Boy's Hitler Youth items up for auction in Ludlow
They are the diaries of a young boy growing up in the middle of the most seismic events of recent history.
And they are filled with his pictures, drawings and developing political ideals.
But the diaries of Helmut Nieboy make chilling reading.
For he was an enthusiastic member of the Hitler Youth – and his words offer a rare insight into the life of young man in Nazi Germany.
The three volumes, with photos, maps and reports of meetings are part of an archive that also includes his tent and knife, emblazoned with Nazi insignias, as well as his trumpet.
And they will all go under the hammer in Shropshire later this month.
Helmut's diaries reveal a chillingly keen member of the Nazi youth group, who criticised other boys who were expelled for not following Nazi rules. The lot is expected to fetch between £2,000 and £4,000 when it goes up for auction at Ludlow Racecourse on March 18.
Historical document expert at Mullock's Auctioneers, Richard Westwood-Brookes, said: "This is a rare archive of material relating to the Hitler Youth.
"The organisation was Third Reich's way of developing young men for their armed forces.
"It was their equivalent of the Boy Scout movement and they did similar things but with an emphasis on Nazi ideology.
"This archive is particularly interesting because of the detailed diaries kept in three volumes, the maps, photographs but also his possessions.
"His tent, knife and trumpet are all among the collection that has remarkably stayed together.
"Most similar archives would have been destroyed following the war as most people would want to erase evidence of their being in the Hitler Youth. This youth was clearly committed and with his neat diaries and organisational skills I expect he had enjoyed promotion to the armed services by the time the war began."
But, he added: "Sadly, there is nothing to say what happened to Helmut."
The Hitler Youth was founded in 1922, only a year after its adult counterpart the Sturmabteilung (Storm Regiment), the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. The group was for young men between 14 and 18, but a younger boys section called German Youth, and a section for young women called the League of German Girls were set up later.
