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or
took over all youth groups which competed with
the Hitler Jugend. A Hitler decree of 1 December
1936 incorporated all German youth within the
Hitler Jugend. By the time formal conscription
was introduced in 1940, 97 percent of those
eligible were already members.
Von
Schirach used the Hitler Jugend to educate
German Youth "in the spirit of National
Socialism" and subjected them to an
intensive program of Nazi propaganda. He
established the Hitler Jugend as a source of
replacements for the Nazi Party formations. In
October 1938 he entered into an agreement with
Himmler under which members of the Hitler Jugend
who met SS standards would be considered as the
primary source of replacements for the SS.
Von
Schirach also used the Hitler Jugend for
pre-military training. Special units were set up
whose primary purpose was training specialists
for the various branches of the service. On 11
August 1939 he entered into an agreement with
Keitel under which the Hitler Jugend agreed to
carry out its pre-military activities under
standards laid down by the Wehrmacht and the
Wehrmacht agreed to train 30,000 Hitler Jugend
instructors each year. The Hitler Jugend placed
particular emphasis on the military spirit and
its training program stressed the importance of
return of the colonies, the necessity for
Lebensraum, and the noble destiny of German
youth to die for Hitler.
Despite the
warlike nature of the activities of the Hitler
Jugend, however, it does not appear that Von
Schirach was involved in the development of
Hitler's plan for territorial expansion by means
of aggressive war, or that he participated in
the planning or preparation of any of the wars
of aggression.
Crimes
against Humanity
In
July 1940 Von Schirach was appointed Gauleiter
of Vienna. At the same time he was appointed
Reichs Governor for Vienna and Reichs Defense
Commissioner, originally for Military District
17, including the Gaue of Vienna, Upper Danube,
and Lower Danube and, after 17 November 1942,
for the Gaue of Vienna alone. As Reichs Defense
Commissioner, he had control of the civilian war
economy. As Reich Governor he was head of the
municipal administration of the City of Vienna,
and, under the supervision of the Minister of
the Interior, in charge of the governmental
administration of the Reich in Vienna.
Von
Schirach is not charged with the commission of
War Crimes in Vienna, only with the commission
of Crimes against Humanity. As has already been
seen, Austria was occupied pursuant to a common
plan of aggression Its occupation is, therefore,
a "crime within the jurisdiction of the
Tribunal", as that term is used in
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