Vorwärts-Rasensport Gleiwitz was a German association football club from the city of

Gleiwitz Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the re ...

, Upper Silesia, today Gliwice, Poland. __TOC__

History

The team had its origins within the gymnastics club ''Turnverein Vorwärts Gleiwitz'' established in 1878. That club formed a football department in 1910 which became independent sometime in 1923 as ''Sport-Club Vorwärts Gleiwitz''. A merger with ''Rasensportverein 1909 Gleiwitz'' followed in 1926 creating ''Sportvereinigung Vorwärts-Rasensport Gleiwitz''. The newly formed team took part in local level play with occasional advances to Germany's regional Südost league through the 20s and on into the early 30s. Following the reorganization of German football under the Third Reich in 1933, they became part of the

Gauliga Schlesien The Gauliga Schlesien was the highest football league in the region of Silesia (German:''Schlesien''), which consisted of the Prussian provinces of Lower Silesia and Upper Silesia from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the ...

, one of sixteen top flight regional divisions. In 1939 and from 1941 to 1945 the club appeared in the Gauliga Oberschlesien.Grüne, Hardy (1996). Vom Kronprinzen bis zur Bundesliga. Kassel: AGON Sportverlag Over a dozen seasons ''VR'' fielded successful sides that captured divisional titles in 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939, and 1940 while finishing in second place in 1937 and 1941. That earned the club appearances in the national playoff rounds where they were each time put out in the early going with the exception of an advance to the semi-finals in 1936 where they dropped a 1:3 decision to '' Fortuna Düsseldorf''. They lost the subsequent third place match 1:8 to '' Schalke 04'' to finish fourth nationally. ''VR'' also took part in qualification round play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor to today's DFB Pokal (German Cup) in each year from 1935 to 1941 with the exception of 1937. The team delivered a series of indifferent performances after a second-place finish in 1941. Part way through the 1944–45 season the Gauliga Oberschlesien collapsed as Soviet forces advanced into the area in as World War II was being fought to its conclusion. ''VR'' disappeared with the end of the war.

Honours

(I) champions: 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939 *

Gauliga Oberschlesien A Gauliga () was the highest level of play in German football from 1933 to 1945. The leagues were introduced in 1933, after the Nazi takeover of power by the National Socialist League of the Reich for Physical Exercise. Name The German word '' ...

(I) champions: 1940 * Oberschlesien champions (II): 1924, 1927

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gleiwitz, Vorwarts-Rasensport Football clubs in Germany Association football clubs established in 1923 Association football clubs disestablished in 1945 Defunct football clubs in former German territories Gliwice