When Germany went to war, the boys and girls of the Hitler Youth were prepared. They were a generation taught to worship and obey Hitler without question. Hitler youth, who were fed stories of heroes since childhood, were excited and willing to sacrifice themselves for Germany and the Aryan race. These young people wholeheartedly believed that the noble way to die, the only way to die, was for Hitler and Germany.

This devotion is illustrated in one American observer's story of a young Pimpf who contracted pneumonia. Although the boy was ill, his father and his Hitler Youth leader had forced him to participate in a multiple-day march. At the destination, he was promoted to the Jungvolk. The observer saw the boy once he was back home and very ill:

From the cot came words—shrill, penetrating. "Let me...