Gauliga

List of "Gauligen"

Original "Gauligen" in 1933

* Gauliga Baden: covering the state of Baden, split into a varying number groups after 1939
* Gauliga Bayern: covering the state of Bavaria without the Palatinate region, split into a northern and southern division from 1942, split into five separate groups in 1944
* Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg: covering what is now the federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg, both part of Prussia until 1945, in the 1939-40 season in two groups
* Gauliga Hessen: covering what is now the federal state of Hesse except the Frankfurt ("Mainhessen") region, split into a varying number groups after 1939, renamed "Gauliga Kurhessen" from 1941, covering a somewhat smaller area
* Gauliga Mitte: covering what is now the federal states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, split into regional groups in 1944
* Gauliga Mittelrhein: covering the Middle Rhine and Rhineland, then part of Prussia, after 1941 split into the "Gauligen" of "Köln-Aachen" and "Moselland"
* Gauliga Niederrhein: covering the Lower Rhine region
* Gauliga Niedersachsen: covering what is now the federal states of Lower Saxony and Bremen, from 1939 in two regional groups, in 1942 split into the "Gauligen" "Weser-Ems" and "Braunschweig-Südhannover"
* Gauliga Nordmark: covering what is now the federal states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein and the western half of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in the 1939-40 season split into two groups, from 1942 split into the "Gauligen" "Hamburg", "Schleswig-Holstein" and "Mecklenburg"
* Gauliga Ostpreußen: covering the region of East Prussia and the Free City of Danzig, playing in two, from 1935 four regional groups, from 1939 in a single division, including occupied Polish territories, Danzig became part of the "Gauliga Danzig-Westpreußen" in 1940, folded in 1944
* Gauliga Pommern: covering the region of Pomerania, now divided between Poland and Germany, until 1937 operating in a eastern and a western group, divided again in 1940
* Gauliga Sachsen: covering what is now the federal state of Saxony, in the 1939-40 season divided in two groups, in 1944 divided into seven groups
* Gauliga Schlesien: covering the region of Silesia, in the 1939-40 season divided into two groups, from 1941 subdivided into the "Gauligen" "Niederschlesien" and "Oberschlesien"
* Gauliga Südwest/Mainhessen: covering the Palatinate, Saarland and Mainhessen (Frankfurt) regions, from 1939 in two regional groups, in 1941 subdivided in the "Gauligen" "Hessen-Nassau" and "Westmark"
* Gauliga Westfalen: covering the region of Westphalia, divided into three regional groups in 1944
* Gauliga Württemberg: covering the state of Württemberg, in the 1939-40 season divided into two groups, in 1944 divided into three groups

"Gauligen" formed through subdivision of existing leagues

* Gauliga Braunschweig-Südhannover: formed when the "Gauliga Niedersachsen" split in 1942, covering the eastern half of its region, the "Gauliga Ost-Hannover" split from it in 1943, split into regional groups in 1944
* Gauliga Hamburg: formed when the "Gauliga Nordmark" was split in 1942
* Gauliga Hessen-Nassau: formed when the "Gauliga Südwest/Mainhessen" was split in 1941, covering the region now part of the federal state of Hesse
* Gauliga Köln-Aachen: formed when the "Gauliga Mittelrhein" was split in 1941
* Gauliga Mecklenburg: formed when the "Gauliga Nordmark" was split in 1942
* Gauliga Moselland: formed when the "Gauliga Mittelrhein" was split in 1941, played in two regional groups and included clubs from Luxembourg
* Gauliga Niederschlesien: formed when the "Gauliga Schlesien" was split in 1941, covering the north-western half of the region
* Gauliga Oberschlesien: formed when the "Gauliga Schlesien" was split in 1941, covering the south-eastern half of the region
* Gauliga Ost-Hannover, split from the "Gauliga Braunschweig-Südhannover" in 1943
* Gauliga Schleswig-Holstein: formed when the "Gauliga Nordmark" was split in 1942
* Gauliga Weser-Ems: formed when the "Gauliga Niedersachsen" split in 1942, covering the western half of its region, split into regional groups from 1943
* Gauliga Westmark: formed when the "Gauliga Südwest/Mainhessen" was split in 1941, covering the region now part of the federal states of Saarland and Rhineland-Pfalz, also included the FC Metz from the Lorraine region

"Gauligen" formed after German expansion

* Gauliga Böhmen und Mähren: formed in the occupied parts of what is now the Czech Republic, then called the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, in 1943, two regional groups, only including German clubs, Czech clubs played their own championship
* Gauliga Danzig-Westpreußen: formed in occupied Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia in 1940
* Gauliga Elsaß: formed in the occupied French region of Alsace in 1940, first in two groups, from 1941 in a single division
* Gauliga Generalgouvernement: formed in the occupied Polish provinces which became part of the so called General Government in 1941, in various numbers of groups
* Gauliga Ostmark: formed in the annexed country of Austria in 1938, in 1941 renamed "Gauliga Donau-Alpenland"
* Gauliga Sudetenland: formed in the predominantly German speaking parts ("Sudetenland") of Czechoslovakia annexed in 1938, from 1940 also with German clubs from Prague, in various number of groups
* Gauliga Wartheland: formed in the occupied Reichsgau Wartheland in 1941, first in two groups, from 1942 in a single division

Non-German clubs in the "Gauligen"

Three of the "Gauligen" contained non-German clubs from regions occupied by Germany after 1940.

The "Gauliga Elsaß" was completely made up of French clubs from Alsace, who had to Germanise their names, like RC Strasbourg, which become "Rasen SC Straßburg".

In the "Gauliga Westmark" three clubs from the French Lorraine region played under their German names:
* FV Metz, was FC Metz
* TSG Saargemünd, from Sarreguemines
* TSG Merlenbach, from Merlebach

In the "Gauliga Moselland", clubs from Luxembourg took part in the competition, including:
* FV Stadt Düdelingen, formerly Stade Dudelange
* FK Niederkorn, formerly Progrès Niedercorn
* Moselland Luxemburg, formerly Spora Luxembourg
* SV Düdelingen, formerly US Dudelange
* SV Schwarz-Weiß Esch, formerly Jeunesse d'Esch
* Schwarz-Weiß Wasserbillig, formerly Jeunesse Wasserbillig

Gauliga timeline

This timeline shows the length of time periods certain "Gauligen" existed. Note however, that all "Gauligen" were severely restricted after 1944 and none finished the 1944-45 season. Due to the German military collapse, information on the last season is generally limited, especially in the occupied areas.

ee also

* List of Gaue of Nazi Germany

In popular culture

"Das große Spiel" ("The big game"), a movie about a fictivious German football team, "Gloria 03", directed by Robert Stemmle, released in 1942. The scenes at the final were filmed at the 1941 German championship final Rapid Wien versus FC Schalke 04 [ [http://www.goethe.de/ges/spr/prj/tor/film/emp/en154333.htm Goethe Institut - Das große Spiel] accessed: 24 June 2008] .

Further reading

*Matthias Marschik. "Between Manipulation and Resistance: Viennese Football in the Nazi Era". "Journal of Contemporary History", Vol. 34, No. 2 (April 1999), pp. 215-229
*"Sturmer Fur Hitler : Vom Zusammenspiel Zwischen Fussball Und Nationalsozialismus", by Gerhard Fischer, Ulrich Lindner, Dietrich Schulze-Marmeling, Werner Skrentny, published by "Die Werkstatt", ISBN 3895332410
*"Fussball unterm Hakenkreuz", Nils Havemann and Klaus Hildebrand, Campus Verlag, ISBN 3593379066

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/clasglenning/Europeiska_fotbollstabeller/GERMANY_GAU.html All-time table GERMANY 1st level 1933/34 - 1944/45] by Clas Glenning
* [http://www.km.bayern.de/blz/report/05_03/3.html „Fußball ist unser Leben“ - Beobachtungen zu einem Jahrhundert deutschen Spitzenfußballs] (in German)
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033681/ Das große Spiel - The big game] at the Internet Movie Database

ources

* [http://www.f-archiv.de/ The Gauligen] "Das Deutsche Fussball Archiv" de icon
* [http://www.rsssf.com/tablesd/duithistpre45.html Germany - Championships 1902-1945] at "RSSSF.com"
* [http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/crossborder.html Where's My Country?] Article on cross-border movements of football clubs, at "RSSSF.com"
* [http://www.webalice.it/claudionicoletti1/FR%20germany%20final%20tables.htm Germany - League Final Tables]

References