1939, the club's activities were suspended by Polish authorities when they were accused of promoting and supporting the interests of Nazi Germany. After the German invasion of Poland which began World War II in the fall of 1939, the team resumed play with German authorities looking to hold up 1. FC Kattowitz as a model side in Upper Silesia for propaganda purposes. In 1933, German football was reorganized under the Third Reich into sixteen top-flight Gauligen. With the onset of the war, existing divisions were expanded or additional divisions were formed to incorporate conquered territories. Citing the club's "excellent fighting spirit during the Polish-time", Nazi sporting authorities advanced 1. FC to the Gauliga Schlesien in 1940 without their having to qualify competitively, unlike other teams in the region. Kattowitz earned a third-place result in the 1940–41 campaign. The division was split the following year into the Gauliga Niederschlesien and the Gauliga Oberschlesien, where 1. FC played until the end of the war. The club attracted players such as Ewald Dytko, Paweł Cyganek, Erwin Nyc and Wilimowski to its ranks, but was never able to overtake rival Germania Königshütte, instead struggling as a lower table side that was unable to develop into a propaganda show piece as authorities had hoped. The club's last known match was a 1:2 loss to Preußen Hindenburg on 14 January 1945. A game scheduled for a week later versus TuS Schwientochlowitz was never played and by 27 January Soviet Red Army troops occupied the city. 1. FC Kattowitz sat atop the division at the end of the never completed season and the club soon ceased to exist. Today a side playing as 1. FC Katowice competes in the Polish A-Class (7th level; men) and Polish Extra League (women). Honours Polish vice-champions: 1927 Upper Silesia (Germany) champions (5): 1907, 1908, 1909, 1913, 1922 Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship (Poland) champions: 1932 References Historical German league results Historical German league results "1. FC Katowice" – Gazeta Wyborcza Katowice, 8 April 2003 "Asked To Play by the Gestapo" – Gazeta Wyborcza, 20 May 2005 "Under the Nazi Banner – The Story of Silesian Football in 1945" – Sport.pl, 26 January 2005 History of Katowice Football clubs in Germany Defunct football clubs in Germany Association football clubs established in 1905 Association football clubs disestablished in 1945 Defunct football clubs in Poland Defunct football clubs in former German territories Sport in Katowice 1905