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The Edelweiss Pirates were a Nazi resistance organization, primarily made up of teenagers between the ages of 14-17.

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Formed initially as a place for youths to express themselves more freely, since they could not within the Nazi Party, the group soon took on a more serious role.

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This youth organization emerged in 1939, and was active until the end of the war, carrying out sabotage acts, and other forms of resistance such as brawling with Hitler Youth patrols, helping concentration camp prisoners escape, and assassinations.

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Direct conflict with the Hitler Youth drew in more members (Their motto was ¨Eternal war on the Hitler Youth¨), and Nazi Leadership began taking the Edelweiss Pirates more seriously, issuing arrest warrants for known members and rewards for capturing them.

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As the organization grows Hitler orders his chief of national police (Heinrich Himmler) to crack down on this movement as the groups begins to get more dangerous as they are assisting German deserters and escaped POWs.

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In 1944 the group assassinates the Gestapo Chief in Cologne, and Gestapo spies within the group learn the leaders identities and 12 of them are arrested.

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Some surviving members of the group went on to form a band using the same name, and performed their songs live in 2005.

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All 12 leaders are convicted of treason, and are executed in a public hanging. In later years memorials and murals would be made to commemorate these 12.

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In Germany the group serves as a symbol of freedom of expression & teenage resistance against oppression.