# 1951–52 Oberliga

The 1951–52 Oberliga was the seventh season of the Oberliga, the first tier of the football league system in West Germany and the Saar Protectorate. The league operated in five regional divisions, Berlin, North, South, Southwest and West. The five league champions and the runners-up from the south, north and west then entered the 1952 German football championship which was won by VfB Stuttgart. It was VfB Stuttgart's second national championship, having previously won it in 1950.
The 1951–52 season saw the return of the clubs from the Saar Protectorate to the West German league system which had left in 1948, 1. FC Saarbrücken and Borussia Neunkirchen rejoining the Oberliga Südwest. Eventually, on 1 January 1957, the Saar Protectorate would officially join West Germany, ending the post-Second World War political separation of the territory from the other parts of Germany.
A similar-named league, the DDR-Oberliga, existed in East Germany, set at the first tier of the East German football league system. The 1951–52 DDR-Oberliga was won by Turbine Halle.

## Oberliga Nord

The 1951–52 season saw two new clubs in the league, Victoria Hamburg and Lüneburger SK, both promoted from the Amateurliga. The league's top scorer was Ernst-Otto Meyer of VfL Osnabrück with 29 goals, the highest total for the five Oberligas in 1951–52.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Hamburger SV | 30 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 96 | 46 | +50 | 45 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | VfL Osnabrück | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 79 | 50 | +29 | 41 | Qualification to German championship |
| 3 | FC St. Pauli | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 67 | 49 | +18 | 35 | |
| 4 | Eimsbütteler TV | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 71 | 58 | +13 | 35 | |
| 5 | Holstein Kiel | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 65 | 54 | +11 | 34 | |
| 6 | Göttingen 05 | 30 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 34 | |
| 7 | Werder Bremen | 30 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 85 | 52 | +33 | 33 | |
| 8 | TuS Bremerhaven 93 | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 63 | 56 | +7 | 33 | |
| 9 | Arminia Hannover | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 67 | 72 | −5 | 30 | |
| 10 | Bremer SV | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 60 | 59 | +1 | 28 | |
| 11 | Hannover 96 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 28 | |
| 12 | Concordia Hamburg | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 56 | 73 | −17 | 24 | |
| 13 | Eintracht Osnabrück | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 56 | 70 | −14 | 23 | |
| 14 | Eintracht Braunschweig (R) | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 50 | 72 | −22 | 23 | Relegation to Amateurliga |
| 15 | Victoria Hamburg (R) | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 48 | 74 | −26 | 23 | Relegation to Amateurliga |
| 16 | Lüneburger SK (R) | 30 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 40 | 119 | −79 | 11 | Relegation to Amateurliga |

## Oberliga Berlin

The 1951–52 season saw two new clubs in the league, BFC Nordstern and VfL Nord Berlin, both promoted from the Amateurliga Berlin. The league's top scorer was Horst Schmutzler of Tennis Borussia Berlin with 25 goals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Tennis Borussia Berlin | 26 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 78 | 21 | +57 | 42 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | Union 06 Berlin | 26 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 72 | 35 | +37 | 39 | |
| 3 | Viktoria 89 Berlin | 26 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 57 | 42 | +15 | 33 | |
| 4 | Hertha BSC Berlin | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 62 | 40 | +22 | 30 | |
| 5 | Alemannia 90 Berlin | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 48 | 40 | +8 | 30 | |
| 6 | Spandauer SV | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 48 | 36 | +12 | 29 | |
| 7 | Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 40 | 44 | −4 | 28 | |
| 8 | Berliner SV 92 | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 34 | 39 | −5 | 25 | |
| 9 | Wacker 04 Berlin | 26 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 35 | 47 | −12 | 25 | |
| 10 | BFC Nordstern | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 47 | 48 | −1 | 24 | |
| 11 | Minerva 93 Berlin | 26 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 45 | 45 | 0 | 23 | |
| 12 | Tasmania 1900 Berlin (R) | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 36 | 54 | −18 | 23 | Relegation to Amateurliga Berlin |
| 13 | SC Westend 01 (R) | 26 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 31 | 78 | −47 | 7 | Relegation to Amateurliga Berlin |
| 14 | VfL Nord Berlin (R) | 26 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 21 | 85 | −64 | 6 | Relegation to Amateurliga Berlin |

## Oberliga West

The 1951–52 season saw three new clubs in the league, Meidericher SV, Bayer Leverkusen and Schwarz-Weiß Essen, all promoted from the 2. Oberliga West. The league's top scorer was Karl Hetzel of Meidericher SV with 25 goals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Rot-Weiss Essen | 30 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 78 | 41 | +37 | 45 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | FC Schalke 04 | 30 | 18 | 4 | 8 | 63 | 47 | +16 | 40 | Qualification to German championship |
| 3 | Alemannia Aachen | 30 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 36 | |
| 4 | Borussia Dortmund | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 79 | 53 | +26 | 34 | |
| 5 | 1. FC Köln | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 57 | 40 | +17 | 33 | |
| 6 | Bayer Leverkusen | 30 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 49 | 41 | +8 | 32 | |
| 7 | Preußen Münster | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 53 | 48 | +5 | 32 | |
| 8 | Meidericher SV | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 57 | 55 | +2 | 29 | |
| 9 | Preußen Dellbrück | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 42 | 48 | −6 | 29 | |
| 10 | Sportfreunde Katernberg | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 62 | 70 | −8 | 27 | |
| 11 | Schwarz-Weiß Essen | 30 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 27 | |
| 12 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 43 | 48 | −5 | 26 | |
| 13 | STV Horst-Emscher | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 26 | |
| 14 | SpVgg Erkenschwick | 30 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 53 | 71 | −18 | 24 | |
| 15 | Rheydter SV (R) | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 58 | 88 | −30 | 23 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga West |
| 16 | Sportfreunde Hamborn (R) | 30 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 30 | 65 | −35 | 17 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga West |

## Oberliga Südwest

The 1951–52 season saw four new clubs in the league, VfR Frankenthal and SpVgg Weisenau promoted from the Amateurliga, while 1. FC Saarbrücken and Borussia Neunkirchen joined from the Ehrenliga Saarland. The league's top scorer was Gerhard Siedl of Borussia Neunkirchen with 27 goals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 30 | 23 | 4 | 3 | 80 | 27 | +53 | 50 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | TuS Neuendorf | 30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 76 | 33 | +43 | 44 | |
| 3 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 102 | 36 | +66 | 41 | |
| 4 | Wormatia Worms | 30 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 69 | 44 | +25 | 38 | |
| 5 | FK Pirmasens | 30 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 80 | 51 | +29 | 34 | |
| 6 | Eintracht Trier | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 58 | 52 | +6 | 32 | |
| 7 | Borussia Neunkirchen | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 74 | 61 | +13 | 31 | |
| 8 | Phönix Ludwigshafen | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 58 | 56 | +2 | 31 | |
| 9 | TuRa Ludwigshafen | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 39 | 51 | −12 | 31 | |
| 10 | FSV Mainz 05 | 30 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 69 | 82 | −13 | 28 | |
| 11 | FV Engers | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 54 | 68 | −14 | 26 | |
| 12 | VfR Kaiserslautern | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 49 | 70 | −21 | 23 | |
| 13 | VfR Frankenthal (R) | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 44 | 74 | −30 | 22 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Südwest |
| 14 | VfL Neustadt (R) | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 41 | 78 | −37 | 22 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Südwest |
| 15 | Eintracht Kreuznach (R) | 30 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 45 | 85 | −40 | 19 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Südwest |
| 16 | SpVgg Weisenau (R) | 30 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 38 | 108 | −70 | 8 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Südwest |
* ↑ VfR Frankenthal was retrospectivly relegated from the league after the first round of the 1952–53 season for attempting to bribe 1. FC Saarbrücken to lose their game against Frankenthal during the 1951–52 season.

## Oberliga Süd

The 1951–52 season saw two new clubs in the league, Viktoria Aschaffenburg and Stuttgarter Kickers, both promoted from the 2. Oberliga Süd. The league's top scorers were Max Morlock (1. FC Nürnberg) and Helmut Preisendörfer (Kickers Offenbach) with 26 goals each.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | VfB Stuttgart (C) | 30 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 60 | 24 | +36 | 44 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | 1. FC Nürnberg | 30 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 72 | 33 | +39 | 43 | Qualification to German championship |
| 3 | Kickers Offenbach | 30 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 75 | 41 | +34 | 40 | |
| 4 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 52 | 43 | +9 | 34 | |
| 5 | VfR Mannheim | 30 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 64 | 60 | +4 | 32 | |
| 6 | SpVgg Fürth | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 42 | +4 | 30 | |
| 7 | FSV Frankfurt | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 45 | 58 | −13 | 30 | |
| 8 | FC Bayern Munich | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 53 | 54 | −1 | 29 | |
| 9 | VfB Mühlburg | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 67 | 47 | +20 | 28 | |
| 10 | SV Waldhof Mannheim | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 49 | 61 | −12 | 28 | |
| 11 | Viktoria Aschaffenburg | 30 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 45 | 70 | −25 | 28 | |
| 12 | Stuttgarter Kickers | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 61 | 63 | −2 | 27 | |
| 13 | TSV 1860 München | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 27 | |
| 14 | FC Schweinfurt 05 | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 32 | 56 | −24 | 24 | |
| 15 | Schwaben Augsburg (R) | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 41 | 62 | −21 | 19 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Süd |
| 16 | VfL Neckarau (R) | 30 | 7 | 3 | 20 | 46 | 86 | −40 | 17 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Süd |
* ↑ VfB Mühlburg merged with Phönix Karlsruhe to form Karlsruher SC.

## German championship

The 1952 German football championship was contested by the eight qualified Oberliga teams and won by VfB Stuttgart, defeating 1. FC Saarbrücken in the final. The eight clubs played a home-and-away round of matches in two groups of four. The two group winners then advanced to the final.

### Group 1

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | 1.FC Saarbrücken (Q) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 13 | +4 | 8 | Qualified for final |
| 2 | 1. FC Nürnberg | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 13 | +5 | 7 | |
| 3 | Hamburger SV | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 6 | |
| 4 | FC Schalke 04 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 22 | −10 | 3 | |

### Group 2

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | VfB Stuttgart (Q) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 8 | Qualified for final |
| 2 | Rot-Weiss Essen | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 6 | |
| 3 | VfL Osnabrück | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 5 | |
| 4 | Tennis Borussia Berlin | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 5 | |

### Final

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 3–2 | 1. FC Saarbrücken |