Tuesday 2 August 2011

Bund der Deutschen Mädel (BDM)

I’ve done quite a bit of research on the female equivalent of the Hitler Youth today. As with the Hitler Youth, there are a lot of compilation videos on You Tube and one sees the same pictures over and over again.
Their uniform was very smart – a basic uniform of a long blue skirt, white shirt, black tie, a sort of short flying jacket for the summer and a long overcoat for the winter. There were also sports outfits and more casual wear for camps. They must have cost quite a bit to put together.
Of course, most of the photos and films will have been staged to some extent. Occasionally you come across a photo that is more casual and genuinely seems to show young people enjoying themselves.
In the photos and films the girls look healthy and athletic. Some of the comments on You Tube are a little worrying, though. Genuine family photos might be more revealing.
As with the boys, from 1939 membership and attendance was compulsory. Oddly the girls’ letters don’t mention it a lot. It must have been going on in the background, though. When they first started writing the letters they were 13 / 14 and only 19 /20 by the end of the war. They must have been members.

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