Erinnerungen an den Arbeitsdienst – April – 30. September 1935 – “Memories from the Labor Service, April 1 – September 30, 1935.” Souvenir album containing photographs taken and documenting the Hitler Youth within the framework of the German Labor Service (Arbeitsdienst) during a six-month period in which German youth were indoctrinated with Nazi ideology and trained in loyalty to the Führer – Ulm, 1935.
The Arbeitsdienst was the German Labor Service (RAD – Reichsarbeitsdienst) – an institution established during the Nazi era that became mandatory for young men in 1935. Its goal was to “educate” the youth in physical labor, obedience, nationalism, and loyalty to the Reich. The service included forestry work, construction, agricultural infrastructure projects, and at times light military training. The specified period – April to September 1935 – represents a typical six-month term of service required of men before their conscription into the Wehrmacht.
Presented here is a souvenir album from those months of service, belonging to Unit 5/186. Inserted into the album’s pages, within its sleeves, are 77 photographs of various sizes documenting the activities of German youth in the Labor Service, working the land, camping, engaging in sports, participating in ceremonial parades with Nazi flag-raising, draining swamps and digging canals, the Hitler Youth orchestra, children giving the Nazi salute, photographs showing Konstantin Hierl marching past saluting youths, and more. At the beginning of the album appear portraits of Adolf Hitler and, following it, a portrait of Konstantin Hierl (protected by parchment paper) – Konstantin Hierl (1875–1955) was a senior Nazi politician and head of the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD) – the German Labor Service during the Nazi period. A member of the conservative wing of the Nazi Party, he was later awarded the title “Reichsleiter, ” one of the highest ranks in the party. On the album’s title page is a photograph of two SS guards beside a podium bearing a swastika flag, with the inscription: “Reichsparteitag der Freiheit” – “The Party Rally of Freedom, ” a symbolic event held in solidarity with the national party congress.
On the final pages of the album, handwritten inscriptions by SS officers read: “Loyalty gives struggle its strength! In the struggle for eternal life, loyalty to the people and to the homeland finds its highest meaning!” – signed: H.-S. Taach, dated 24/9/1935. And also: “Only the awareness of fulfilling one’s duty perfectly strengthens even our belief in our own power and in our own personality.” – signed: Gebhardt, city of Ulm. It is possible that the signatory is Karl Gebhardt, the personal physician of Heinrich Himmler and a notorious Nazi SS officer (and murderer), who was responsible for medical experiments in Auschwitz and other camps. The date and the city of Ulm match his general profile (he was active during this period). The album also includes several dedications, such as: “Believe in your strength and be proud of it, not born for abuse, but for joyful struggle. In memory of my dear work comrade Gutsch, a token of remembrance from Unit 5/186. Gieboldehausen, March 25, 1935.” and others.
As they matured, members of the Hitler Youth were required to serve in the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD), the Reich Labor Service. Their activities included infrastructure work such as building roads and canals, agricultural labor aimed at instilling the value of work, dissemination of Nazi ideology, organizing parades, and participation in official state events, sporting events, and training: athletic competitions, field marches and physical drills, summer camps, lectures, and programs in which they were indoctrinated in the superiority of the Aryan race and loyalty to the Führer. The Reich Labor Service served as a transitional stage between youth activities and adult life as soldiers in the military and combat forces of the Third Reich.
Album: 26×20 cm. Very good condition.
