Hitlerjugend: An In-Depth History: 1943 - "Kriegseinsatz der Deutschen Jugend" - War service of the German youth
by Arvo L. Vercamer

This was the first year in which the HJ members were ordered to serve as quasi-official soldiers. Laws formalizing this were enacted on January 26th, 1943. By the middle of the year, thousands of youths were ordered to serve as "Flakhelfers" in both the German Kriegsmarine and in the Luftwaffe units throught Germany.

As much as possible, routine HJ and BDM activities, such as hiking, camping, sports competitions, etc., continued. Increasingly, greater amounts of para-military training were placed on HJ members to prepare them for military service.