play by all military clubs was suspended in September 1944 as Allied armies began to advance on Germany. Team trivia Between 1903 and 1944 German national champions were awarded the Viktoria Cup. The 1944 final between Dresdner SC and LSV Hamburg was the last Viktoria Cup match ever played as the trophy disappeared at war's end and was replaced by the Meisterschale, first awarded in 1949, and still in use today to recognize the country's Bundesliga champions. The missing trophy has since been recovered and is held by the German Football Association (Deutscher Fußball Bund). Due to difficult wartime conditions in Germany the 1943–44 playoff rounds were initially cancelled and the title awarded to VfR Mannheim. However, widespread protest led to this decision being reversed and the resumption of the playoffs. Mannheim was eliminated in the last 16 by 1. FC Nürnberg who were in turn put out by eventual champions Dresdner SC in the semi-finals. External links Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv historical German football league tables The Abseits Guide to German Soccer football in Nazi Germany Football clubs in Germany Defunct football clubs in Hamburg Association football clubs established in 1942 Association football clubs disestablished in 1944 Luftwaffe football clubs 1942 establishments in Germany 1944 disestablishments in Germany