THE KITTELBACH PIRATES

By the time Hitler led Germany into war, the self-named Pirates had gained a reputation for their strength of purpose and courage. They were rebels who at first were only an annoyance. Rejecting the Nazi propaganda of the day and unimpressed with the strutting antics of the Hitler Youth, the Pirates engaged in physical altercations with their counterparts in Hitler’s youth movement.

One Nazi official said of the Pirates in 1941: “Every child knows who the Kittelbach Pirates are. They are everywhere … they beat up the patrols … they never take no for an answer.”

As the war continued, the Pirates became even bolder. They assisted the Allies by distributing propaganda leaflets, helped German deserters, hid Jews and ambushed Hitler Youth patrols. Indeed, one of the movement’s popular slogans was, “Eternal war on the Hitler Youth.”