Berlin Braves Preserve Germany’s Rich, Unknown Baseball Past With ’47

In the summer of 1960, a group of young boys found success playing baseball in the unlikeliest of places — Berlin, Germany.

The team consisted of dependents of U.S. military members stationed in Germany. The 12-year-olds became European champions and advanced to the Little League World Series that summer.

Despite their success, baseball’s history in Berlin was unknown until recently, when a man named Joey Elgersma from the Netherlands accidentally stumbled upon a treasure trove of relics while working at the Tempelhof Airfield in Berlin. Following the discovery, Elgersma — a baseball player himself — established the Berlin Braves to help honor the 1960 Little League team from Germany and preserve American sports in Europe.

To help facilitate the growth of the Berlin Braves, the organization has teamed up with ’47 to create authentic baseball uniforms reminiscent of the ones the team wore back in the summer of 1960.

Watch the video above to learn more about the Berlin Braves organization and the 1960 Little League team from Berlin.