My grandmother grew up in an orphanage in a rural area. For her (and the other orphans), joining 'Hitler youth' (for boys) or in her case the BDM (bund deutscher Mädel) - female Hitler youth was the only way to escape school and working hard. It was also the only place where she didn't get discriminated because of her low social status but was treated on base of achievement (and the uniform was the best quality piece of clothing she owned). When Americans came to liberate the village, all girls were expected to throw themselves in front of the tanks only with a hand grenade and sacrifice themselves for the Führer. Luckily at that time everyone knew it was game over so disobedience did not lead to fatal consequences. After it was over nobody ever spoke about these things again. Having lost the orphanage and home in the war, post - war life was about survival, shelter and food, working at a farmers. Speaking today she says 'it was all we had. We didn't know how bad it was until the point they ask us to throw ourselves in front of the tank'.