Souvenir album containing photographs taken to document the Hitler Youth during their time in the German Labour Service over the course of six months of activity, during which German youth were indoctrinated in Nazi ideology and loyalty to the Führer – Melk District (Lower Austria), early 1940s.
At the opening of the album appears the emblem of the German Labour Service alongside a quote from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf: “The holiest right in this world is the right to the land one wishes to cultivate, and the holiest sacrifice is the blood that one sheds for that land.” Also shown is the emblem of wheat stalks representing the Reich Labour Service. Pasted throughout the album are photographs documenting ceremonies held by the Hitler Youth, saluting with the raised arm while the Nazi swastika flag is prominently displayed in the center. Among them is a central ceremony held in a large courtyard in Schachenhofer, in the Melk District of Lower Austria. Throughout the album are additional photographs showing Hitler Youth members in uniform engaged in social activities at various locations in Germany, participating in display parades while raising the Nazi flag in different places, and more. At the end of the album appears a photograph of Adolf Hitler’s birthplace in the town of Braunau am Inn, located in Austria near the German border.
The Arbeitsdienst was the German Labour Service (RAD – Reichsarbeitsdienst) – an institution established during the Nazi era that became mandatory for young men in 1935. Its purpose was to “educate” youth through physical labor, obedience, nationalism, and loyalty to the Reich. The service included forestry work, construction, agricultural infrastructure projects, dissemination of Nazi ideology, organizing parades, and participating in state ceremonies, sports events, and training: athletic competitions, field marches and physical training, summer camps, lectures, and activities promoting Aryan racial superiority and loyalty to the Führer. The noted period – April to September 1935 – represents a typical six-month term of service required of men prior to their enlistment in the Wehrmacht.
Album: 27×20 cm. A total of 15 photographs mounted on its pages (each photo covering a full page). Luxurious cover with decorative elements. Very good condition.
