German Championship
The winners of the various Gauligen qualified for the finals of the German championship, held at the end of season.
From 1934-38, the system was straight forward, as the 16 Gauliga champions were allocated in four groups of four teams. After a home-and-away round, the winners of the four groups played a semi-final on neutral ground. The two winners of the semi-finals went to the final to determine the German champion.
In the years 1939, 1940, and 1941, the number of groups was extended to compensate for the additional Gauligen created.
From 1942, the competition was played in a single-game knock-out format due to the worsening situation in the war.
While FC Schalke 04 was by far the most successful club in this era, it is worth noting that with Rapid Wien in 1941, the title went to Austria. Also, a Luxembourgian club, Stade Dudelange (renamed FV Stadt Düdelingen), managed to reach the first round of the championship and cup in 1942.
Read more about this topic: Gauliga
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“Some of us prefer Austrian voices risen in song to ugly German threats.”
—Ernest Lehman (b. 1920)