Hitler Youth: Chapter 9–Epilogue

by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
This nonfiction work tells the story of the Hilterjugend — a group of German youths who were indoctrinated with Nazi policies and beliefs, making them an important part of the Nazi's World War II efforts.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Introduction–Chapter 2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–6, Chapters 7–8, Chapter 9–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stave off
    prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
    Emil knew that the gun crew’s weapons—machine guns, two mortars, magnetic hollow explosives, and a handful of Panzerfauste—were not heavy enough to stave off the British tanks and massed artillery.
  2. flush
    force to come into the open, as from a place of concealment
    Suddenly, a British flamethrower tank moved into position to flush out the gun crew.
  3. profusely
    in very large amounts or quantities; extremely
    Bleeding profusely, Emil stumbled back to his post and grabbed a limpet mine, a magnetic hollow explosive.
  4. fanatical
    marked by excessive enthusiasm for a cause or idea
    “The youngsters who come from the Hitler Youth are fanatical fighters,” he said proudly. “[T]hese young German lads, some only sixteen years old...fight more fanatically than their older comrades.”
  5. bolster
    support and strengthen
    In early 1943, after the heavy losses in Russia, the Nazis realized they needed to bolster Germany’s dwindling manpower.
  6. coerce
    cause to do through pressure or necessity
    New SS-HJ recruits were supposed to be volunteers, and most boys joined willingly. But others were tricked or coerced.
  7. condemn
    pronounce a punishment, as in a court of law
    “Dear parents,” wrote a farm boy from the Sudetenland, “I must give you bad news—I have been condemned to death, I and Gustave. We did not sign up for the SS, and so they condemned us to death....Both of us would rather die than stain our consciences with such deeds of horror. I know what the SS has to do.”
  8. rigorous
    demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
    At Beverloo, the boys trained rigorously for five months.
  9. deploy
    place troops or weapons in battle formation
    By April 1944, the SS-HJ division was 20,540 teenagers strong. It was deployed to the Normandy countryside in France, where it continued its training, but only at night due to threat of Allied air attacks.
  10. treacherous
    dangerously unstable and unpredictable
    The low tide exposes treacherous minefields.
  11. aerial
    existing, living, growing, or operating in the air
    On the long march, gray overcast skies protected the boys from aerial assault, but by afternoon, the skies cleared, exposing the columns to danger from Allied planes.
  12. strafe
    attack from above with machine guns or cannon fire
    British planes called spitfires strafed the boys. As the bullets whizzed past, the boys sprang from their columns and vehicles and dove for cover.
  13. bramble
    any of various rough thorny shrubs or vines
    Dense thickets of brambles, hawthorn, vines, and trees—called hedgerows—provided perfect hiding places for machine-gun nests.
  14. tenacity
    persistent determination
    Throughout the Normandy campaign, the tenacity and ferocity of the SS-HJ division astounded the Allies, who had once called them the “Baby Milk Division,” due to their young age.
  15. brunt
    the main part, especially of a force or shock
    Still, the SS-HJ held out until August 21, often bearing the brunt of battle.
  16. casualty
    someone injured or killed in a military engagement
    After twelve weeks of fighting in France, the SS-HJ paid a heavy toll: In all, casualty lists include 8,626 SS-HJ soldiers.
  17. futility
    uselessness as a consequence of having no practical result
    As the Americans approached, Heinz’s commander realized the futility of the situation. “Beat it home as fast as you can,” he ordered Heinz and the other boys.
  18. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Looking sullen at his capture, this thirteen-year-old prisoner of war was one of fifty Hitler Youth captured by American soldiers near Nartinzell, Germany, during the last days of the war.
  19. unconditional
    not subject to any restrictions or limitations
    On May 7, 1945, one week after Hitler’s suicide, Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Americans.
  20. valor
    courage when facing danger
    He thanked them for their valor and loyalty.
  21. demarcation
    the boundary of a specific area
    Arrogant and proud to the end, less than one mile from the demarcation line, the SS-HJ passed in a final review before their commander.
  22. grisly
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    The next day, American soldiers brought captured Hitler Youth from Munich to Dachau and forced them to view the grisly contents of the freight trains.
  23. accountable
    responsible for one's actions
    After Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 7, 1945, the four victorious Allied powers—Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States—agreed that Nazi Germany’s leaders must be held accountable for their inhuman actions during the war.
  24. tribunal
    an assembly to conduct judicial business
    As a result, the Allies rounded up twenty-two top Nazi officers to stand trial at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg.
  25. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    These crimes included the torture and murder of twelve million people—six million Jews and six million non-Jews who were deemed enemies of the Reich.
  26. acquitted
    declared not guilty of a specific offense or crime
    Twelve were condemned to death, seven to prison terms, and three were acquitted.
  27. successor
    a person who follows next in order
    Schirach’s successor, Artur Axmann, was sentenced to thirty-nine months’ imprisonment as a major offender and fined 35,000 marks.
  28. commute
    exchange a penalty for a less severe one
    The commander of the 12th SS-Hitlerjugend Division, Kurt Meyer, who was captured by the Americans, was sentenced to death for his role in the murder of Canadian prisoners of war during the Normandy campaign. His sentence was later commuted to life in prison and then reduced to fourteen years.
  29. ardent
    characterized by strong enthusiasm
    In an effort to prevent Nazis from ever coming to power again, the Allies ordered German civilian courts to hold “de-Nazification” trials to identify ardent Nazis. People convicted of ardent leadership in the Nazi Party were banned from public office.
  30. commission
    a special group delegated to consider some matter
    Seventeen-year-old Alfons Heck was ordered to appear before a de-Nazification commission.
  31. rationalize
    defend, explain, or make excuses for by reasoning
    During her imprisonment, Melita rationalized that she had sacrificed and worked hard to create a better Germany.
  32. industrious
    characterized by hard work and perseverance
    “When we strove to be unselfish, humble, industrious, friendly, and ready to help others, all this was only with regard to our own people,” she said.
  33. clemency
    leniency and compassion shown toward offenders
    He raced to Berlin to petition the court for clemency, but, when he telephoned the Scholls, he learned that he was too late.
  34. indoctrination
    teaching someone to accept beliefs uncritically
    General Dwight D. Eisenhower understood that the German people needed to be reeducated. They had been subjected to twelve years of Nazi propaganda and indoctrination. He wanted the German people to learn the virtues of democracy.
  35. reinstate
    bring back into original existence, function, or position
    To do so, he reinstated the civil liberties that Hitler had taken away.
  36. thriving
    very lively and profitable
    Today, the Federal Republic of Germany is a thriving democracy with a federation of sixteen states.
  37. inalienable
    incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another
    The first nineteen articles of its constitution guarantee the inalienable rights of every German citizen.
  38. exploit
    use or manipulate to one's advantage
    No one could have predicted
 the extent and degree to which a person such as Adolf Hitler could exploit the idealism of children and teenagers.
  39. despot
    a cruel and oppressive dictator
    Some people wonder: Could another despot like Hitler rise to power on the shoulders of young people?
  40. subsequent
    following in time or order
    To this day, when she thinks about the time she told on her parents to her Hitler Youth leader and their subsequent arrest, she says, “I still feel terrible about it. My parents were wonderful people.”
Created on Thu Aug 25 11:16:33 EDT 2022 (updated Tue Oct 18 11:33:22 EDT 2022)

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