Gauliga Westfalen
Encyclopedia
| Gauliga Westfalen |
|---|
| Founded |
| 1933 |
| Disbanded |
| 1945 |
| Nation |
 Nazi Germany Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by... |
 |
| States States of Germany Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries... & Province Provinces of Prussia The Provinces of Prussia constituted the main administrative divisions of Prussia. Following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 and the Congress of Vienna in 1815 the various princely states in Germany gained their nominal sovereignty, but the reunification process that culminated in... |
| Province of Westphalia Province of Westphalia The Province of Westphalia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Kingdom of Westphalia, which was a client state of the First French Empire from 1807 to 1813... |
 Free State of Lippe The Free State of Lippe was a German state formed after the Principality of Lippe was abolished following the German Revolution of 1918.After the end of World War II, Lippe was restored from Nazi rule. This autonomy ended in January 1947 when British forces incorporated Lippe into the new German... |
| Gau (from 1934) |
| Westphalia-North |
| Westphalia-South |
| Number of Seasons |
| 12 |
| Replaced by |
| Oberliga West Oberliga West (1947-63) The Oberliga West was the highest level of the German football league system in the west of Germany from 1947 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963... |
| Level on Pyramid |
| Level 1 German football league system The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to a series of hierarchically interconnected leagues for association football clubs in Germany that consists of over 2,300 men's divisions, in which all leagues are bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation... |
| Domestic Cup |
| Tschammerpokal DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga... |
| Last Champions 1943-44 |
| FC Schalke 04 FC Schalke 04 Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major... |
The Gauliga Westphalia was the highest football league in the Prussian
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
province of Westphalia
Province of Westphalia
The Province of Westphalia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Kingdom of Westphalia, which was a client state of the First French Empire from 1807 to 1813...
and the small Free State of Lippe
Free State of Lippe
The Free State of Lippe was a German state formed after the Principality of Lippe was abolished following the German Revolution of 1918.After the end of World War II, Lippe was restored from Nazi rule. This autonomy ended in January 1947 when British forces incorporated Lippe into the new German...
from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gaue Westphalia-North and Westphalia-South replaced the Prussian province and the Free State.
Overview
The league was introduced in 1933, after the Nazi take over of powerMachtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
in Germany .
The Gauliga Westfalen was established with ten clubs, all from the Province of Westphalia.
The Gauliga replaced as such a number of separate leagues covering the areas of Westphalia, South Westphalia and Ruhr, the highest leagues in the region until then.
In its first season, the league had ten clubs, playing each other once at home and once away. The league winner qualified for the German championship
German football champions
The German football champions are the annual winners of the highest association football competition in Germany. The history of the German football championship is complex and reflects the turbulent history of the country through the course of the 20th century.Brought to the country by English...
while the bottom two teams were relegated. The league remained unchanged until 1940.
Throughout its existence, the league was dominated by what became the golden era of the FC Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
, who won it in every of its eleven completed seasons. Schalke also took out the national championship in 1934, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, alongside with being the losing finalist in 1938 and 1941. A cup win in 1937 and four lost finals in 1935, 1936, 1941 and 1942 were also added to this. Despite no other club from the region having any national success, this list means the Gauliga Westfalen was the single most successful league in Germany in this era.
The start to the 1939-40 season was delayed with the outbreak of the Second World War on 1 September 1939 and league football was suspended. It only resumed at the beginning of November, with a number of local cup competitions having been played to bridge the gap. In 1940-41, the league expanded to twelve clubs, with the bottom four teams relegated. The season after, it returned to its original set-up and remained so until 1944.
The imminent collapse of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in 1945 gravely affected all Gauligas and the leagues last season, 1944-45, was meant to be staged in three regional groups with altogether 20 teams. Play never really got under way and no club absolved more than three matches, most none before it had to be suspended.
Aftermath
With the end of the Nazi era, the Gauligas ceased to exist and the region of Westphalia found itself in the British occupation zoneAllied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
.
Top-level football did not restart straight away and it took until 1947 for a state-wide league in newly created North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
to kick-off, the Oberliga West
Oberliga West (1947-63)
The Oberliga West was the highest level of the German football league system in the west of Germany from 1947 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963...
.
Founding members of the league
The ten founding members and their placings in the 1932-33 season were:- FC Schalke 04FC Schalke 04Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
, winner Ruhr division - SV Höntrop
- SuS Hüsten 09, winner Südwestfalen division
- SV Germania Bochum
- SpVgg 12 Herten
- DSC Hagen
- SV Viktoria Recklingshausen
- Preußen Münster
- Sportfreunde 95 Dortmund
- Arminia BielefeldArminia BielefeldDSC Arminia Bielefeld is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia offers the sports of football, field hockey, figure skating and cue sports. The club has 11,394 members and the club colours are black, white and blue...
, winner Westfalen division
Winners and runners-up of the Gauliga Westfalen
| Season | Winner | Runner-Up |
| 1933-34 | FC Schalke 04 | SV Höntrop |
| 1934-35 | FC Schalke 04 | SV Höntrop |
| 1935-36 | FC Schalke 04 | SV Germania Bochum |
| 1936-37 | FC Schalke 04 | Westfalia Herne |
| 1937-38 | FC Schalke 04 | Borussia Dortmund |
| 1938-39 | FC Schalke 04 | VfL Bochum |
| 1939-40 | FC Schalke 04 | Arminia Bielefeld |
| 1940-41 | FC Schalke 04 | Gelsenguß Gelsenkirchen |
| 1941-42 | FC Schalke 04 | Borussia Dortmund |
| 1942-43 | FC Schalke 04 | VfL Altenbögge |
| 1943-44 | FC Schalke 04 | VfL Altenbögge |
Placings in the Gauliga Westfalen 1933-44
In the 1944-45 season, the league was split into three separate groups but the competition was barely statrted before it came to a halt.| Club | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Schalke 04 FC Schalke 04 Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major... |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| SV Höntrop | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 10 | |||||
| SuS Hüsten 09 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 9 | ||||||
| Germania Bochum Germania Bochum Sportverein Germania Vorwärts Bochum 1906 was a German association football club from the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:... 1 |
4 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 5 | ||||||
| SpVgg Herten | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | ||||
| DSC Hagen | 6 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||
| Viktoria Recklinghausen | 7 | 10 | |||||||||
| Preußen Münster | 8 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 12 | |||||
| Sportfreunde Dortmund | 9 | ||||||||||
| Arminia Bielefeld Arminia Bielefeld DSC Arminia Bielefeld is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia offers the sports of football, field hockey, figure skating and cue sports. The club has 11,394 members and the club colours are black, white and blue... 3 |
10 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Westfalia Herne Westfalia Herne SC Westfalia Herne is a German football club based in Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was founded on 13 June 1904 by the sons of the more well-heeled residents of the city as a rival to the worker-based club SV Sodingen.- History :... |
6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | |
| Union Recklinghausen | 8 | 10 | |||||||||
| TuS Bochum TuS Bochum Turn- und Sportverein Bochum 1908 was a German association football club from the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:The club was established in 1908 as Spiel und Sport 08 Bochum. The first football match at the Castroper Straße was played by Spiel und Sport on 8 October 1911... 1 |
7 | 10 | |||||||||
| SV 08 Buer-Erle | 8 | 9 | |||||||||
| Borussia Dortmund Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football... |
3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | |||
| SV Rotthausen | 6 | 10 | |||||||||
| SpVgg Röhlinghausen | 5 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 7 | ||||
| Arminia Marten | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | ||||||
| VfL Bochum VfL Bochum Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as simply VfL Bochum, is a German association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Founding to World War II:... 1 2 |
2 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |||||
| VfB Bielefeld 3 | 5 | 3 | 10 | ||||||||
| Gelsenguss Gelsenkirchen 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 9 | ||||||
| Union Gelsenkirchen | 11 | ||||||||||
| VfB Altenbögge | 5 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| STV Horst-Emscher | 9 | ||||||||||
| SpVgg Erkenschwick SpVgg Erkenschwick SpVgg Erkenschwick is a German football club based in Oer-Erkenschwick in North Rhine-Westphalia.- History :Founded as Sportverein Erkenschwick in 1916, they joined Emscher-Lippe-Spielverband to form Sportfreunde Erkenschwick in 1918, which in then merged with Turn- und Leichtathletikverein TV... |
4 | ||||||||||
Source:
- 1 Germania Bochum and TuS Bochum merged in 1938 to form VfL Bochum.
- 2 The VfL Bochum and Preussen 07 Bochum formed the KSG Bochum for the 1943-44 season.
- 3 The VfB Bielefeld and Arminia Bielefeld formed the KSG Bielefeld for the 1943-44 season.
- 4 Gelsenguss Gelsenkirchen became Alemannia Gelsenkirchen in 1942.
Sources
- Die deutschen Gauligen 1933-45 - Heft 1-3 Tables of the Gauligas 1933-45, publisher: DSFS
- Kicker Almanach, The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports MagazineKicker (sports magazine)kicker Sportmagazin is Germany's leading sports magazine and is focused primarily on football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer Walther Bensemann and is published twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday, in Nuremberg...
External links
The Gauligas Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv- Germany - Championships 1902-1945 at RSSSF.com