Reports from local party officials on religious activities, including youth groups, and the need to supervise them, and a report on actions to establish party control in one area (Hahn)

1. Ortsgruppe Darmstadt-Schlossgarten
20 February 1939 Point 9, Ecclesiastical questions
As the caretaker of the communal building of the St. Martin's community, Blockleiter and party member Keil informs me that meetings of the Confessional Front are again taking place at the St. Martin's institute, Mellerstrasse (Ortsgruppe Gutenberg), the public being excluded. Only the possessors of a red pass are admitted. Even the sexton who has to check these admission tickets can no longer attend these meetings since he left the Confessional Front. That these evenings do not serve ecclesiastical or rather "Christian edification" can already be seen from the fact that only a very limited circle are admitted. If the Confessional Front holds meetings behind tightly locked doors, then the contents of the "Bible classes"—or whatever other name is used as a pretense— are pretty obvious. Otherwise they need not be afraid of the light of publicity or hold secret sessions. Certainly the Gestapo is entitled to supervise the meetings, but they also can only gain admission there by showing their official passes, and the evening
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would then certainly take a very harmless course. These "secret sessions" ought to be forbidden.
[signed] Wimmer
Ortsgruppenleiter
2. Ortsgruppe Pfungstadt
17 February 1939
To the 42 point report as to 33c—ecclesiastical questions
"Whoever leaves the church has different taxes imposed on him," so our already much discussed confessional pastor Strack said once again on the occasion of a mother's evening. This gentleman should really be rapped on the knuckles seriously for once.
It would also be urgently indicated that some authority should look after those children whose parents have left the church. Every sect looks after its children, only the "gottglaeubigen" [translator's note: Nazi term for people who have retained their belief in God, but have left the official churches] find no one to look after them. The result is that they first attend the usual religious classes for three or four years and have to be reconverted later, which might not be successful in all cases. Here is a gap that the party ought definitely to close.
The Ortsgruppenleiter
Frick [?]
3. Ortsgruppe Darmstadt-Gervinius
17 February 1939
Re: 42 point report
Point 9: Ecclesiastical questions
The attached inclosure gives an insight into the activities of the »Confessional Front. The poem "Thine is the choice" was pushed into the hands of three senior pupils by a woman in the Kirchstrasse. The Catholic priest Degen holds meetings with young male and female students with beer and cigarettes. Dance evenings are also held. Parts of the Bible are read out in which work is praised.
The school run by the English misses was transferred to the house of the Catholic priest Degen in the Annastrasse after it had been dissolved. No propriety and discipline; the girls smoke and come and go when they feel like it. Where is the school supervising authority?
1 inclosure.
Heil Hitler Ortsgruppenleiter
"Thine is the choice"
(A poem of 4 verses about the choice between a life of pleasure and emptiness, and spiritual life and eternal happiness)
4. Ortsgruppe Hahn
19 February 1939
Re: Political situation report for February 1939 9e Church and Youth
The church has no influence here on the male youth; it comes into touch with them only in as far as the parents send the boys to confirmation classes. As the priest has no authority whatsoever, wild scenes take place there.
It is a different matter where the girls aged 10-14, i. e., the age of the Junior Hitler Girls, are concerned. As has been previously repeatedly reported, an "Evangelical Youth Club" still exists, and the majority of the Junior Hitler Girls go there. An occasional discussion with the sub-Gau of the German Girl's League (female Hitler Youth) brought no change either. The participation of children under 10 years of age has been stopped by the school; it cannot prevent the participation of the older ones. The "Youth Club" is headed by the evangelical parish welfare nurse and meets in the rooms of the Evangelical infants' school. Without the active cooperation of the parish and the Hitler Youth we shall apparently not be able to get rid of this Youth Club.
Heil Hitler [signed] Freitag Ortsgruppenleiter
The comments made by the Kreisleiter run as follows: .
Kreisleitung Darmstadt
Month Of February 1939.
To point 9. Subject: Church questions
Increased activity on the part of the confessional priests has been reported to me from various places. I am mot yet in a position to judge finally whether this zeal is the result of special directions or whether the priests are having their say on iheir own initiative. Going into details, I request you to take the following inclosure into consideration: '
1. The report of Ortsgruppenleiter Wirnmer (St. Martin's parish). (The SD, Gestapo, and the competent Ortsgruppenleiter will be instructed by me.)
2. I shall request Ortsgruppenleiter Frick, who reports from Pfungstadt, to go to the Kreisleiter tomorrow and shall get him to name his witnesses. These will be notified to you and to the
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Gestapo (to the latter with a report of the case). The priest Strack is sufficiently well known and ripe for the concentration camp or the Special Court. His reported statement before fellow Germans constitutes an infringement of the Law against Malice. In any case, the chap must disappear from the territory of the Kreis or Gau.
3. The attached edifying poem was distributed in the Ortsgruppe Gervinius. It appears to me that it could only make an impression on such fellow citizens as have a bee in their bonnet anyhow.
4. The statement of Ortsgruppenleiter Freitag from Hahn is interesting. In connection with the second paragraph of this letter, I wish to inform you that the Bannfuehrer (Hitler Youth Colonel) and the head of the Hitler Girls have received instructions to get into touch with the Ortsgruppenleiter.
With reference to case 4, Ortsgruppe Hahn, the following report, dated 9 July 1939, indicates the measures taken in this matter.
Ortsgruppe Hahn
9 July 1939
Subject: Church and Youth
Reference : My 42 point report dated February 1939. .
Your letter of 12.6.1939 and my reply of 18.6.1939.
The questions discussed in the above correspondence have been happily solved during this week. The head of the Elizabeth Institute has recalled the parish welfare nurse with effect from 30.6.1939 and transferred her to Erbes-Buedesheim. On Wednesday, in place of the confessional kindergarten, a NSV (National Socialist Welfare) Kindergarten was opened here. The start was' a good one; out of the former pupils 3/4 turned up on the first day already; it can therefore be reckoned with that the NSV Kindergarten will soon have as many children as the former Evangelical children's school, or perhaps even more. On Friday the nursery work was again started by a National Socialist nurse. In addition the following has been achieved:
1. The Evangelical Youth Club no longer has a head mistress or a home. We will see to it that it will not be resurrected.
2. The Evangelical Women's Assistance no longer has a home. It has lost one out of two heads (the other is the wife of a Party member).
3. The pastor no longer has refuge in the house and must for better or for worse take the trouble of going to the Church for his Bible classes.
4. The Confessional Front thereby lost its most zealous pro-
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tagonist who, in this connection, was far more efficient than Pastor Kempf of Eschellbruecken, who is after all responsible for Hahn.
Heil Hitler [signed] Freitag Ortsgruppenleiter
JPD/15.6.45.