German Youth Gangs that Opposed Hitler: the Edelweiß Pirates

The Edelweiß Pirates were youth gangs that opposed the ever-increasing totalitarian grip of the Nazi regime. Their actions ranged from passive resistance to robbing munitions depots and even murder. Curiously enough, after the Second World War came to an end, a group of post-war Nazi resistance cells coopted their name and carried out a series of bombings and attacks against the occupying Allied powers.

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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:06 The Edelweiß Pirates
4:56 Edelweiß Pirates During the War
10:10 After the War

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The content of this video covers events, people or concepts via a lecture-style presentation that is educational and historical in nature. Every video is original content by House of History. The events relating to conflict in this video are portrayed in their historical context without either value judgment or an ideological message attached to it. There is no intent to shock, upset or disgust. The goal of my channel is to make interesting lecture-style videos, no more, no less.

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Sources:

Fritz, Stephen. Endkampf: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Death of the Third Reich. University Press of Kentucky, 2004.
Horn, Daniel. "Youth resistance in the Third Reich: A social portrait." Journal of Social History 7, no. 1 (1973): 26-50.
McDonough, F. (2001). Opposition and resistance in Nazi Germany (p. 5). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Written by House of History

Photos, paintings and imagery: Public Domain, Wikicommons

#HouseofHistory #History #WW2

[louisgray]

I want to add some information about the roots of the Edelweißpiraten which might help to understand why they formed and how they behaved. The Edelweißpiraten evolved out of a movement called "Bündisch Youth". This movement formed around the year 1900 with the "Wandervögel" (rarely used word for 'migratory birds'). At that time train tickest had become affordable enough for middle-classed students from Berlin to take a ride on the train outside the city and take a hike through the woods, where they slept under the open sky before they took the train back the next day. For many it was the first time to leave the city and have some adventures without any adults around. These trips became known as "Fahrten" (which means 'drives' in modern German, at the time it meant trips and voyages in general).
Over time the movement grow, and independent "Bünde" ('associations', sg. "Bund"; reason they are called "bündisch") formed all over the German Empire and Austria. Even though these Bünde developed completely unique traditions and values, a few key elements evolved: The importance of the small group, the connection to nature, Independence from adults. Every Bund had a kind of uniform which distinguished them visibly from another. They also loved singing together. At first mainly folks song, later they started to write their own songs or collecting non-German songs from all around the world. were the went on "Fahrt", which wasn't necessarily a weekend trip anymore.
During the Weimar Republic this movement reached its peak. They were well known in Germany, and more popular than the scout movement, which was just starting to set foot there. Wandervögel played a crucial role in the founding of the scout movement in Germany, and both movement influenced each other (which might explain the fleur de lys at 6:19). The biggest Bund at the time was the 'Nerother Wandervogel' (named after the place where it was founded).
The Nazis adapted some elements of the Bündische Jugend for the Hitler Youth such as the independence from adults, because it allowed them to have more influence on their education, and because they wanted to attract leaders from the Bündisch Youth, since -at least in the beginning - they had not enough Youths among their own, wich were ready and capable of leading youths. Among the Bündisch Youth existed the idea of a "Großbund" (Great Bund"), also known as "Freideutsche Jugend" ('Free German Youth', a term which would be abused again by the GDR), which would combine all the small Bünde into a single Bund, but all attempts in archiving this had failed. Some saw this finally archived in the Hitler Youth, while others argued, that the Bündisch Youth revolved around experiencing freedom, while the Hitler Youth revolved around absolute obedience and educating youths in the spirit of National Socialism.
When the Nazis came into power it became they soon forbid bündisch and scout associations. The Nerother Wandervogel, which I mentioned above, was also forbidden in 1933, but managed to continue until 1935, when the Nazis managed to dissolve their organization at the third attempt. However, some of the groups of which the Bund had consisted, continued underground, including the Kittelbachpiraten, which were a Bund on their own before, but parts of them had joined the Nerother, when they themselves were forbidden. Many groups which are now known as Edelweißpiraten had their origins in the Nerother Wandervogel. The leader of the Nerother Wandervogel, Robert Oelbermann, was arrested and brought to the concentration camp in Dachau, where he died. His brother Karl, who was on "Weltfahrt" ('world trip') in South Africa at the time stayed their until after the war. He founded the Nerother Wandervogel again after the fall of Nazi Germany.
At first their activity wouldn't involve active resistance. They would meet in a park maybe once a week and sing bündisch songs (which were forbidden) or go on Fahrt. (It was also forbidden to go hiking except as an activity of one of the Nazi mass organizations.) When the Nazis threw a bunch of terms together to create the name "Edelweißpiraten", they accidently created a legend. A secret youth organization, which resisted the Nazis by singing and hiking. Other teenagers who had nothing to do with the Edelweißpiraten until then founded their own groups in that spirit. They would meet somewhere, someone had a guitar, someone knew a song or two, which was supposedly sung by the Edelweißpiraten. Like this the movement evolved, and groups were founded which didn't just want to resist the Nazis with singing and hiking, but wanted to fight the Nazis.



The Bündisch Youth also influenced other resistance groups. Several members of the "Weiße Rose" for example had roots in the Bund Neudeutschland (New Germany) of the late Weimar Republic.

In Western Germany many of the old Bünde were able to reform, and exist to this day.

I myself am a member of a bündisch scout association in Germany, which is the reason I'm so interested in this topic. There is an old folks song which we still sing today. The Chorus was rewritten to this:

"Wenn die Fahrtenmesser blitzen und die Hitlerjungen flitzen
und die Edelweißpiraten fallen ein: 'Haut sie auf die Schnauze'.
Was kann das Leben bei Hitler uns geben, wir wollen bündisch sein?"

'When the knives twinkle and the Hitler boys run,
and the Edelweißpiraten sing: 'Hit them in the face'.
What can live at Hitler give us, we want to be bündisch.

A few years back I visited the NS Documentation Center which is located in a former Gestapo prison in cologne, where many Edelweißpiraten where held. Written on a wall I saw a very simular version of the song above. The only difference was, that that version said "und die Navajos fallen ein:[...]" ('and the Navajos sing').

It makes me proud to share a tradition with the Edelweißpiraten. But I am well aware of the fact that not all bündisch groups at the time went into passive or active resistance. The overwhelming majority joined the Hitler Youth. Some because they saw that as the best way to maintain bündisch traditions and ideas (this didn't work very well; the Nazis got rid of all known bündisch structures untill 1935), others joined the Hitler Youth out of conviction. More than a few founders of the bündisch post-war groups often had important positions either in the Hitler Youth, or in the other areas of the Nazi state.

[SRocco-dvwe]

You do a great consistent job 👍🏼. No over hyping, selling, etc . Keep up the great work .

[seanosull]

I love this channel. So much work put into it and it's always interesting.

[jackray]

Another comment now that I finished the video...This video is a far more interesting and detailed than anything I had heard of the "Edelweiß Pirates" before. Thank you.

[awesomeboy]

Thank you for talking about a less talk about topics of the German resistance to Nazism

[binaway]

As a POW my father worked in the Munich rail yards. One German worker dad described as a tramp, schwarzimann (forgive the spelling). He didn't like washing himself. Prior to Hitler this guy had walked across most of Europe for years from Denmark to Spain in the winter months. He knew all the places to cross a border without a passport. He arrived on a bicycle as work started, did as little as possible and was out the yards as the work day ended as fast as he could. He always wanted to see England but never had the money or a passport to get there. He hated working and Hitler who he blamed personally for him having to load the trains.

[davidlynch]

Very informative. Canadian living in Munich. I lived here also as a teenager in the late 70s. Have never heard of the piraten before. Thanks for keeping important history alive. 🙏

[PremierHistory]

Poor old Von Stauffenberg, if it wasn’t for that damn table getting in the way!

[alswann]

Modern Germany testifies to the ineffectiveness of the werewolves.

[richardgaynor]

I believe the flower was also a symbol of German mountain troops. The Band of Brothers scene showing it is suddenly more poignant.

[bcfairlie]

Thank you. I knew nothing of this. Brave people, all of them.

[AndrewMitchell]

wow I've heard about them already, but not yet have seen such a detailed account of their actions... very interesting

[connordevereaux]

Interesting never heard of this group until know. Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪 😊

[sotalife]

I just found your channel and subscribed, Thanks!

[robertschlesinger]

Very interesting, informative and worthwhile video.

[amaccama]

That was really good. I keep learning new things from you every week and I like it.
By the way did you get any time to look into the Cowra POW breakout in Australia?

[mrunseen]

Yes so much yes. Thank you for covering the young opposing the fascist regime. They are most overlooked and were so damn brave.

[theodorossarafis]

great info and unfortunately nobody knows about it. thank you for your video

[tomjustis]

When this came up in my notifications, my first thought was, "Why the hell are you doing another story about the 'Pirates' so soon?" Then I started watching it and immediately realized my mistake. As a major history buff I subscribe to several history channels, and it was another channel which recently did a segment on the 'pirates'. While that presentation was good and informative, I have to say yours was far better. While the other channel gave the bare bones history of the 'pirates', you not only fleshed it out and made the participants human, but you also provided much more information regarding the motives and actions of these teen heroes. Good job, my friend, DAMN good job!

[navyskaterdude]

I believe the early 90s movie "Swing Kids" was based on this group. Love your content sir👍