German WWII "HJ im Dienst" Hitler Youth Training Manual

A cloth-bound training manual titled "H.J. im Dienst" with the subtitle "Ausbildungsvorschrift fuer die Ertuechtigung der deutschen Jugend, " issued by the Reichsjugendfuehrung. The cover bears the title in red Gothic and blockletter type flanking a diamond-form swastika device between horizontal red bands. The title page identifies it as the 6th expanded and revised edition (6., erweiterte und verbesserte Auflage), published by Verlag Bernard & Graefe, Berlin SW 68.

This manual served as the standard physical training and service handbook for the Hitler Youth organization, outlining exercises, drills, and organizational instruction for German youth during the Third Reich period.

"HJ im Dienst" was issued by the Reichsjugendfuehrung, the central leadership office of the Hitler Youth under Reich Youth Leader Baldur von Schirach (and later Artur Axmann), as the standardised handbook for physical conditioning and paramilitary-style training of boys enrolled in the organization. It codified drills, exercises, and service routines intended to prepare adolescent members ideologically and physically for eventual military and Party service, reflecting the regime's broader effort to bring German youth education under state control. The multiple editions, including this revised sixth printing, indicate its wide circulation as a core training text throughout the Hitler Youth's existence between 1933 and 1945.