Resist, Revolt, and Risk - The Purpose

Resistance can come in many forms. It may simply be a reaction against the status quo, a small change such as clothing or hairstyle, or dancing to a different tune. However, it could also be violent confrontations, prominent people leading the way, or extreme defiance. Either way, on a small or large scale, these are all examples of resistance. Thus, when discussing the topic of resistance, it is essential that we look at all spectrums and forms. This is why the Edelweiss Pirates, the Swing Youth, and the White Rose are all perfect examples to demonstrate the resistance movement by the German youth against the Nazi regime. We focus on these three groups for the fact that they all opted to defy against the Nazi party in both similar and dissimilar ways. The Edelweiss Pirates used more direct and aggressive methods of resistance, the Swing Youth used cultural transformations, and the White Rose used peaceful and informative demonstrations. Extending from both large and small scale protesting, all of these groups succeeded in resisting from the norm, which is why their place in anti-Nazi resistance history is at the forefront. It can be argued that these three youth groups were necessary for effectively attacking the Nazis grasp on mainstream Germany, since they exposed the limitations of a Nazi-confined society through various types of resistance, such as direct and aggressive, cultural and political.

Therefore, this blog is dedicated to these people and organizations who risked their lives to fight against evil. Our attempt is to show all facets of these organizations and how they resisted, whether it was a song they sang or physical aggression they practiced. In addition, we want to show how effective, on both a small and large scale, their methods of resistance were. Hopefully, by the end of your exploration of our blog we will have accomplished at least one thing -- to educate others about finding a voice and resisting evil. 

The Edelweiss Pirate’s Direct and Aggressive Methods of Resistance

Similar to the Swing Youths, the Edelweiss Pirates rebelled against the conformity expected of them by the Nazis. These youth groups sought out a more unconventional lifestyle to escape the control being put upon them by the Nazi Party. In the article, “Youth Activism,” author Lonnie Sherrod explains, “The Edelweiss Pirates were not content to simply slip away from the control of adults and other authorities; instead, many chose to confront National Socialism,” (Sherrod 74). Sherrod goes on to explain that although the Pirates lacked a structural political ideology, they demonstrated a political stance.

Out of the three youth resistance groups examined, the Edelweiss Pirates were by far the most aggressive, direct and out-spoken. Similar to Swing Youths, the Pirates rebelled against the Nazi Party through music; however, instead of listening to American music deemed inappropriate, the Pirates rebelled through their own made up lyrics.

Some lyrics in their songs included, “We’re going to get rid of Hitler, and he can’t do a thing,” and “Hitler’s power may lay us low, and keep us locked in chains, but we will smash the chains one day,” (Burleigh and Wippermann 237). These lyrics directly express resistance to the Nazi party by attacking the control Hitler and the Nazi party tried to place upon youths.

In addition, the Edelweiss Pirates were well known for their constant attacks and juxtaposition to the Hitler Youth. The Hitler Youths served as their counterparts, as they conformed to the Nazi party by following their traditional culture and lifestyle. A Hitler Youth describes how the Pirates, “publicly provoke the Hitler Youth, and undermine the work of its until leaders. ‘Leaders of the Hitler Youth have been ambushed, pestered, and even shot at,’” (Burleigh and Wipperman 224). These confrontations were often violent and in some cases members of both parties were wounded and sometimes killed.  

As the war progressed, the Pirates means of resistance became bolder and further went against the Nazi party. The Pirates directly aided foreigners, as well as victims of the Nazi Party. In the article “Inside Hitler’s Germany,” authors Matthew Hughes and Chris Mann explain how, in 1942 in Dusseldorf, “some pirates offered shelter to German deserters, POWs, forced laborers and concentration camp escapees,” (Hughes and Mann 64).

In addition, similar to the White Rose’s method of circulating anti-Nazi literature, some members of the Pirates posted Allied propaganda leaflets through letterboxes or even joined organized resistance groups. This resistance turned more violent, as they later attacked the Cologne Gestapo in 1944 (Hughes and Mann 64). Thus, the Edelweiss Pirates engaged in more direct and aggressive resistance than the Swing Youth and the White Rose. 

A Biography: Hans Scholl (1918-1943)

Hans was born in Germany in the city of Ulm.  Unlike his father and his sister Sophie, Hans did not develop his sense of opposition to the Nazi regime until he completed his service in the Hitler Youth. 

During his time in the Hitler Youth, Hans grew to hate the militaristic order of Nazism and their overt suppression of individual freedoms, which Hans valued deeply.  Upon leaving the Hitler Youth, Hans entered the University of Munich where he studied medicine. 

While there, he met a group of peers that shared in his antagonism towards a National Socialist State.  With the assistance of Kurt Huber, a Professor of philosophy at the University of Munich, Hans and his friends founded the anti-Nazi resistance group called the White Rose. 

The group practiced passive resistance to the Nazi regime by distributing leaflets (six in total) that encouraged others to join the opposition to the Nazis.  Unfortunately in February of 1943, Hans and his sister Sophie were found distributing leaflets on the University's campus and were immediately arrested by the Gestapo. 

They were later charged and found guilty for high treason and he and his sister were executed by hanging on February 22nd 1943.    

Founding of the Edelweiss Pirates

The Edelweiss Pirates formed at the end of the 1930s in western Germany. In the article “Inside Hitler’s Germany,” authors Matthew Hughes and Chris Mann explain, “Their uniform was a badge of edelweiss flowers with a checked shirt, dark short trousers and white socks, and soon a variety of groups called themselves “Edelweiss Pirates” (Hughes and Mann 61).

There were many subgroups of the Edelweiss Pirates including the Navajos, centered in Cologne, the Kittelbach Pirates of Oberhausen and Dusseldorf, and the Roving Dudes of Essen. The different groups were associated with their individual regions; however, the edelweiss badge identified and unified them as Edelweiss Pirates.

In addition, the Edelweiss Pirates were typically younger than the Swing Youths, as they were aged 14 to 18. They were mostly a non-political group primarily from the working class, unlike the aristocratic Swing Youths. Similar to the Swings, the Pirates were looking to defy Hitler’s order and the regulations imposed by the Nazi regime. The Pirates maintained an oppositional attitude “towards what they saw as the increasingly paramilitary obligations of the Hitler Youth” (Welch 63).

Many of these members had left school at a young age and were too young for the army but too mature for the Hitler youth. They wanted to spend the salaries they earned on whatever they pleased, and not participate in the sham collectivism of the Hitler Youth (Burleigh and Wippermann 222). In addition, the Pirates used many symbols to express themselves and their views. Their style of clothing, appearance, and type of songs all were symbols that were banned by the Nazi party.

According to one Nazi official in 1941, “Every child knows who the Kittelbach Pirates are. ‘They are everywhere; there are more of them than there are Hitler Youth…They beat up the patrols…They never take no for an answer,’” (Hughes and Mann 61). Thus, unlike the Swing Youth and the White Rose, the Pirates were often hostile to the Hitler Youth and used more direct and aggressive resistance methods to combat the limitations placed upon them by the Nazi party. 

Swing Youth and their Methods of Cultural Resistance

Unlike the Edelweiss Pirates who used aggression and more direct forms of resistance, the Swing Youth used a more cultural form of resistance. This is predominately due to the fact that the Swings were not anti-fascist but more opposed to the traditional music and lifestyles of the Nazi Party and Hitler Youth. In the novel, “No Nazi Party: Youth Rebels of the Third Reich,” author Tom Neuhaus explains, “The Swing Youths resented the rigid, conformist codes of behavior advocated by the Third Reich and pressed upon young Germans by the regime. ‘They expressed their rebellion in a number of ways, most obviously in terms of their dress and hairstyles,”’ (Neuhaus 1).

Further, the Swing Youth dressed extremely differently from their Hitler Youth counterparts. Neuhaus goes on to explain how the Swing’s look was deliberately different to the uniform of the Hitler Youth, which kept young people in shorts and somber brown shirts until the age of eighteen, their hair short (for boys) or in neat plaits (for girls). In resistance to this traditional appearance, Swing Youth boys had long hair often reaching to their shoulders; they also wore plaid jackets: a popular British trend. Further, they wore thick shoes, bright scarves, diplomat’s hats and an umbrella over their arm at all times – even in sunny weather.

Similar to the boys, Swing Youth girls tried to resist the conformity of the German Girls' League by emphasizing their individual femininity. The girls also preferred their hair long with their eyebrows penciled in. They brightly painted their lips and fingernails.

In addition to their rebellion in terms of appearance, the Swings showed cultural resistance through their choice in dance and music. They engaged in various activities including swing dance, based on the American Lindy Hop of the 1920s and ‘30s, which was practiced at a number of private and carefully chosen venues. In the book “Hitler Youth,” author Michael Kater describes, “Swing requires shoving your upper torso forward while shaking your lower body. ‘Many times 4-6 people danced and hopped around circles, knocking their hands together and even rolling their heads against each other,’” (Kater 142). This was juxtaposed to the strict Nazi party type of dance, where people were supposed to dance as if they had a stick up their spine.

The Swings further resisted the traditional music of the Nazis by listening to American and American-influenced styles of music. Kater goes on to describe how the “musical accompaniment was provided by indigenous German bands playing American Benny Goodman-type swing, sometimes of questionable amateur quality, but also by Dutch and Belgian professionals such as John Kristel or Fud Candrix orchestras,” (Kater 142). In the book “The Third Reich,” author David Welch describes how the swing youth, “rejected voelkische music and listen[ed] instead to jazz and swing music, which the authorities labeled as American-influenced Unkultur and later banned” (Welch 62).

Thus, the Swing Youth used cultural resistance as their means of rebellion, as they rejected the traditional and stricter lifestyle of the Nazi Party.