
The 1943–44 Gauliga was the eleventh season of the
Gauliga
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 '' ...
, the first tier of the
football league system
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' generally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
from 1933 to 1945. It was the fifth season of the league held during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the last completed one.
The league operated in thirty-one regional divisions, two more than in the previous season, with the league containing 358 clubs all up, 60 more than the previous season. The league champions entered the
1944 German football championship, won by
Dresdner SC who defeated ''
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
'' team
LSV Hamburg
Luftwaffen-SV Hamburg (literally: Airforce sports club Hamburg) was a short-lived military German association football club active during World War II and is notable as the most successful of the wartime military sides.
History
Military spor ...
4–0 in the final. It was Dresden's second
national championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
, having won the competition in the previous season as well.
The number of Gauligas, thirty-one, increased by two compare to the previous season because of the splitting off of the
Gauliga Osthannover from the
Gauliga Südhannover-Braunschweig and the creation of the
Gauliga Böhmen und Mähren.
The 1943–44 season saw the continued participation of military and police teams, especially in the eastern regions. Gauliga champions like
LSV Hamburg
Luftwaffen-SV Hamburg (literally: Airforce sports club Hamburg) was a short-lived military German association football club active during World War II and is notable as the most successful of the wartime military sides.
History
Military spor ...
,
LSV Danzig,
LSV Mölders Krakau and
LSV Rerick were associated with the German air force, the ''Luftwaffe'', ''LSV'' standing for ''Luftwaffen Sportverein'' while
MSV Brünn,
WSV Celle and
HSV Groß-Born were clubs of the ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
''.
In the part of Czechoslovakia annexed into Germany in March 1939, the
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was a partially-annexation, annexed territory of Nazi Germany that was established on 16 March 1939 after the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945), German occupation of the Czech lands. The protector ...
, a separate
Czech league continued to exist which was not part of the Gauliga system or the German championship.
Champions

The 1943–44 Gauliga champions qualified for the knock-out stages of the German championship. HSV Groß-Born and 1. FC Nürnberg were knocked-out in the semi-finals while LSV Hamburg and Dresdner SC contested the final which the latter won.
FC Schalke 04 won their eleventh consecutive Gauliga title, VfB Königsberg and Kickers Offenbach their fifth, Germania Königshütte and First Vienna FC their third while SDW Posen, SpVgg Wilhelmshaven, Eintracht Braunschweig, Holstein Kiel, Dresdner SC, 1. FC Nürnberg, VfR Mannheim, SV Dessau 05, TuS Neuendorf and FC Mühlhausen 93 defended their 1942–43 Gauliga title.
[''kicker Allmanach 1990'', page: 243-245]
*
# Denotes Gauliga created through sub-division of existing Gauliga for the 1943–44 season.
*
† Denotes newly created Gauliga for the 1943–44 season.
German championship
References
Sources
* ''kicker-Almanach 1990'' Yearbook of German football, publisher: ''kicker Sportmagazin'', published: 1989,
* ''100 Jahre Süddeutscher Fußball-Verband'' 100 Years of the Southern German Football Federation, publisher: SFV, published: 1997
* ''Die deutschen Gauligen 1933–45 – Heft 1–3'' Tables of the Gauligas 1933–45, publisher:
DSFS
External links
Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv Historic German league tables
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gauliga, 1943-44
1943-44
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