The League of German Girls, in German; Bund Deutscher Mädel, or BDM was the girls’ wing of the Nazi Party youth movement. It was founded in 1930 as the only female branch of the Hitler Youth movement. The League consisted of three sections; Young Girls for ages 10 to 14, the League Proper for girls aged 14 to 18 and the Faith and Beauty society for girls ages 17 to 21.
After the Nazi’s were defeated the organization ceased to exist and was outlawed by the Allies in October 1945.
What follows are pictures of the BDM during the early stages of Nazism up to 1943.
BDM Girls march in a parade with 80.000 BDM and Hitler Youth in the Lüstgarten in Berlin, 19 August 1933
BDM Girls put up a recruitment poster, it says “Girls join us, you belong to us” in 1933
BDM Girls and boys from the Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth) celebrate Midsummer in 1933.
BDM Girls are sewing clothes in an “Arbeitsraum”, work room in 1933.
August 1942, the BDM girls are sewing clothes. Not the Hitler poster on the wall wit the caption “we follow you”.
BDM grirls in a forest outside Worms looking for May Beetles, 1933.
Portraits of a BDM Girls, 1933 / 1935
BDM Girls getting ready for a parade at an unknown location, 1933.
BDM Girls march in a parade in Worms, 1933.
One of the more sinister pictures, BDM girls visit Dachau Concentration camp in 1936
BDM Girls and Hitler Youth in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin celebrate Labourday – May 1st 1937
On the same day in Worms, different Hitler Youth and BDM girls present the Hitler salute.
BDM and Hitleryouth on a visit to Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. The German Caption says they are on a Easter egg hunt at the second picture.
The BDM was also used in more formal settings, here a BDM girl presents flowers to the Italian Dictator Mussolini on the railway station in Munich. Also visible are Goring (right) and Hitler (right center) . 30 September 1938.
September 1939, the war has started so many men are at the front. The BDM is called upon to help work the land and replace the men.
In 1943 when Hitler was fighting his “total war” more men were needed thus it was necessary for the German mothers to have as many children as possible. Here a mother is presented the “Ehrenkreuz der deutschen Mutter”. The cross of honor for German Mothers was presented in Bronze for having 4 children, Silver for 6 children and Gold for 8 children. May 15th 1943.
A signed certificate and a closeup of the “Cross of Honor for German Mothers”.
A large family as the Nazi party loved to see it, a Nazi official, the mother wearing the Mother Cross and their 12 kids. 5 of them in the German Army (wehrmacht) and 1 in the Reichs-Arbeidsdienst, the German Workers force. The oldest girl is a member of the BDM.
All pictures courtesy of Wikipedia Commons & Bundesarchiv