Creation
Schutz Heiliggrupe were created by Mark Gruenwald and Larry Alexander and first appeared in Captain America #390.
Team Evolution
Schutz Heiliggrupe were minor recurring characters in the pages of Captain America. A trio of German superheroes, Blitzkrieger and Zeitgeist had both appeared prior and only Hauptmann Deutschland was created specifically for the team.
Condor Verlag, who then were responsible for publishing Marvel Comics in Germany, were uneasy about publishing the appearances of Schutz Heiliggruppe due to connections to World War II. The comics with the group were eventually printed albeit with some of the member's names changed and references to World War II toned down. In German printings, Schutz Heiliggruppe were named Helden-Liga (which translates to Heroes League).
Mark Gruenwald wished to incorperate the German publisher's names for the team and heroes into the U.S. comics, believing they were more appropriate, but due to miscommunication, only Hauptmann Deutschland received a new name, Vormund, which ironically didn't match the name given to him by German publishers and made little sense to German speakers.
Schutz Heiliggruppe were disbanded in Captain America #442, when members Blitzkrieger and Zeitgeist died. While Vormund remains alive, even he hasn't appeared since. Schutz Heiligruppe received an Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1990s Handbook (and further details were covered in Vormund's entry in Captain America: America's Avenger).
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