Gauliga Ostmark
Encyclopedia
| Gauliga Ostmark |
|---|
| Gauliga Donau-Alpenland |
| Founded |
| 1938 |
| Disbanded |
| 1945 |
| Nation |
 Nazi Germany |
| Countries |
 Austria |
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
| Gau (from 1938) |
| Carinthia |
| Niederdonau |
| Oberdonau |
| Salzburg |
| Styria |
| Tyrol-Vorarlberg |
| Vienna |
| Number of Seasons |
| 7 |
| Replaced by |
| Austrian league |
| Yugoslav First League Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia... |
| 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 |
| First Vienna |
The Gauliga Ostmark, renamed Gauliga Donau-Alpenland in 1941, was the highest football league in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
after its annexation
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
by Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1938. Shortly after the occupation, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Austria, and the seven Gaue Carinthia, Niederdonau, Oberdonau, Salzburg, Styria, Vienna and Tyrol-Vorarlberg replaced the country of Austria. From 1941, the northern-most region of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
, Drava Banovina
Drava Banovina
The Drava Banovina or Drava Banate was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of most of present-day Slovenia and was named for the Drava River...
, became part of the Gaue Carinthia and Styria.
Overview
The GauligaGauliga
A Gauliga was the highest level of play in German football from 1934-45. The leagues were introduced in 1933, after the Nazi takeover of power by the Sports office of the Third Reich.-Name:...
Ostmark was introduced in 1938, after Austria's annexation, to replace the previously existing national league (German:Nationalliga) in the occupied country. The former country of Austria was renamed Ostmark
Ostmark (Austria)
Ostmark was the name used by Nazi propaganda to replace that of the formerly independent Austria after the Anschluss annexation of that country by Nazi Germany in 1938....
(English:Eastern March) and became part of Germany until 1945. The renaming of Austria to Ostmark was carried out to eradicate all recognition of the country's former independence from Germany. To take matters further, the FK Austria Wien was also renamed in April 1938, to SC Ostmark Wien. This step however was revoked two months later and the club remained one of the few, if not only, institutions to be permitted to carry the former country's name.
Unlike the professional Austrian Nationalliga, the new Gauliga was supposed to be strictly an amateur league.
The new league consisted of six clubs from the old Austrian first division, all based in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and the champion of the second-tier Vienna league (German:Wiener Liga). Additionally, the three champions of the regional leagues of Niederdonau, Oberdonau and Styria were also admitted to the new Gauliga. As such, it was only the second time in the history of Austrian football for regional clubs to take part in the premier competition of the country. Previously, this level had only been open to clubs from Vienna but, in 1937, a national league had been formed with non-Vienna clubs in it for the first time.
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 three teams were relegated. The league was reduced to eight teams for the 1939–40 season, with the bottom club being relegated.
In 1940–41, the Gauliga Ostmark returned to a strength of ten clubs. After the German occupation of Yugoslavia in April 1941, parts of what is now the country of Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
were added to the two southern-most Gaue in the Ostmark. Additionally, the league was renamed Gauliga Donau-Alpenland. However, no clubs from the annexed part of Yugoslavia did take part in the league.
The league was reduced to nine clubs during the 1941–42 season due to the withdrawal of Sturm Graz. The season after, it played with eleven teams. In 1943–44, it again played with nine teams only.
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 the Gauligas and the league's last season 1944–45, played with ten teams, was not completed. After nine of eighteen rounds, the competition was halted on 11 March 1945.
Aftermath
At the end of the Second World War, Austria was reestablished as an independent country, occupied by the four allied powers. A national football competition was formed again in 1945, the Erste Liga (English:First League) later being renamed Staatsliga and, from 1974, Austrian Bundesliga, kicking off on 1 September 1945. In the early post-war years, clubs from outside of Vienna were again barred from the top division and only in 1948 did the league become truly national, admitting regional clubs again.The occupied parts of Yugoslavia became part of the new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
and reverted back to Slovenia.
National success
The clubs from former Austria had considerable success on national German level, with Rapid Wien in 1941 becoming the only club from outside of the current borders of the Federal Republic of Germany to claim the German national title. Additionally, Admira in 1939 and First Vienna in 1942 both lost the national final to FC Schalke 04FC 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...
. Rapids win over Schalke in 1941, in front of 100,000 spectators in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, is still considered one of the most remarkable German finals, as Schalke led 3–0 after 60 minutes to lose 3–4 after full time.
Das große Spiel (The big game), a movie about a fictitious German football team, Gloria 03, directed by Robert Stemmle and released in 1942 uses footage of the 1941 German championship final Rapid Wien versus FC Schalke 04.
In the cup competition, Rapid again took out one title, in 1938 while First Vienna won the last competition before the end of Nazi Germany, winning in 1943.
Founding members of the league
Ten clubs from five different leagues formed the Gauliga Ostmark in 1938, with their league position in the 1937–38 season:- SK Admira Wien finished 6th Austrian league
- SC Wacker Wien finished 4th Austrian league
- SK Rapid WienSK Rapid WienThe Sportklub Rapid Wien is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid is the most popular club in Austria and also record title holder having won the Austrian national football title 32 times...
Austrian champion - Wiener SC finished 2nd Austrian league
- First Vienna finished 5th Austrian league
- FK Austria WienFK Austria WienFußballklub Austria Wien is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. They are considered the most successful club in Austria, having won the highest Austrian Bundesliga 23 times, the Austrian Cup 27 times and the Austrian Supercup 6 times. They also reached the UEFA...
finished 3rd Austrian league - Amateure Fiat Wien champion Wiener Liga (II)
- Grazer SC champion Steiermark 1. Liga (II)
- SK Amateure Steyr champion Bezirksklasse Oberdonau (II)
- Reichsbahn Wacker Wiener Neustadt champion Niederdonau Liga (II)
Winners and runners-up of the Gauliga Ostmark
| Season | Winner | Runner-Up |
| 1938–39 Austrian Football Bundesliga 1938-39 The Gauliga Ostmark in the 1938/1939 season was staged and organized by the Nationalsozialistischer Reichsbund für Leibesübungen , the Sports Office of the Third Reich.-Overview:It was contested by 10 teams, and SK Admira Wien won the championship.... |
SK Admira Wien | SC Wacker Wien |
| 1939–40 Austrian Football Bundesliga 1939-40 -League standings:-References:*... |
SK Rapid Wien | SC Wacker Wien |
| 1940–41 Austrian Football Bundesliga 1940-41 -League standings:-References:*... |
SK Rapid Wien | SC Wacker Wien |
| 1941–42 Austrian Football Bundesliga 1941-42 -League standings:-References:*... |
First Vienna | FC Wien |
| 1942–43 Austrian Football Bundesliga 1942-43 -League standings:-References:*... |
First Vienna | Wiener AC |
| 1943–44 Austrian Football Bundesliga 1943-44 -League standings:-References:*... |
First Vienna | Floridsdorfer AC |
Placings in the Gauliga Ostmark 1938–45
| Club | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SK Admira Wien | 1 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 6 | |
| SC Wacker Wien | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 2 |
| SK Rapid Wien SK Rapid Wien The Sportklub Rapid Wien is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid is the most popular club in Austria and also record title holder having won the Austrian national football title 32 times... |
3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| Wiener SC | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 7 |
| First Vienna | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| FK Austria Wien FK Austria Wien Fußballklub Austria Wien is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. They are considered the most successful club in Austria, having won the highest Austrian Bundesliga 23 times, the Austrian Cup 27 times and the Austrian Supercup 6 times. They also reached the UEFA... |
6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Amateure Fiat Wien | 7 | 8 | |||||
| Grazer SC | 8 | 9 | |||||
| SK Amateure Steyr | 9 | ||||||
| Reichsbahn Wacker Wiener Neustadt | 10 | ||||||
| FC Wien | 7 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| Floridsdorfer AC | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
| Linzer ASK | 10 | ||||||
| Post SV Wien | 9 | ||||||
| Wiener AC Wiener AC Wiener Athletiksport Club, also known as Wiener AC or WAC, is an Austrian sports club in Vienna. It is particularly noted for its hockey team, which was established in 1900.... |
2 | 3 | 8 | ||||
| Reichsbahn SG Wien | 8 | ||||||
| SK Sturm Graz SK Sturm Graz SK Sturm Graz is an Austrian association football club, based in Graz, Styria, playing in the Austrian Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1909 and the club colours are black and white.... |
11 | ||||||
| Luftwaffen SV Markersdorf | 6 | ||||||
| SC Rapid Oberlaa AC | 10 |
Source:
- The 1944–45 championship was not completed and is not officially recognised by the Austrian Football AssociationAustrian Football AssociationThe Austrian Football Association is the governing body of football in Austria. It organizes the football league, Austrian Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup and the Austrian national team, as well as its female equivalent. It is based in Vienna....
; placings are after nine of eighteen rounds. - Sturm Graz withdrew during the 1941–42 season.
Further reading
- Matthias Marschik. "Between Manipulation and Resistance: Viennese Football in the Nazi Era". Journal of Contemporary HistoryJournal of Contemporary HistoryThe Journal of Contemporary History is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the study of twentieth-century history. It was established in 1966 by Walter Laqueur and George L. Mosse and is now published quarterly by Sage Publications and edited by Richard J...
, Vol. 34, No. 2 (April 1999), pp. 215–229.
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
- Where's My Country? Article on cross-border movements of football clubs, at RSSSF.com
- RSSSF.com – Austria Final League Tables (First and Second Level)