[9] Once Germany was at war, basic pre-military preparation increased; by the end of 1940, DJ members were required to be trained in target shooting with small-bore rifles and to take part in "terrain manoeuvres".

[10] Recruits were called Pimpfe, a colloquial word from Upper German for "boy", "little rascal", "scamp", or "rapscallion" (originally "little fart").

[15] Headgear originally consisted of a beret, but when this was discarded by the HY in 1934, the DJ adopted a side cap with coloured piping which denoted their unit.

[18] In addition to their pre-military training, the DJ contributed to the German war effort by collecting recyclable materials such as paper and scrap metal, and by acting as messengers for the civil defence organisations.

[19] Eyewitness reports of the Battle of Berlin in April 1945 record instances of young boys fighting in their DJ uniforms, complete with short trousers.

[20] Adolf Hitler's last public appearance was on 20 April 1945, when he presented Iron Crosses to defenders of Berlin, including several boys, some as young as twelve years old.

The organisation or its members have occasionally featured in fictional works about Nazi Germany and alternative histories where it won the second world war.

The film Jojo Rabbit (2019), based on Christine Leunens's book Caging Skies, the main character and his friend are members of the Jungvolk.