Dynamo Kiev and the Death Match

There is the legend of the Death Match, a soccer game between Nazis and Ukrainian POWs, where the winner, the Ukrainians, were all shot and killed right afterward as a result of their great play and high level of humiliation levied out upon their Nazi captors.

The truth behind the legend is, of course, more complicated. The Nazis who ran the POW camp did have the prisoners form a team to play against the guards. The Ukrainian team was made up of retired and/or former players from the best team in the Ukrainian pro leagues, Dynamo Kiev. With their professional background, they won all the games against the guards they played, even beating teams of guards from other camps.

Which is pretty cool.

They weren't, though, all taken out and shot for such good play. Sure, over the course of the remaining time in the camp, a number of them were killed, but it was for other, more Nazi-like reasons. I guess "making your guards look bad" seems Nazi-like enough, doesn't it?

So, if you ever see this logo, from Dynamo Kiev, you'll know the whole story: