Summary

By the end of 1938, there were more than 7 million members in Hitler Youth, and in March, 1939, the Nazis passed a law requiring all Aryan children to join the organization. Any parents who objected to their children being part of the group were threatened that their children would be put in orphanages or placed with more loyal families. In 1939, the Reich Youth Service Law was passed which required young people to work on farms in the summer and fall to help with the harvest. Many parents objected when Hitler Youth activities interfered with religious services but there was nothing they could do about it. The young people enjoyed being part of this prestigious group and considered themselves to be the future leaders of Germany.

On September 1, 1939, Germany declared war on Poland and World War II officially began. Hitler's troops moved so quickly into Poland...