Gauliga Baden


The Gauliga Baden was the highest football league in the German state of Baden from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gau Baden replaced the state Baden.

Overview

The league was introduced in 1933 by the Nazi Sports Office, after the Nazi take over of power in Germany and Baden. It replaced the Bezirksliga as the highest level of play in German football competitions.
The Gauliga Baden was established with ten clubs, all from the state of Baden.
The Gauliga replaced as such the Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden and Bezirksliga Rhein-Saar, 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 while the bottom two teams were relegated. The league remained unchanged until the outbreak of World War II.
In this era, the only success to come for a club from Baden was, when the SV Waldhof Mannheim reached the German cup final in 1939, losing to the 1. FC Nürnberg.
In 1939–40, the league played in four different groups with a finals round at the end to determine the Baden champion. The year after, it returned to its old system.
For the 1941–42 season, the Gauliga Baden split into a northern and a southern group with six teams each and a four-team finals round. In 1942–43 it returned to a single, ten-team format. Another change of system for the season after meant 19 clubs in three groups with a three team-finals round.
The imminent collapse of Nazi Germany in 1945 gravely affected all Gauligas and football in Baden ceased in January 1945 with none of the groups having absolved their full program.
With the end of the Nazi era, the Gauligas ceased to exist and the state of Baden found itself sub divided between two allied occupation zones, the French zone in the south and the US zone in the north.
The northern half soon saw the formation of the Oberliga Süd as the highest football league for the US occupation zone, while the south became part of the Oberliga Südwest.

Founding members of the league

The ten founding members and their positions in the 1932–33 Bezirksliga Württemberg/Baden and Bezirksliga Rhein/Saar season were:
The winners and runners-up of the league:
SeasonWinnerRunner-Up
1933–34SV Waldhof MannheimVfR Mannheim
1934–35VfR MannheimPhönix Karlsruhe
1935–36SV Waldhof Mannheim1. FC Pforzheim
1936–37SV Waldhof MannheimVfR Mannheim
1937–38VfR Mannheim1. FC Pforzheim
1938–39VfR Mannheim1. FC Pforzheim
1939–40SV Waldhof MannheimVfB Mühlburg
1940–41VfL NeckarauVfB Mühlburg
1941–42SV Waldhof MannheimVfB Mühlburg
1942–43VfR MannheimVfTuR Feudenheim
1943–44VfR MannheimVfB Mühlburg

Placings in the Gauliga Baden 1933–44

The complete list of all clubs participating in the league:
Club19341935193619371938193919401941194219431944
SV Waldhof Mannheim14113413135
VfR Mannheim21421124411
Freiburger FC36845315261
Phönix Karlsruhe 142106746510
1. FC Pforzheim57232238353
Karlsruher FV68396595
VfL Neckarau73564841284
VfB Mühlburg85658512141
Germania Brötzingen96710
SC Freiburg10266
Germania Karlsdorf9
FC Mannheim 0810
Amicitia Viernheim95
SV Sandhofen879373
FC Rastatt 04106492
Kehler FV9
Offenburger FV102
SGK Heidelberg6
FC Birkenfeld210
VfR Achern1
FV Lahr3
Jahn Offenburg4
FC Gutach3
FV Emmendingen44
FC Waldkirch5
VfTuR Feudenheim523
SG Plankstadt6
FV Daxlanden76
SC Käfertal2
KSG Walldorf6
VfR Pforzheim4
KSG Karlsruhe 17
Luftwaffen SV Freiburg2
SpVgg Wiehre3
Kickers Haslach5