during the war, football was used as a morale booster for the population and was supported by the regime. many teams were sponsored by the luftwaffe, the ss, or other branches of the military. as the tide turned against germany, the gauliga began to crumble as players were called away to military service or were killed in the conflict, stadiums were bombed and travel became difficult. the original sixteen gauligen broke up into over thirty smaller, more local circuits. the level of play deteriorated and lopsided scores became common, the record being a 32–0 win by germania mudersbach over fv engen. the 1943–44 championship was initially cancelled but eventually went ahead after widespread protest. the 1944–45 season began less than two weeks later, rather than after the usual three-month summer break. the last recorded match in the third reich was on 23 april 1945 as bayern munich defeated 1860 munich 3–2. less than three weeks later, germany surrendered unconditionally.