Theodore Dinkelacker

Theodore Dinkelacker of Elmhurst, Long Island, New York was the National Youth Leader of the German American Bund.

Landesjugendführer

Landesjugendfuehrer (national youth leader) is Theodore Dinkelacker, 9238 Lamont Avenue, Elmhurst, Long Island. Under 30, Dinkelacker devotes all of his time to drilling and teaching potential national socialists. He leads them in parades behind the storm troops at summer festivals and in the city drill halls of the bund during the winter. Our youth love the fight — Dinkelacker explained to a witness. They are mostly sons and daughters of old fighters and thus they will not permit the fighting spirit of the bund to die out. National socialism is a world-wide philosophy of strength. We teach our youth along these lines so that they may take the right road in life. We instill in them pride of German nationality and race. We insist on order and discipline to build character and a broad athletic program to build the body. Youth builds are proud of being the future of "'the only fighting organization in German-America" Dinkelacker says according to testimony before the committee, and "will always look down with contempt upon those who avoid the battle, who gather in little groups and clubs in order, when they reach manhood, to change into rabbit-breeding societies or bowling clubs."

Youth

“Youth bunds are proud of being the future of the only fighting organization in German-America…. All boys and girls have the obligation to keep themselves strong and healthy for their German race; healthy in order to transmit as a link in an unending chain in the heritage of our ancestors to the coming generation; strong in order to ward off every attack against the German race; politically and economically.”

Although camps such as Siegfried did not have overwhelmingly large numbers of campers, it was still a sizable group. According to Theodore Dinkelacker, who ran Camp Siegfried's Youth Movement, the average number of children who went through the camp system during the season was approximately 500, with a maximum of 280 at any one time.

External link

• "U.S. CHILDREN 'HEIL' HITLER", Daily Times (Chicago), 10 September 1937
• United States v. Bregler, 55 F. Supp. 837 (E.D.N.Y. 1944)