| Deutsche Fußballmeisterschaft | |
|---|---|
 Replica of theViktoria trophy | |
| Tournament details | |
| Country | Germany |
| Dates | 10 May – 4 July |
| Teams | 25 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Schalke 04 6thGerman title |
| Runners-up | First Vienna |
| Third place | Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin |
| Fourth place | Kickers Offenbach |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 26 |
| Goals scored | 120 (4.62 per match) |
| Top goal scorer | Fritz Szepan(8 goals) |
The 1942German football championship, the 35th edition of the competition, was won bySchalke 04, the club's sixth championship, won by defeatingFirst Vienna FC in the final. It marked the third and last occasion of a club fromVienna (German:Wien) in the final,Rapid Wien having won the competition in the previous season whileAdmira Wien had made a losing appearance in the 1939 final.[1] It was the last time that Schalke was awarded theViktoria, the annual trophy for the German champions from 1903 to 1944 as the trophy disappeared during the final stages of theSecond World War.[2]
Schalke'sFritz Szepan was the 1942 championships top scorer with eight goals.[3]
The 1942 championship marked the last highlight of the golden era ofSchalke 04 which had reached the semi-finals of each edition of the national championship from 1932 to 1942 and won the competition in 1934, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940 and 1942 while losing the final in 1933, 1938 and 1941. By appearing in the 1942 final Schalke also equaledHertha BSC's record of six consecutive final appearances which the latter had set from 1926 to 1931. Schalke would however not win another German championship until 1958.[1][4]
The twenty-five1941–42Gauliga champions, five more than in the previous season,[5] competed in a single-leg knock out competition to determine the national champion.[6] In the following season, the German championship was played with twenty nine clubs. From there it gradually expanded further through a combination of territorial expansion ofNazi Germany and the sub-dividing of the Gauligas in later years, reaching a strength of thirty one in its last completed season, 1943–44.[5]
The teams qualified through the1941–42 Gauliga season:[6]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 17 May 1942 | ||
| Werder Bremen | 5–1 | Sportfreunde Hamborn |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 June 1942[9] | ||
| Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin | 2–1 | VfB Königsberg |
| Schalke 04 | 6–0 | SG SS Straßburg |
| Kickers Offenbach | 4–3 | Werder Bremen |
| First Vienna FC | 3–2 | SC Planitz |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 21 June 1942[10] | ||
| Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin | 2–3 | First Vienna FC |
| Schalke 04 | 6–0 | Kickers Offenbach |
| Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin | 4 – 0 | Kickers Offenbach |
|---|---|---|
Herberger 18'Lay 55'Hientz 64'Kraetke 83' |
| Schalke 04 | 2 – 0 | First Vienna FC |
|---|---|---|
| Kalwitzki 12' Szepan 42' | Report |
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