BACKGROUND: Beginning early in the war, Hitler Youth personnel performed a wide variety of functions and jobs to free up men for active military service, among them postal delivery, messenger services, fire fighting assistance, crop harvesting, and air-raid assistance. By late 1942, due to the deteriorating war situation and the increase in allied air-raids on Germany, the "Reichsjugendführung" (National-youth-leadership), in collaboration with the RLM, "Reichsluftfahrtministerium" (National-aviation-ministry), issued regulations that began the formation of the "Kriegshilfeinsatz der deutschen Jugend bei der Luftwaffe" (War-assistance-action of-the german Youth within the Air-force), which were to become active as of January of 1943. The regulations stated that all HJ personnel who had reached the age of fifteen were to "volunteer" for auxiliary service in the Luftwaffe, until they were called up for military service at the age of eighteen. Although the auxiliary service could be performed in any branch of the Luftwaffe, the most common branch of service was with the air-raid defence units. The majority of the personnel to serve as flak helpers were recruited from the "Flieger-HJ" (Flying[-formations] [of-the] - Hitler Youth), although youths were marshaled from all branches of the HJ. Originally, those employed as flak helpers wore their HJ uniforms, until June of 1943, when new uniforms and insignia were authorized.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The official pattern breast insignia for a "Hitler Jugend Flakhelfer," being a 115mm x 60mm inverted triangle, in loosely woven black cotton, upon which is machine embroidered, in blue, the border to a Luftwaffe eagle, and the Gothic letters "L" and "H," for "Luftwaffenhelfer" (Air-force-auxiliary), above it.