Karol Kossok
Encyclopedia
Karol Albert Kossok. A Polish
soccer forward, a.k.a. “the Silesian Giant”, Kossok was the best scorer of the Polish First Division in 1930 (with 24 goals).
- another powerhouse of interwar Polish soccer. After a lone season in Lwow, he returned to Cracovia, where played until winning the 1937 championship.
Played 5 games for the Polish national team (including one in 1932 as an unassociated player), scoring 3 goals (first game on July 1, 1928 in Katowice, 2-1 against Sweden
). His tall, heavy frame has deceived many defenders. Regarded by many as slow and sluggish, he was a natural killer in the penalty area and a very skilled dribbler. However, did not have enough strength and hardly managed to play his best for the whole 90 minutes. After finishing his career (due to several injuries), he became a coach in Cracovia, also helping Józef Kałuża with managing the national team.
During World War II
, he signed the Volksliste
, but his exact whereabouts at that time are not known. Some time in the summer of 1944 he was drafted into the Wehrmacht
). Captured by the Red Army
at the end of the war, he died in a POW camp in East Germany.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
soccer forward, a.k.a. “the Silesian Giant”, Kossok was the best scorer of the Polish First Division in 1930 (with 24 goals).
Background Information
Kossok’s career started in a German-minority team FC Preussen Kattowitz (later 1. FC Kattowitz), then in 1929 he moved to Cracovia. Also, in 1931 he played for Pogoń LwówPogon Lwów
LKS Pogoń Lwów is a former Polish professional sports club which was located in Lwów , and existed from 1904 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. It was the second oldest Polish football club behind other teams from Lwów - Czarni and Lechia...
- another powerhouse of interwar Polish soccer. After a lone season in Lwow, he returned to Cracovia, where played until winning the 1937 championship.
Played 5 games for the Polish national team (including one in 1932 as an unassociated player), scoring 3 goals (first game on July 1, 1928 in Katowice, 2-1 against Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
). His tall, heavy frame has deceived many defenders. Regarded by many as slow and sluggish, he was a natural killer in the penalty area and a very skilled dribbler. However, did not have enough strength and hardly managed to play his best for the whole 90 minutes. After finishing his career (due to several injuries), he became a coach in Cracovia, also helping Józef Kałuża with managing the national team.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he signed the Volksliste
Volksliste
The Deutsche Volksliste was a Nazi institution whose purpose was the classification of inhabitants of German occupied territories into categories of desirability according to criteria systematized by Heinrich Himmler. The institution was first established in occupied western Poland...
, but his exact whereabouts at that time are not known. Some time in the summer of 1944 he was drafted into the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
). Captured by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
at the end of the war, he died in a POW camp in East Germany.