Professional players weren’t the only ones to play baseball during World War II. Facilities for baseball, basketball, and other sports became common among the frontlines (Charlston). The Germans surrendered in May of 1945. (Japan wouldn’t surrender until September 2nd of the same year.) Troops waiting to be discharged from the European theater watched military-formed baseball leagues in which military units competed against each other (Graf). Servicemen created games for fun in both camps and POW camps. When the Nazis surrendered in 1945, the army used athletic events to keep soldiers busy. Baseball was the popular choice among the G.I.s and a league was created. Most of their games were played in the repurposed Stadion der Hitlerjugend, which was a former Hitler Youth stadium that held Nazi rallies
Professional players weren’t the only ones to play baseball during World War II. Facilities for baseball, basketball, and other sports became common among the frontlines (Charlston). The Germans surrendered in May of 1945. (Japan wouldn’t surrender until September 2nd of the same year.) Troops waiting to be discharged from the European theater watched military-formed baseball leagues in which military units competed against each other (Graf). Servicemen created games for fun in both camps and POW camps. When the Nazis surrendered in 1945, the army used athletic events to keep soldiers busy. Baseball was the popular choice among the G.I.s and a league was created. Most of their games were played in the repurposed Stadion der Hitlerjugend, which was a former Hitler Youth stadium that held Nazi rallies