Original Item: One-of-a-Kind. This is an original German WWII era HJ youth Tornister backpack, a smaller variation of the standard German military style pack, complete with its original shoulder straps and named internally to Otto Traus. The interior also bears a hand-applied unit style marking consisting of a shield containing an S rune, accompanied by the designation 3/124, giving the piece excellent potential for further identification.

The backpack retains both original shoulder straps, although the leather is now extremely worn, dry, and heavily crazed from age and use. The interior also shows substantial service wear and still retains portions of its original paper covering.

Two leather components inside the pack are marked with the name:

OTTO TRAUS

Below the name is a hand-drawn shield containing an S rune, beside the marking:

3/124

The exact meaning of this marking has not been confirmed. One possible connection may be to a unit designation related to L (Ost) Gefolgschaft 23, which was reportedly previously identified as L/124, but this attribution remains uncertain and requires additional research.

The Tornister itself is smaller than the standard military pattern and is consistent with equipment intended for youth use. Surviving named examples are particularly interesting because the internal ownership markings offer the possibility of tracing the original member or unit.

The origins of the HJ youth organization date to the early 1920s. In 1922, the Munich based NSDAP established the Jugendbund der NSDAP as an official youth organization. Other early youth groups also appeared during this period, including the Jungsturm, which was intended in part to prepare young members for later involvement in the SA.

Following the failed Beer Hall Putsch of November 1923, NSDAP youth organizations were formally dissolved, although some elements continued operating clandestinely under other names. In April 1924, the Jugendbund der NSDAP was reorganized as the Grossdeutsche Jugendbewegung, or Greater German Youth Movement.

On July 4, 1926, the organization was renamed the HJ, Bund deutscher Arbeiterjugend, becoming the official youth organization of the NSDAP. Kurt Gruber played a major role in this reorganization after prevailing over competing youth movements. The organization subsequently expanded rapidly.

By 1930, the HJ had enrolled more than 25,000 boys aged 14 and older. A junior branch, the Deutsches Jungvolk, was established for boys aged 10 to 14, while girls were organized separately within the Bund Deutscher Mädel, or BDM.

The HJ was briefly banned in April 1932 under Chancellor Heinrich Brüning, but the prohibition was lifted only a few months later under Franz von Papen. Following the NSDAP rise to power in 1933, Baldur von Schirach was appointed Reichsjugendführer, and the organization expanded dramatically as other German youth groups were absorbed or dissolved.

This backpack remains a very appealing and personal example of German WWII youth equipment. The original shoulder straps, surviving interior paper lining, repeated Otto Traus name markings, and unusual 3/124 shield device make it an especially interesting piece for further research into the original owner and his unit affiliation.