Abstract

The League of German Girls [Bund Deutscher Mädel or BDM] was the Nazi organization for girls and the counterpart to the boys’ Hitler Youth. In addition to ideological indoctrination and physical training, members went on regular excursions and hiking trips in order to connect with nature and the homeland. The girls were also taught to prepare for their future roles as wives, mothers, and homemakers. In this footage from 1937, we see both the enjoyment of camaraderie, the lighthearted schooling that stood in contrast to the more rigorous training of boys, and the claiming of the German land by planting the flag. The girls perform skits, eat together, write letters, sing, and—at one point—are able to change out of their normal blue skirts, white blouses, black neckerchiefs, and black and brown lace-up shoes—into summer dresses. The BDM, despite these pastoral images, was a powerful force in incorporating girls and women into the militarized, “blood and soil” precepts of the regime.

League of German Girls (BDM) Excursion (1937)

Source

Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, gift of Julien Bryan Archive.

RG-60.4147