The German field hockey team won the silver medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics after losing 8-1 to India in the final. Forward Fritz Messner played in the 4-1 win over against Afghanistan in the group stage, in the 3-0 semi-final win over the Netherlands, scoring one goal in both matches. He also played in the final. Between 1934-42 he won 28 international caps. At the club level he played for Berliner SV 92 and won the German Championship in 1940. After World War II, he was killed in a Russian POW camp in November 1945.