MikeDunnAuthor on Nostr: Today in Labor History October 25, 1944: Heinrich Himmler ordered a crackdown on the ...

Today in Labor History October 25, 1944: Heinrich Himmler ordered a crackdown on the Edelweiss Pirates, a loosely organized youth group that assisted Nazi army deserters and helped others hide from the Third Reich. They violently opposed the Hitler Youth, ambushing their patrols and taking pride in beating them up. One of their slogans was "Eternal War on the Hitler Youth." Subgroups of the Edelweißpiraten included the Navajos, in Cologne, the Kittelbach Pirates of Oberhausen and Dusseldorf, and the Roving Dudes of Essen. According to one Nazi official, "Every child knows who the Kittelbach Pirates are. They are everywhere; there are more of them than there are Hitler Youth." During the Himmler crackdown, the Nazis hanged thirteen Eidelweiss Pirates leaders, including six teenagers.

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