 | |
| Founded | 1933 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1945 |
| Replaced by | Oberliga Süd |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| State and Province | |
| Gau (from 1934) | Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern |
| Level on pyramid | Level 1 |
| Domestic cup | Tschammerpokal |
| Last champions | 1. Göppinger SV (1943-44) |
TheGauliga Württemberg was the highestfootball league in theGerman state ofWürttemberg and thePrussianprovince of Hohenzollern from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, theNazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germany, and theGau Württemberg-Hohenzollern replaced the Prussian province and state of Württemberg.
The league was introduced by theNazi Sports Office in 1933, after theNazi take over of power in Germany. It replaced theBezirksliga as the highest level of play in German football competitions.
TheGauliga Württemberg was established with nine clubs, all from the state of Württemberg, but the league also covered the area of the small Prussian province of Hohenzollern.
The Gauliga replaced as such theBezirksliga Württemberg-Baden, the highest league in the region until then, but also included two clubs from Württemberg which had been playing in theBezirksliga Südbayern until then. In turn, two clubs which had been playing in theWürttemberg division of theBezirksliga Württemberg-Baden joined the newGauliga Baden.
In its first season, the league had nine clubs, playing each other once at home and once away. The league winner qualified for theGerman championship while the bottom team was relegated. The league expanded to ten clubs the season after with the bottom two teams relegated, a system which remained in place until 1939.
The only success coming toGauliga Württemberg in the years from 1933 to 1944 was a lost championship final for theVfB Stuttgart in 1935.
In 1939–40, the league played in two regional groups of six with a four-team finals round at the end. The year after, it returned to its single-division system, but now with twelve clubs and the bottom four relegated.
From the 1941–42 to 1943–44 season the league reverted to ten clubs with two relegation spots. In its last season, 1944–45, the league had 17 clubs, split into three groups.
The imminent collapse ofNazi Germany in 1945 gravely affected allGauligas and football in Württemberg ceased in March 1945 with none of the groups having absolved their full programs.
With the end of the Nazi era, theGauligas ceased to exist and the state of Württemberg found itself predominantly in the USoccupation zone. Only the very south of the state was part of theFrench zone.
In the US zone, football soon resumed and theOberliga Süd was formed in late 1945 as a replacement for theGauligas in the south of Germany.
The ten founding members and their positions in the 1932-33Bezirksliga Württemberg/Baden andBezirksliga Südbayern season were:[1]
The winners and runners-up of the league:[1]
| Season | Winner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|
| 1933–34 | Union Böckingen | Kickers Stuttgart |
| 1934–35 | VfB Stuttgart | SSV Ulm |
| 1935–36 | Kickers Stuttgart | Sportfreunde Stuttgart |
| 1936–37 | VfB Stuttgart | SSV Ulm |
| 1937–38 | VfB Stuttgart | Kickers Stuttgart |
| 1938–39 | Kickers Stuttgart | VfB Stuttgart |
| 1939–40 | Kickers Stuttgart | VfB Stuttgart |
| 1940–41 | Kickers Stuttgart | VfB Stuttgart |
| 1941–42 | Kickers Stuttgart | VfB Stuttgart |
| 1942–43 | VfB Stuttgart | Sportfreunde Stuttgart |
| 1943–44 | 1. Göppinger SV | Kickers Stuttgart |
The complete list of all clubs participating in the league:[1]
| Club | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Böckingen | 1 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 7 | ||
| Kickers Stuttgart | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Sportfreunde Stuttgart | 4 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| SV Feuerbach | 5 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | ||
| SSV Ulm | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 9 | ||
| SC Stuttgart | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 10 | ||
| TSG Ulm 1846[note 1] | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 3 | |
| FC Birkenfeld | 9 | ||||||||||
| Sportfreunde Esslingen | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 12 | ||||||
| 1. Göppinger SV | 10 | 10 | 1 | ||||||||
| FV Zuffenhausen | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | |||||
| SV Cannstatt | 8 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 11 | ||||||
| VfR Schwenningen | 10 | ||||||||||
| VfR Aalen | 5 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 6 | ||||||
| VfL Sindelfingen | 6 | ||||||||||
| SV Untertürkheim | 10 | ||||||||||
| VfR Heilbronn | 5 | 8 | |||||||||
| VfB Friedrichshafen | 8 | 9 | |||||||||
| SSV Reutlingen | 4 | 9 |
