Lufthansa SG Berlin
Encyclopedia
Lufthansa SG Berlin was a German association football club
based in the Schöneberg
district of Berlin. It was established in 1930 as the worker's side of the national airline Deutschen Lufthansa Berlin
and was active through to the end of World War II.
(I) in 1937, but did not advance after finishing sixth out of a group of seven qualifiers. The team had more success in their next attempt in 1939 when they finished 1st in the promotion round, and alongside Polizei SV Berlin
, advanced to Gauliga play.
They performed well in their debut season there, finishing 2nd in Staffel A, but slipped in their next two campaigns. In 1942, SG took part in play for the Tschammerspokal, predecessor to today's DFB-Pokal
(German Cup), where they went out in the first round to Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin. They earned another 2nd place Gauliga finish in 1943.
Manpower shortages late in the war led to the formation of wartime sports clubs known as Kriegspielgemeinschaft that combined two or more sides and Lufthansa played alongside Viktoria 89 Berlin
as KSG Lufthansa/Viktoria 89 Berlin in 1943–45. SG disappeared at the end of the war, while Viktoria was re-formed as Sportgruppe Templehof before resuming its historical identity in 1948. The footballers of Lufthansa joined SG Staaken which is still active today as SC Staaken. A separate airline worker's side known as BSG Luftfahrt Berlin emerged in Soviet-occupied East Berlin after the war.
Football in Germany
Association football is the most popular sport in Germany. The German Football Association is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members organized in over 26,000 football clubs. There is a league system, with the 1. and 2. Bundesliga on top, and the winner of the first...
based in the Schöneberg
Schöneberg
Schöneberg is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg....
district of Berlin. It was established in 1930 as the worker's side of the national airline Deutschen Lufthansa Berlin
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
and was active through to the end of World War II.
History
The club was renamed Lufthansa Sportverein in 1930 before again taking on the name Lufthansa SG sometime in 1935. They took part in the promotion round for the Gauliga Berlin-BrandenburgGauliga Berlin-Brandenburg
The Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg was the highest football league in the provinces of Brandenburg and Berlin in the German state of Prussia from 1933 to 1945...
(I) in 1937, but did not advance after finishing sixth out of a group of seven qualifiers. The team had more success in their next attempt in 1939 when they finished 1st in the promotion round, and alongside Polizei SV Berlin
Polizei SV Berlin
SV Polizei Berlin was a German association football club from the city of Berlin . The early 1920s saw the formation of sports clubs for police and postal workers which included the establishment on 1 June 1921 of Sport-Verein Schutzpolizei Berlin as the club of the city's police force...
, advanced to Gauliga play.
They performed well in their debut season there, finishing 2nd in Staffel A, but slipped in their next two campaigns. In 1942, SG took part in play for the Tschammerspokal, predecessor to today's DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
(German Cup), where they went out in the first round to Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin. They earned another 2nd place Gauliga finish in 1943.
Manpower shortages late in the war led to the formation of wartime sports clubs known as Kriegspielgemeinschaft that combined two or more sides and Lufthansa played alongside Viktoria 89 Berlin
Viktoria 89 Berlin
Berliner Fußball-Club Viktoria 1889 is a German sports club based in the Tempelhof district of Berlin. Football, rugby, and cricket came to continental Europe in the late 19th century, and these "English games" became immediately popular in many countries. Viktoria is the oldest club in Germany...
as KSG Lufthansa/Viktoria 89 Berlin in 1943–45. SG disappeared at the end of the war, while Viktoria was re-formed as Sportgruppe Templehof before resuming its historical identity in 1948. The footballers of Lufthansa joined SG Staaken which is still active today as SC Staaken. A separate airline worker's side known as BSG Luftfahrt Berlin emerged in Soviet-occupied East Berlin after the war.