H. W. Koch, himself a former Hitler Youth brings a unique sensitivity and perspective to the history of one of the most fascinating vehicles for Nazi thought and propaganda. He traces the Hitler Youth movement from its antecedents in nineteenth-century German romanticism and pre-1914 youth culture, through the World War I radicaliztion of German youth, to its ultimate exploitation by the Nazi party.

"This well-documented and well-presented account of the intensifying authoritarian regimentation of German youth is likely to be the most satisfying we shall ever have....The author's analysis is shrewd and the incidental detail at times engagingly bizarre." - The Economist

"Koch, born in Munich, brings a personal perspective of a brief membership in the Hitler Youth to bear on the rise and fall of this sometimes tragic, oftem pathetic, organization. By diligent use of Nazi Party and Hitler Youth archives, Koch has fashioned the best treatment of the Hitler Youth phenomenon yet published in English." - Library Journal