So they organized, inventing their own name, making their own banners, and even printing their own stationery. Hans and his friends were creative people who brazenly read banned books, and refused to be limited by the official Hitler Youth literature, symbols, and flags. With his intelligence, charisma, and physical strength, Hans rose quickly up the ranks of Hitler Youth leadership.īut disillusionment would eventually set in. He and his siblings eagerly joined Hitler Youth, an organization that gave them opportunities to go camping and horseback riding, to participate in competitive sports, and to develop their leadership abilities.
He saw Hitler as a kind of savior who would lift Germany out of widespread poverty and unemployment. Like many German children growing up in the 1930s, Hans Scholl (1918-1943) initially welcomed the rise of Hitler. One of the most complex of these heroes was Hans Fritz Scholl. They had to make difficult choices every day, juggling the demands of citizenship with those of living an ethical life.
These were complicated heroes, challenging their country while being forced to serve it in a war they despised. Not so well known on this side of the Atlantic are the stories of German soldiers and students who spoke out against Hitler. IN MANY STORIES about World War II, the German people are typically painted with broad strokes as a nation of committed Nazis.
