If you're good at history, consider this q please?

Question

I'm looking into the topic of children soldiers.

do you know any wars/countries that used children in their military in the 20TH CENTURY

it has to be in the 20th (1900s)

I'm thinking the world wars or vietnam war but i dont think they used children, did they?

tell me all you know/what you know, thanks

Answer 1

Yes in WW2--Germany At the end of the war when the Allies were approaching from east and west They scraped the bottom of the barrel to create the Home Guard--No disrespect intended on the scraping of the bottom of the barrel-- But Germany formed The Home Guard out of every Man capable of fighting 55-75 year olds. Walking wounded--War amputees missing hands,arms, legs. Now this also included Children or what I consider Children--Boys 12,-13,-14 years old up to 16 year old. 17-18 year olds were already inducted and out on the battle fronts. This Home Guard also came into fighting in the major cities in March-April 1945 when the Allies closed in. This Home Guard was trained in weapons such as the Panzerfaust a Bazooka style weapon but many had only Potato Masher Grenades and a Bolt Action Rifle. At the end some had only Shovels-clubs and so forth. On the Allied side in WW1--The British Navy had 13-14 year old boys serving on ships as cabin mates and such. Many American forces had 14 -15- 16 year olds falsify their dates of births to get into the War--Many were caught and mustered out of the services but many were not caught.

Answer 2

During World War 2 The Germans established The Volkssturm, a home guard comprised of both elderly men and young boys who were between the ages of 12-17. Pretty much anyone who was capable of carrying a weapon was inducted. They were trained rather crudely and were given disposable rockets known as Panzerfausts to fire at Allied tanks.
Also the Soviets employed children as spies most notable was Sacha Fillipov. he originally worked as a cobbler repairing boots for German Officers during The Nazi invasion of Stalingrad. He would later put his knowledge about the Germans as a spy for The Soviet Red Army. Sadly he was executed by the Germans in December of 1942.

During the vietnam war the viet cong would basically strap bombs to children to use as weapons against US soldiers and The PLO as well as many terrorist groups still do this today. In African tribal warfare and armed uprising children are still used as soldiers.

Answer 3

The war in Vietnam or either WWs did not include children, but in some African countries such as Uganda children are being kidnapped and being used as child soldiers.

Answer 4

What is your cut-off for children? Maybe 14 or 15? My guess would be Germany during WWII towards the end. Guerilla fighters, especially in Africa? I don't know beans about South America.

Answer 5

Well, right before the Germans lost in WWII, the only able bodies left to fight were the young and the very old, so they started local regiments of soliders made up of old men and Hitler youth. Wow the guy above me said it way better.

Answer 6

The African "rebels" all did - in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Darfur and Uganda.

Answer 7

there was something about in WW2 the nazis brainwashed the german kids and made them into soldiers and had them blow up tanks and stuff