Indoctrination and Obedience

Alfons Heck's story primarily concerns his life between ages ten and seventeen, while he was a member of the Hitler Youth. The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of young people, boys and girls, that was a wing of the Nazi Party. It was created in 1922 and lasted until 1945. Initially it was simply a branch of the Nazi Party, before the Nazis came to power, but once Hitler became chancellor the Hitler Youth was made a national organization. As time progressed, membership in the Hitler Youth became compulsory.

Alfons joined the Hitler Youth around age 10, before it became compulsory. However, for the first four years of his membership in the Hitler Youth he did little for the organization and rose very slowly through the ranks, coming to lead a mere ten other boys. The Hitler Youth were viewed as the future leaders of Germany and Aryan...