well as bike travels lasting several days are not allowed for Jungmaedel.

Overnight Stays

Jungmaedel are only allowed to stay overnight in youth hostels and other buildings. Permission to stay overnight at a location has to be requested by the JM Group Leader or JM Untergau Leader while planning the trip. Camping in tents is forbidden for Jungmaedel.

Evening Rest

The traveling groups must reach their destination no later than 6 o’clock each night and lights out will be no later than 9:30 at night in all rooms. The responsibility to enforce these times lays only with the leader. Each Jungmaedel will require at least nine hours of sleep each night, and Jungmaedel should keep quiet in the morning until the reveille time set by the leader.

If a group reaches its destination late due to bad weather or other difficulties, the girls are still required to get nine hours of sleep.

Night watch is forbidden for Jungmaedel, as well as nightly hikes or games.

The Camp

Jungmaedel are only allowed to spend the night in Youth Hostels and other solid structures. All equipment is to be transported to the camp by means of a vehicle. All camps require a minimum of 9 hours rest each night. In the afternoon, Jungmaedel are given at least 2 hours of free time after lunch.

Additional Jungmaedel Service

Ten and eleven year-old girls do not have to participate in any rallies and are not allowed to stand as honor guard by the side of the road. They are not allowed to help collect money in the street.

Official Regulations of the Jungmaedel League

When you join the Jungmaedel League, you agree to attend your service regularly and on time, and to do your part in the community. Your service is governed by a number of rules and regulations that you have to follow.

Leave

Your service is determined by your Group Leader, and you have to follow her orders. If you cannot attend a social evening, sports afternoon, or trip, you need to ask your Group Leader for leave beforehand. If an unforeseen emergency is keeping you from attending, you have to bring a written note of explanation to your leader as soon as you can. If you cannot attend because of illness, you have to bring a written note of explanation as soon as you get better. If your illness lasts longer than a week, you are to notify your leader in the meantime. Once you’re in good health again you have to report back to your Leader.

If you plan to go on vacation with your parents, or if you go on vacation by yourself to visit relatives, you have to notify your Group Leader at least one week in advance.

If you cannot participate in any part of your service – for example, you can’t swim because you have an ear infection – you need to see a BDM doctor to get a medical exam and a written note excusing you from participating.

In all cases, your Group Leader should be able to show a notice from either your parents or a doctor as proof why you could not attend your service or could not go on a trip.

There are no leaves of absence from your Jungmaedel service due to bad grades in school. A temporary leave of absence for school reasons can only be given if you are changing schools because you would need the time to catch up on materials you are behind on.

There will be no unexcused absences in your Jungmaedel service!

Disciplinary Code

Like all members of the Hitler Youth, you are subject to a disciplinary code. If you break any rules and regulations, you may become subject to disciplinary action.

Official Channels and Ways to Lodge a Complaint

You have to follow official channels when sending notices and letters. This means, if you have to inform the Jungmaedelgruppenfuehrerin of something, it is first given to your immediate Jungmaedelschaft Leader, who then passes it on to the JM Schar Leader. This is also how to properly lodge a complaint, or how your parents should send letters to the JM Untergau, Obergau, or the National Youth Leadership.

If your parents have questions about any part of your Jungmaedel service, they should contact your group leader, or contact the Jungmaedelgruppenfuehrerin for your district. Never should a complaint about a local problem be taken directly to the National Leadership Staff because they do not have the ability to know every detail of the situation locally and would need to pass the complaint back down to the Untergau staff.

Greeting and Saluting

The correct greeting is always the German Greeting, “Heil Hitler”, which should be carried out properly. Make sure that you lift your stretched-out arm up to eye level when saluting.

You should greet your acquaintances, relatives, teachers, comrades, and recipients of the Mother’s Cross with the German Greeting, whether you are in your uniform or in civilian clothing.

When you are in Jungmaedel uniform, you must greet all leaders of the Jungmaedel, the League of German Girls, the Hitler Youth, the local party staff, the SA leader, and the leader of the local Frauenschaft group. Of course you also greet every BDM girl and Jungmaedel. It should go without saying that all of you Jungmaedel will greet each other comradely when you meet. It’s equally obvious that the Jungmaedel, who is the youngest member in the League of German Girl, always greets the others first.

Furthermore, you should greet the flags of our movement, of the armed forces and the police. You also lift your right arm to the German Greeting during the singing or playing of the National Anthem or the Horst-Wessel-Song, as well as during the chorus of our HJ flag anthem, “Unsere Fahne Flattert uns voran.”

Regulations for your meeting rooms, trips and camps

Meeting room regulations

You and everyone in your group are directly responsible for the look your group’s meeting room presents. It should always be clean and tidy, including when you leave after a meeting. It was provided for you and your comrades, and furnished by your membership fee and contributions from your parents. Therefore you should always be careful with any items inside. Always remember that this is a Jungmaedel group room that you should be proud of. Remember that it may be a simple room, but that this is where you put your nicest paintings and your motto up on the wall, and that this is also where you keep your flag. Never forget that the way your meeting room looks represents a true picture of your group.

Traveling Regulations

Going on a trip is part of the service for you and your group. While you are traveling, people will judge you, your group, and the whole BDM by the impression you give them. Your Jungmaedel uniform is a good-looking and proper outfit for traveling. You will also require sturdy, comfortable shoes.

All of your travel equipment must be in excellent shape. For a day trip you will only need your bread bag, and for a trip of one and a half days or longer you should have with you the prescribed Jungmaedel equipment which may not weigh more than four kilos and must be packed properly. You must remember that you should only take the most necessary things on a trip and that anything that isn’t needed must be left home. Your leader will teach you how to properly pack your equipment during the social evenings – for example, you should not pack hard and pointy items at the bottom.

If the equipment becomes heavier than four kilos after you’ve added a wool blanket, your entire group’s equipment will be transported by vehicle instead of carried.

Even the smallest day trip you go on has been planned carefully by your leader. Any trip that has to be paid for can only be gone on once the money is available for all participants. Now you will also recognize the reason to be good comrades. If one of you gives a couple of Pfennigs more, another girl who couldn’t afford to go on the trip otherwise will be able to attend.

You and your comrades should not try to outdo the speeds and distances that are officially set down for your age and the amount of equipment you are carrying. It’s not important that your group hikes a longer distance so you can brag about the amount of kilometers afterward – it’s important that you see the world with open eyes while you are out.

When you’re on a trip you should never destroy anything senselessly. The protected areas of the woods are not meant for playing. Fields where the grass is ready to be cut are important for our economy and shouldn’t be trampled for the sake of a few pretty flowers. There will be enough opportunities for games or places to rest without destroying our crops or woods.

A trip with the Jungmaedel never means hiking around the landscape without reason or destination. On each trip, you will have experiences that will be important once you are allowed to go on longer trips to see the rest of Germany.

Camp Regulations

The rules for camp are very similar to those for going on trips. Cleanliness, especially when your surroundings are more simple, and tidiness in your bedroom, your closet, and your shared day room are expected of every girl and are important in the overall time at camp. Any tasks or orders given to you by your hosts have to be followed immediately even if you don’t see them as necessary. You have to do your part in so that everyone can enjoy themselves.

Tidiness and cleanliness, comradeship and cheerfulness are the fundamentals for every Jungmaedel camp.

Special Regulations

The following regulations govern your service and your behavior while in uniform:

1. You always have to bring the following with you to your service: 
    your membership card
    your medical card
    notepaper and pencil

2. You are forbidden to hang around restaurants and bars past 8 o’clock in the evening. Unless you have additional service obligations, you should not be out in the street past 9 o’clock at night.

3. You are forbidden to go to amusement parks in uniform.

4. You are forbidden to beg for money if you run out while on a trip.

5. You may not cook or set up camp or Midsummer fires if there is a danger of fire caused by dryness, flying sparks, or straw.

6. You may only swim at public pools, beaches, and areas that are clearly marked as swimming areas. You must always follow the instructions of your Leader when you go swimming. You are not allowed to go off and swim at your own risk while you are with your group.

7. You are forbidden to hitch a ride in any vehicles while you are on a trip.

8. When you are taking transportation such as the railroad, the bus, or the ship, you must follow the instructions of your Leader.

9. You must always follow all traffic regulations. If you don’t know what they are, have your Group Leader explain them to you.

10. Follow every order that your Leader gives you and respect every instruction. Always act in a manner that would be considered proper in the eyes of your Leader and your comrades.

Uniform Regulations

In order to show the unity within our League to the outside, we all wear the same clothing, our national uniform, as a way to show our community.

As soon as you put on the uniform, everyone sees you as a representative in the Jungmaedel League and judges the entire League based on your appearance and your demeanor. Therefore your uniform must always be in first rate condition. That means that your blouse has to be cleanly laundered, your skirt must be brushed free of dirt, and your shoes must be shined properly. It should go without saying that a proper Jungmaedel is always clean herself and always has properly brushed hair. You are not allowed to wear any jewelry with your uniform – you’re not any better than any of your comrades because you wear necklaces, bracelets, earrings or tiaras. The BDM climbing jacket is not to be worn with clogs no matter how cute they are. The neckerchief and knot are not to be prettied up with pins or charms. It’s just as horrible to wear red hats, green scarves, blue gloves, yellow jackets, or light colored shoes with your uniform! Always remember that your upset the image of your group with your carelessness or sloppiness. You must be proud to wear your uniform properly.
 

What pieces are part of your uniform?

In summer:
    Jungmaedel cap (only in bad weather)
    white Jungmaedel blouse with short sleeves and sleeve triangle
    black neckerchief and light colored leather knot
    blue skirt that buttons into the blouse
    white ankle socks
    brown lace-up BDM shoes
    brown jacket with sleeve triangle and cloth HJ insignia
    BDM rain cape (only in bad weather)

In winter:
    Jungmaedel cap
    white Jungmaedel blouse with short sleeves and sleeve triangle
    black neckerchief and light colored leather knot
    blue skirt that buttons into the blouse
    brown-tinged stockings
    brown, lace-up BDM shoes
    brown BDM jacket with sleeve triangle and cloth HJ insignia
    fawn colored BDM overcoat with cufftitle
    BDM rain coat (only in bad weather)
    gloves

Your Sports Uniform

For general sports:
    white sports shirt with cloth HJ insignia
    black sports shorts
    black sports shoes
    in cold weather, a dark blue track suit with the cloth HJ insignia is to be worn

For swimming:
    black BDM bathing suit
    rubber bathing cap of your own choosing, worn under a black cloth kerchief with the cloth HJ insignia

For skiing:
    Jungmaedel cap or blue headband
    olive green ski blouse with cloth HJ insignia and sleeve triangle
    blue ski trousers
    grey wool scarf
    wool stockings
    grey wool socks
    ski boots
    grey gloves

Your Equipment

    grey Jungmaedel travel equipment
    olive green blanket
    black cooking kit
    grey bred bag with a grey strap and black leather parts
    grey canteen with black leather straps
    aluminum drinking cup
    folding knife and fork
    toilet bag (soap, towel, comb, brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, shoe care kit,
    sewing kit, and in summer, sunscreen)
    flashlight
    sleeping bag

Where do you buy your uniform and equipment?

You should purchase all pieces of your uniform and equipment at the “Brown Store”, the official vendors of the National Supply Offices. You can also buy your shoes at any shoe stores that carry them. Official vendors will carry a sign that reads “Official vendor of issue items of the NSDAP Supply Offices.” All proper, issue items also carry an identification tag bearing the following:
 

All of your uniform and equipment pieces must have those tags attached to them. All pieces that are missing these tags are wrong and not regulation, even if the vendor tells you that they are correct and they look just like the regulation items your comrades have. If your parents, relatives, or acquaintances would like to give you something for your uniform or equipment as a gift, please make sure to tell them you can only use items that have these tags on them because you are not allowed to wear non-issue items in the service.

Note: The acquiring of service uniforms for the Hitler Youth is under a special rule during wartime. Your service uniform will not count against your clothing card. Your JM Group Leader can give you more information.

What do the individual pieces of your uniform look like, 
and how are they worn?

Uniform

BDM Overcoat

The color of your overcoat is called fawn. It has two diagonal pockets with pocket flaps and a wide collar. In front it buttons with two rows of large brown buttons. The back has a two-piece belt with two large brown buttons. The sleeve does not have a cuff.

Jungmaedel Cap

The cap is a dark blue knit cap in form of a so-called “devil’s cap”. In front, two white stripes start on either side of the face and run together at the top of the cap.

BDM Rain Cape

The rain cape can be worn in winter as well as in summer, but only in bad weather. When you carry your backpack you have to unbutton the backpack section so that the cape retains its normal length.

Lace-up BDM Shoes

The shoes are made from brown calf leather and do not have a toe cap. They are of a lace-up style. Wearing sandals is forbidden. When you go on a trip or to camp you should never wear new shoes because you’ll get blisters or otherwise injure your feet.

Neckerchief and Leather Knot

The neckerchief and leather knot are always worn with your blouse. The neckerchief is a black triangle that is folded until only a small corner of about three fingers shows from underneath the collar in the back. Your leader will teach you how to fold the neckerchief. The leather knot is natural brown in color. It’s used to hold the neckerchief.

Gloves

There are no regulation gloves and therefore you can buy them in any store you like. They have to be brown in color. Wrist warmers have to be worn underneath the sleeve at all time.

Cloth HJ insignia

It is worn on the left upper arm of your brown jacket above the elbow. It is to be sewn on in a way that the white border does not show. It’s also worn the same way on the ski blouse and the sports shirt. On the sports shirt it is worn centered on the chest. The metal HJ insignia is worn centered on the left pocket of your blouse and jacket.

Jungmaedel Blouse

The blouse is made from white fabric and is a sporty cut with an open collar and short sleeves. The front of the blouse has two chest pockets with two white buttons each. The buttons are embossed with the letters “BDM-JM” and an oak leaf pattern. At the waist, the blouse has a strip of fabric on which four white buttons are sewn at the front and back.

Jungmaedel Skirt

The color of the Jungmaedel skirt is dark blue. The front of the skirt has two diagonal pockets with flaps. The skirt has a pleat at the center on the front side. The waist of the skirt has eight button holes, four in the front and four in the back. These button holes are used to button the blouse into the skirt.

Long Stockings

You have to wear long stockings in winter. During the transition months in fall and spring you can also wear knee-length stockings. Stockings must be tinged with brown.

Overcoat Cufftitle

You wear the name of your Obergau on a cufftitle on the left sleeve. The cufftitle is to be worn approximately three fingers above the end of the sleeve. The cufftitle is light brown with the name of your Obergau in white letters.

Sleeve Triangle

The Obergau sleeve triangle is worn on the left upper sleeve of the JM blouse, the jacket, and the ski jacket. On both the jacket and ski jacket it will be sewn on close to the top edge of the cloth HJ insignia, on the blouse the lower edge of the triangle will be on the sleeve’s seam. The triangle shows the name of your Gauverband and your Obergau in white letters.

Ankle Socks

In summer you wear white ankle socks with your uniform. Always make sure your socks are nice and clean.

Jacket

The jacket is made from light brown Velveton, a collar, and a single row of buttons in front. It is form-fitting and has two buckles on the side. On the front, the jacket has four patch pockets with flaps. The brown buttons bear the embossed letters “BDM-JM”. Two fingers above the lower end of the sleeve is a strap that buttons into a button.

Sports Clothing

What your sports shirt and shorts, as well as the top and bottoms of your track suit look like, is something you should already know. But you must make sure that you get the real dark blue track suit with the two tags from your local “Brown Store” because there are many track suits out there that look similar but are not issue. You wear the cloth HJ insignia on the left upper arm of your track suit. You are not allowed to wear the sleeve triangle on the track suit. There are no regulation sport shoes. You can wear any black sport shoes you like. You may not wear your brown lace-up BDM shoes for sports.

Bathing Suit

The bathing suit is made from black swimwear tricot. It has a rounded neckline which is cut deeper in the back than the front.

Bathing Cap

You can wear any rubber bathing cap you like because no regulation bathing cap exists. When your whole group goes swimming, you must wear a black kerchief with the cloth HJ insignia sewn to it, wrapped around your bathing cap. The HJ cloth insignia is to be sewn vertically above the center of the long side of the kerchief.

Ski Jacket

The BDM ski jacket is waist-long and worn as an outer garment over the white BDM blouse or any wool sweaters or clothing. It is olive grey in color. On each side of the hip, the waist of the jacket is elastic. A grey wool scarf is to be worn with the jacket.

Ski Trousers

For skiing you wear a wide-cut pair of trousers that are dark blue. The front has two diagonal pockets with pocket flaps that close with two buttons each. The trousers button on the left side with six buttons.

Headband

There is no regulation headband. You can wear any dark blue head band for skiing.

Ski Socks

Ski socks are used to cover the area where the trouser leg and top of the ski boots meet to keep snow out. You can purchase your socks in any store, but they must be grey in color. There’s no issue version with the regulation tags.

Wool Scarf

You can wear any grey wool scarf for skiing.

Wool Stockings

You can wear any wool stockings underneath your ski trousers since they cannot be seen. There is no regulation stocking.

Equipment

Your equipment is also regulation style and carries the same identification tags than your uniform. Only the four following pieces are not regulation and don’t have the tags:

knife and fork, flashlight, sleeping bag, and toiletry bag

Therefore you can purchase them in any German store.

Your bread bag is to be carried by its strap diagonally from the right shoulder to the left hip.

When do you have to wear your uniform?
    For any service with the Jungmaedel.

When are you allowed to wear your uniform?
    For any national or party holidays and any special family events.

When are you not allowed to wear your uniform?
    At school (except at school festivals and per instruction of your leader),
    When visiting fairgrounds or amusement parks,
    At your Confirmation or First Communion
    When participating in church activities such as mass

Which parts of your uniform are you allowed to wear with civilian clothes?
    Jungmaedel cap
    white blouse without any insignia
    skirt
    ankle socks
    stockings
    shoes
    jacket with insignia
    rain cape
    overcoat without cufftitle
    sports clothing, bathing suit, or ski outfit without insignia