SG SS Straßburg
Encyclopedia
SS Straßburg was a German association football club
from the city of Straßburg
, Elsass (today Strasbourg
, Alsace
in France).
The team was founded in 1900 as FC Frankonia 1900 Straßburg when the region was under German control. Following the end of World War I the territory of Alsace was returned to France and the team became part of that country's competition as Sport-Club Red-Star Straßbourg. In August 1940, after the Nazi conquest of the province, Frankonia collapsed, but was immediately re-constituted out of its former membership as Sportgemeinschaft Schutzstaffel Straßburg in September.
The formation of military clubs was common in Germany at the time, but the creation of the an SS side required the permission of Schutzstaffel
head Heinrich Himmler
. SG became part of the Gauliga Unterelsass, a regional first division established in the territory of Elsass, without having to first qualify. The side was quickly strengthened by the addition of other SS members who were required to leave behind their original clubs to don the white and black kit bearing the SS rune as a crest.
In their second season, in what had since become the Gauliga Elsaß
, SG easily won the division and advanced through the national playoffs to the quarterfinals, where they were put out by eventual champions FC Schalke 04
, who emerged as the dominant side of the era. They also took part in the 1942 Tschammerpokal tournament, predecessor to today's DFB-Pokal
(German Cup), and went as far as the third round before being crushed 1:15 by TSV 1860 München
on their way to a cup triumph. Their turn in the national playoffs was the highpoint of the Straßburg side's history; they could earn only third and second place results in their next two campaigns. Play in the Gauliga Unterelsass never got underway in the 1944–45 season as Allied armies began their advance through Europe and into Germany, with SG disappearing in 1944.
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...
from the city of Straßburg
Strasburg
-Places:*Strasbourg, a city in Alsace *Straßburg, Austria, in Carinthia*Strasburg, Germany, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania*the former name of Brodnica, became Polish after World War I*Strassburg, the German name for Aiud, Alba...
, Elsass (today Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
in France).
The team was founded in 1900 as FC Frankonia 1900 Straßburg when the region was under German control. Following the end of World War I the territory of Alsace was returned to France and the team became part of that country's competition as Sport-Club Red-Star Straßbourg. In August 1940, after the Nazi conquest of the province, Frankonia collapsed, but was immediately re-constituted out of its former membership as Sportgemeinschaft Schutzstaffel Straßburg in September.
The formation of military clubs was common in Germany at the time, but the creation of the an SS side required the permission of Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
head Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
. SG became part of the Gauliga Unterelsass, a regional first division established in the territory of Elsass, without having to first qualify. The side was quickly strengthened by the addition of other SS members who were required to leave behind their original clubs to don the white and black kit bearing the SS rune as a crest.
In their second season, in what had since become the Gauliga Elsaß
Gauliga Elsaß
The Gauliga Elsaß was the highest football league in the region of Alsace from 1940 to 1945. The Nazis reorganised the administrative region and the Alsace became part of the Gau Baden.-Overview:...
, SG easily won the division and advanced through the national playoffs to the quarterfinals, where they were put out by eventual champions FC Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
, who emerged as the dominant side of the era. They also took part in the 1942 Tschammerpokal tournament, 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), and went as far as the third round before being crushed 1:15 by TSV 1860 München
TSV 1860 München
Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...
on their way to a cup triumph. Their turn in the national playoffs was the highpoint of the Straßburg side's history; they could earn only third and second place results in their next two campaigns. Play in the Gauliga Unterelsass never got underway in the 1944–45 season as Allied armies began their advance through Europe and into Germany, with SG disappearing in 1944.