Hitler's Baby Division
Hitler's Baby Division Hitler's Baby Division
dedicate themselves to this task of indoctrination with vigor and a sense of responsibility. The themes they used were no surprise: “Germany's demand for living space,” “the enemies of Germany are the enemies of Europe,” and similar platitudes familiar to these boys since the age of ten, when most of them had entered the Jungvolk and ceased to be children. Every opportunity- -the waking call, roll call, a pause during training, an infrequent free hour-- was to be utilized by officers and NCOs to “clarify and impregnate the weekly theme.” Aiming to create a fighting force of true believers required that every man "grasped internally what he fought for.” Callow youths had to be transformed into men “who lived according to the fundamentals of the SS as fanatic warriors,” willing to sacrifice all and give no quarter. 31 While some unit leaders appear to have been complacent, most noncommissioned officers and company commanders performed the task of indoctrination with alacrity. Hans Jürgen Walles was one such man. The records of the division contain a set of detailed notes and charts he used to education his boys in the esoterica of the SS, its history and racial precepts. He taught his boys that the SS provided security for the people, that it was the carrier of the people's weapons, beliefs, blood, communal spirit and political faith. The SS, according to Walles, fought to preserve German space, race and humanity. He taught what he had been taught and what he perceived himself to represent. SS Sergeant Walles' personal history was probably typical of most noncommissioned officers in the Hitler Youth Division. He was the son of a postal inspector, born in 1922 in Wilhelmshaven, where he attended elementary school, later moving on to the humanistic Gymnasium in Bremen. Since March of 1933 he had been in the Hitler Youth, eventually attaining the rank of Gefolgschaftsführer. Without finishing the Gymnasium he became a "leader-candidate" in the Labor Service and after 24
the conquest of Poland he volunteered to join the SS Body Guard, but had to wait a year because he was too young, and spent that time working for the Post Office. In March 1941 he was called up by the Guard, undergoing training with the 5th Reserve Battalion at Breslau. As an only son he could not be sent to the front, becoming a trainer instead. He was promoted four times, becoming a sergeant in July 1943, when he was assigned to the Hitler Youth Division, the restriction on single sons having been dropped. His resolute dedication to the Nazi and SS cause was never in question, for he symbolized the kind of loyalty expressed by Commander Witt for his men on the occasion of Hitler's birthday: "With our whole hearts, with all our strength, as SS men of the youngest division, We promise to dedicate ourselves to the deciding battles which lie ahead of us in this war." 32 Fritz Witt declared the training period to be concluded on March 16, 1944: “The training situation happily is a good one. Our Hitler youth boys during these eight months have been transformed into young men Who know the military craft.” To celebrate the miraculous metamorphosis of the "Baby Division" Commander Witt ordered that the candy rations thus far issued be replaced by cigarettes and tobacco. In April the Division was transferred to France and located southwest of Rouen in the area Gace-Bernay-Evreux- Dreux, the remaining men and equipment being added in the process. If the Division attained prescribed strength--and there is every reason to believe that it did--by the beginning of June it had some 20,000 men and officers, 177 tanks, 700 machine guns, 70 mortars, 37 infantry guns and howitzers, 40 field and medium guns, 33 antitank guns and over 100 pieces of varied antitank artillery. Motor vehicles, armored troop carriers and tractors brought the total to some 2,950 vehicles. We know for certain that the Division had at least twenty more tanks than the average SS Panzer Division 25
- Page 1 and 2: Hitler's Baby Division "The Baby Di
- Page 3 and 4: others. It was in the forefront of
- Page 5 and 6: The idea of creating a Waffen SS ar
- Page 7 and 8: temporarily for HJ Division candida
- Page 9 and 10: shifted to the HJ Division, but Han
- Page 11 and 12: 400 before examinations, since thes
- Page 13 and 14: commander of the division, ordered
- Page 15 and 16: Ziegler. Although the course had to
- Page 17 and 18: Hitler had originally ordered that
- Page 19 and 20: Commander SS Brigadier General Frit
- Page 21 and 22: emphasis had been placed on trainin
- Page 23: percent of the required vehicles -
- Page 27 and 28: done because the planners believed
- Page 29 and 30: Ludwig (Stabsleiter of Gebiet Schwa
dedicate themselves to this task of indoctrination with vigor and a sense of<br />
responsibility. The themes they used were no surprise: “Germany's demand<br />
for living space,” “the enemies of Germany are the enemies of Europe,” and<br />
similar platitudes familiar to these boys since the age of ten, when most of<br />
them had entered the Jungvolk and ceased to be children. Every opportunity-<br />
-the waking call, roll call, a pause during training, an infrequent free hour--<br />
was to be utilized by officers and NCOs to “clarify and impregnate the weekly<br />
theme.” Aiming to create a fighting force of true believers required that<br />
every man "grasped internally what he fought for.” Callow youths had to be<br />
transformed into men “who lived according to the fundamentals of the SS as<br />
fanatic warriors,” willing to sacrifice all and give no quarter. 31<br />
While some unit leaders appear to have been complacent, most<br />
noncommissioned officers and company commanders performed the task of<br />
indoctrination with alacrity. Hans Jürgen Walles was one such man. The<br />
records of the division contain a set of detailed notes and charts he used to<br />
education his boys in the esoterica of the SS, its history and racial precepts.<br />
He taught his boys that the SS provided security for the people, that it was<br />
the carrier of the people's weapons, beliefs, blood, communal spirit and<br />
political faith. The SS, according to Walles, fought to preserve German<br />
space, race and humanity. He taught what he had been taught and what he<br />
perceived himself to represent. SS Sergeant Walles' personal history was<br />
probably typical of most noncommissioned officers in the Hitler Youth<br />
<strong>Division</strong>. He was the son of a postal inspector, born in 1922 in Wilhelmshaven,<br />
where he attended elementary school, later moving on to the humanistic<br />
Gymnasium in Bremen. Since March of 1933 he had been in the Hitler Youth,<br />
eventually attaining the rank of Gefolgschaftsführer. Without finishing the<br />
Gymnasium he became a "leader-candidate" in the Labor Service and after<br />
24