1942 German Championship Final

Lore & Background

It marked the third and last occasion of a club from Vienna (German: Wien) in the final, Rapid Wien having won the competition in the previous season while Admira Wien had made a losing appearance in the 1939 final. It was the last time that Schalke was awarded the Viktoria, the annual trophy for the German champions from 1903 to 1944 as the trophy disappeared during the final stages of the Second World War. The 1942 championship marked the last highlight of the golden era of Schalke 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 equaled Hertha 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.

In Their Own Story

The air in Berlin was thick with anticipation and smoke, yet the pitch remained pristine green under the floodlights. As the whistle blew, thousands held their breath, knowing this match would echo through history books. When Schalke's players surged forward, the roar of the crowd seemed to shake the stadium foundations, a testament to the passion that transcended the times.

Reader's Guide

The twenty-five 1941–42 Gauliga champions, five more than in the previous season, competed in a single-leg knock out competition to determine the national champion. 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 of Nazi Germany and the sub-dividing of the Gauligas in later years, reaching a strength of thirty-one in its last completed season, 1943–44.

Did You Know?

• Schalke's Fritz Szepan was the 1942 championship's top scorer with eight goals.
• The 1942 final was the third and last time a club from Vienna appeared in the final.
• Schalke equaled Hertha BSC's record of six consecutive final appearances from 1926 to 1931.