The use of children as weapons: A short history

The picture to the right–the other young boy with the latest automatic weapon of the time was a Russian boy who fought Germany in WWII.

The use of children in wars as soldiers or in terrorist attacks as the weapons themselves is nothing new,
nor is it limited to a certain part of the world. The Ancient Greeks for example, Spartans started military
training at age 7 and from then on boys were soldiers. Even the Bible evidenced the use of the youth,
with David being present during the campaign of King’s Saul.

Fast forward to the period between the nineteenth and twentieth century, the great Napoleon
Bonaparte conscripted youths in their early teens who were called as the “Infants of the Emperor”.
These young soldiers were under direct personal direction of the Emperor himself.

During the two World Wars, Eastern and Western countries alike have had some children younger than
fifteen join the battlefield.

The Germans equipped an entire SS Panzer Tank Division and manned it with 16 and 17-year-old boys
from the Hitler Youth brigades. As Germany suffered more casualties, more teenagers volunteered and
were accepted, initially as reserve troops but then as regulars. The German ethic of the boy soldier not
only encouraged such service but towards the end of the war, the Germans even drafted boys as young
as 12 into military service. These children saw extensive action and were among the fiercest and
effective German defenders in the Battle of Berlin. American older teens and especially American men
were horrified as they fought and killed–and sometimes were killed–by boys who were barely old
enough to graduate from elementary school.
Most of the soldiers opposing the German Child Soldiers were Russians. That Russian invading army had
many boy soldiers. The brutal German invasion of Russia killed 22 million Russians. Many of the boy
soldiers had not only been orphaned but had seen their own parents killed, Many wanted vengeance;
others had nothing else to do; others were excited, as young males have been, by the “glory: of war.
Polish boys fought the Germans as well. For many of them it was kill or be killed, but others were
motivated by patriotism or excitement.

In the East, The Japanese made extensive use of boy soldiers when their losses started mounting. Many
young boys volunteered to be Kamikaze suicide pilots. Many of the kamikaze pilots believed their death
would pay the debt they owed and show the love they had for their families, friends, and emperor. The
Chinese fighting against them also used boys even recruiting youth as young as 10 years old.

In Africa boys had traditionally been used as soldiers but Shaka, the great Zulu warrior king, organized
the practice. At the age of 6, boys joined Shaka’s army as apprentice soldiers. Initially they carried
spare weapons and did other chores but as their skills developed they took their places as regular
soldiers whenever they merited promotion.

Reference:

Eigen, L. D. (2009, November 02). Child Soldiers Are Unfortunately Nothing New. Scriptamus. Retrieved
April 12, 2016, from https://scriptamus.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/child-soldiers-are-unfortunately-
nothing-new/

Michael Leggiere, The Fall of Napoleon: The Allied Invasion of France 1813–1814, pg.99–100

United Nations. (n.d.). Children as soldiers. Retrieved April 12, 2016, from
http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/2csoldrs.htm