Tonight marks Germany's 12th World Cup semi-final and their fourth in succession - a finals record.
Arguably the most entertaining side at the 2006 and 2010 finals, they were denied a final berth on both occasions, but their defeat of France in last week's quarter-final hinted at a return to the efficiency that generations have identified the Mannschaft with.
Ahead of their clash with hosts Brazil, here is a rundown of their remarkable record in the last four...
Germany's World Cup semi-final record
Italy 1934: Czechoslovakia 3-1 Germany(01 of11)
A match in which referee Ecklind of Sweden, linesman Birlem of Germany and Ivancics of Hungary gave the Nazi salute prior to kick-off, Germany eventually finished third in their first World Cup appearance in Italy. (credit:PA)
West Germany 1954: West Germany 6-1 Austria(02 of11)
Not permitted to compete at the 1950 finals due to the fallout from World War II, West Germany thrashed Austria 6-1 en route to their first - and contentious - World Cup win against Hungary. (credit:PA)
Sweden 1958: West Germany 1-3 Sweden(03 of11)
The hosts defeated the holders in Gothenburg. Hans Schäfer put the West Germans 1-0 up but Lennart Skoglund's leveller preceded Gunnar Gren and Kurt Hamrin's decisive goals in the last 10 minutes. (credit:PA)
England 1966: West Germany 2-1 Soviet Union(04 of11)
West German full-back Schulz (foreground) grins with relief as the ball goes over the German crossbar during a Soviet attack. West defeated East 2-1 at Goodison Park. (credit:Getty)
Mexico 1970: Italy 4-3 West Germany (AET)(05 of11)
Arguably the greatest match in World Cup history, the scoreline partially explains why Italy were eviscerated by Brazil in the final. Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, a West German playing in Italy for AC Milan, scored his only international goal in the 90th minute to set up extra-time and a see-saw 30 minutes followed. Gianni Rivera, eventually, settled a marathon match. (credit:Getty)
Spain 1982: West Germany 3-3 France (5-4 on penalties)(06 of11)
Harald Schumacher prepares to leave Patrick Battiston with three cracked ribs and two dislodged teeth in Seville. The incident, understandably, overshadowed an otherwise enthralling semi-final as West Germany won their first World Cup shootout on penalties. Uli Stiekle remains the only German to have missed in a shootout. (credit:STAFF via Getty Images)
Mexico 1986: France 0-2 West Germany(07 of11)
France's Carré Magique quartet of Platini, Tigana, Fernandez and Giresse were no match for the Germans again. Andreas Brehme and Rudi Völler got the goals to set up another final defeat, this time to a Diego Maradona-inspired Argentina. (credit:STAFF via Getty Images)
Italy 1990: England 1-1 West Germany (4-3 on penalties)(08 of11)
West Germany's Lothar Matthaus (left) consoles England's Chris Waddle after he misses his penalty in the shootout as a German bundle goes on in the background. This time, Germany would go on to win the tournament under the tutelage of 1974-winning captain Franz Beckenbauer. (credit:Ross Kinnaird/EMPICS Sport)
Japan and South Korea 2002: South Korea 0-1 Germany(09 of11)
Michael Ballack celebrates his winning goal five minutes after receiving the yellow card that prohibited him from playing in the final. (credit:Sandra Behne via Getty Images)
Germany 2006: Germany 0-2 Italy(10 of11)
With penalties looming, Andrea Pirlo played in left-back Fabio Grosso to sweep home one of the sweetest strikes in Italian football history. Desperate for an equaliser, Germany surged forward but the imperious Fabio Cannavaro engineered a counter-attack and Alberto Gilardino's slide-rule pass invited Alessandro del Piero to wrap the game up. The last few minutes, accompanied by Italian commentary, are well worth your time. (credit:Andreas Rentz via Getty Images)
South Africa 2010: Spain 1-0 Germany(11 of11)
A drab game was settled late on by a thumping Carles Puyol header which denied Germany, the tournament's most entertaining side, the final spot for a second successive World Cup. (credit:CHRISTOPHE SIMON via Getty Images)