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| Full name | Luftwaffen-Sportverein Hamburg | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1942 | ||
| Ground | Hoheluft | ||
| League | Gauliga Hamburg | ||
| – | defunct since 1945 | ||
Luftwaffen-SV Hamburg (literally: Airforce sports club Hamburg) was a short-lived military German association football club active during World War II and is notable as the most successful of the wartime military sides.
Through the course of the war military sports teams were formed both in Germany and in occupied territories to serve as morale boosters for both service men and civilian populations. In addition to LSV Hamburg this included sides such as Luftwaffen-SV Danzig, SV der SG SS Straßburg, Mölders Krakau, and Heeres-SV Groß Born. Some military commanders sought out skilled or well-known footballers to play for their clubs. For the players this often provided a means to avoid other more dangerous service in the armed forces. Among the more well-known teams at the time was the Rote Jäger assembled by Hermann Graf, commander of German fighter pilots, whose team included famed national team player Fritz Walter and national team manager Sepp Herberger.
LSV Hamburg was formed 8 December 1942 at the direction of Colonel Laicher, commander of the anti-aircraft artillery defending Hamburg. The club was managed by Otto Faist who had led Schalke 04 to the German national championship in 1939 in a crushing 9–0 victory over Admira Wien in the final.
LSV joined the Gauliga Hamburg in 1943. The division had been formed the previous year out of the split of the Gauliga Nordmark, one of sixteen top-flight divisions formed in the 1933 re-organization of German football under the Third Reich. The club played most of its home matches at Hoheluft which was the home field of Victoria Hamburg.
The team played its way to the final of the 1943 Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's German Cup, where they lost 2–3 to Vienna FC. LSV Hamburg then totally dominated the Gauliga Hamburg in 1943–44, winning 17 matches while drawing only one, and outscoring their opponents 117–13. They advanced through the national playoff rounds to the championship match on 18 June 1944 in Berlin where they lost 0–4 to defending champions Dresdner SC, a club they had earlier eliminated from German Cup competition on their march to the cup final.
In a desperate bid to help keep up civilian morale as the tide of war turned against the country, league play was immediately resumed within weeks of the championship match rather than after the customary three-month summer break. Hamburg completed only three games before play by all military clubs was suspended in September 1944 as Allied armies began to advance on Germany.
Dresdner Sportclub 1898 e.V., known simply as Dresdner SC, is a German multisport club playing in Dresden, Saxony. Founded on 30 April 1898, the club was a founding member of the German Football Association in 1900. The origins of the club go back still further to the predecessor side Dresden English Football Club formed in 1874 by expatriate Englishmen as Germany's first football club and possibly the earliest in continental Europe: Dresdener SC was organized by one-time German members of the EFC.
VfR Mannheim is a German association football club based in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg formed in 1911 out of the fusion of Mannheimer FG 1896, Mannheimer FG 1897 Union, and FC Viktoria 1897 Mannheim. The club captured the national title in 1949 with a victory over Borussia Dortmund. They have played through most of its recent history as an unheralded local amateur side and are currently part of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg (V).
VfB Königsberg was a German association football club from the city of Königsberg, East Prussia. The team played its home games at the Sportplatz des Vereins für Bewegungs Spiele near the Maraunenhof Stadtgärtnerei, aside from 1940 to 1941 when they played at the Sportplatz am Friedländer Tor between Haberberg and Rosenau.
The 1939–40 Gauliga Ostmark was the second season of the Gauliga Ostmark, the first tier of football in German-annexed Austria from 1938 to 1945, officially referred to as Ostmark.
The 1943–44 Gauliga Donau-Alpenland was the sixth season of the Gauliga Donau-Alpenland, formerly the Gauliga Ostmark, the first tier of football in German-annexed Austria from 1938 to 1945.
The Gauliga Pommern was the highest football league in the Prussian province of Pomerania (German:Pommern) from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the GauPomerania replaced the province of Pomerania.
The Gauliga Saxony was the highest football league in the German state of Saxony (German:Sachsen) from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the Gau Saxony replaced the state Saxony.
The Gauliga Nordmark was the highest football league in the Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein and the German states of Hamburg, Lübeck, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz and parts of Oldenburg from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and the GaueHamburg, Mecklenburg and Schleswig-Holstein replaced the Prussian province and the German states in this northern region of Germany.
LSV Pütnitz was a short-lived German association football club from the district of Pütnitz in Ribnitz-Damgarten, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The 1943 German football championship, the 36th edition of the competition, was won by Dresdner SC, the club's first-ever championship, won by defeating FV Saarbrücken in the final.
The 1944 German football championship, the 37th edition of the competition, was won by Dresdner SC, the club defending its 1943 title by defeating Luftwaffe team LSV Hamburg in the final.
Luftwaffensportverein Danzig was a short-lived German association football club from the city of Danzig, West Prussia. LSV was an air force (Luftwaffe) sports club that was active from 1941 to 1944 and was made up primarily of flak soldiers. During World War II it was common in Germany for military sides to take part in domestic competition. The most successful of these clubs was LSV Hamburg which appeared in the final of the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's German Cup, in 1943 and in the national championship final in 1944.
The 1933–34 Gauliga was the inaugural season of the Gauliga, the first tier of the football league system in Germany from 1933 to 1945.
The 1938–39 Gauliga was the sixth season of the Gauliga, the first tier of the football league system in Germany from 1933 to 1945. It was the last completed season before the Second World War.
The 1939–40 Gauliga was the seventh season of the Gauliga, the first tier of the football league system in Germany from 1933 to 1945. It was the first season held during the Second World War.
The 1941–42 Gauliga was the ninth season of the Gauliga, the first tier of the football league system in Germany from 1933 to 1945. It was the third season of the league held during the Second World War.
The 1942–43 Gauliga was the tenth season of the Gauliga, the first tier of the football league system in Germany from 1933 to 1945. It was the fourth season of the league held during the Second World War.
The 1943–44 Gauliga was the eleventh season of the Gauliga, the first tier of the football league system in Germany from 1933 to 1945. It was the fifth season of the league held during the Second World War and the last completed one.
The 1943–44 Gauliga Bayern was the eleventh season of the league, one of the 31 Gauligas in Germany at the time. It was the first tier of the football league system in Bavaria (German:Bayern) from 1933 to 1945. It was the second and last season of the league being sub-divided into a northern and southern division, the Gauliga Nordbayern and Gauliga Südbayern, with further sub-dividing taking place in the uncompleted 1944–45 season.
