Greatest Generation (The Edelweiss Pirates An underground youth group...)

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January 18, 2011 2:55 am

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The Edelweiss Pirates

An underground youth group in Germany that started as an alternative to the state camping movement before the Nazis came to power. When the campers were incorporated into the Hitler Youth, these kids resisted.

Part beatnik, part hipster, part jazz-loving zoot suit, these kids were also known to beat up and ambush Hitler Youth rallies and patrols.

They were characterized as street gangs, but this was only true when the govt forced them underground, mainly in the outlaw town of Cologne. Many were imprisoned or hung during the war.

The Pirates embodied what was once a freedom loving society, and their counter-culture identity was an alternative, but credible resistance in itself: they stayed cool.

NOTE: The Edelweiss Pirates’ story is considered “emerging history,” which is a fancy way of saying historians are just now starting to really understand their origins, contributions to society, and their general timeline during WWII. What is known for certain is that they were influential in Germany’s youth movement before Nazism, they were an alternative to the Hitler Youth, and they were leaders in Germany’s underground counterculture revolution. While they were branded as “low class street urchins” they were known for their affinity for BBC jazz broadcasts, wearing colorful outfits, and often coming from liberal or Communist families.

Oh yeah, they were supposed to be prolific graffiti artists as well. Cool.

As the youth movement is a trending topic in WWII history circles, I hope we hear more about the Pirates and their merry men in the future.

54 notes TOPICS: World War II, WWII, History, Hipsters, German Resistance,.

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