1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Regular season, Conference play
Oregon then began a 10-game winning streak, their longest since the start of the 1937–38 season. Oregon State was the Webfoots' first opponent during the streak, on January 13; Oregon prevailed 31–26. In two higher-scoring contests at Washington State on January 17 and 18, the Webfoots claimed 56–44 and 57–31 victories, respectively. A five-game road trip concluded with games in Idaho on January 20 and 21. The contests were closer than those against Washington State, but the Webfoots won 38–30 in the first game and 35–31 in the second to improve to 6–1 in conference play.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Regular season, Conference play
Oregon's next five games were at home, beginning with a second encounter against Oregon State, on January 27 that they won by a seven-point margin. Washington traveled to Oregon for games on January 31 and February 1, and 57–49 and 58–42 victories moved the Webfoots' winning streak to eight. They then concluded their four-game season series with Idaho, winning by 17 points in each game. On February 18, the Webfoots' streak ended with a 50–31 upset loss to Oregon State, which would be their last of the season. Six days later, Oregon posted a 48–37 win over the Beavers at home. That game was the Webfoots' last appearance for the 1938–39 regular season at McArthur Court; it was the school's 100th win at the arena since it was opened in 1927.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Regular season, Conference play
With two games left in the regular season, the Webfoots held a one-game lead over Washington, with a pair of contests scheduled in Seattle against the Huskies. Oregon required one victory to clinch the Northern Division championship. On March 3, the Webfoots defeated Washington in the first game of the series 39–26; Gale led the team in scoring with 11 points, as the team won despite missing 53 of their 67 field goal attempts. Anet suffered a dislocated finger and was held out of the second game against Washington, which took place the following day.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Regular season, Conference play
The Webfoots claimed a two-point win, their fourth of the season over Washington. Of the Huskies' five losses in 1938–39, all but one was against the Webfoots. By the end of the regular season, Oregon had won the PCC North Division with a 14–2 conference record, and had a 24–5 record overall.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Postseason, PCC championship series
By winning the PCC Northern Division, Oregon earned the right to play the winner of the Southern Division in a best-of-three playoff series, with the games held at McArthur Court. In addition to the PCC championship, the winner would gain a berth in the first NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, which the National Association of Basketball Coaches would run. The series was slated to be held between March 10–13, but a tie between California and Southern California for first place in the Southern Division necessitated a one-game playoff.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Postseason, PCC championship series
Rumors began that the PCC championship series would be postponed by one week, which would have prevented the winner from competing in the NCAA Tournament; the event was scheduled to begin on March 20. In response, Oregon declared that they would not play if the series was scheduled to end after March 14. Despite the school's claim, it agreed to a rescheduling approved by PCC member schools, in which the series was set for March 16–18.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Postseason, PCC championship series
Hobson declared that Oregon would accept an invitation to the NCAA Tournament, following hints that the PCC champion might be passed over for a bid in favor of a PCC team that did not receive a shortened rest between games. California won the Southern Division playoff 42–36 over Southern California to become the Webfoots' opponent in the PCC championship series. Dick later noted that he considered it vital for Oregon to sweep the Golden Bears in two games, to avoid an overnight trip to San Francisco for the NCAA Tournament and secure an off day in the Webfoots' schedule.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Postseason, PCC championship series
In front of a crowd that included members of the Webfoots' 1919 conference championship team, which had won the title over California, Oregon took a one-point halftime lead on a late 30-foot shot by Johansen. The team switched its defense from zone to man-to-man for the second half and went on an early second half run to open up a 14-point lead with 12 minutes left. The Golden Bears made multiple comeback bids as the half progressed, but the Webfoots held on to win 54–49 and move ahead in the series.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Postseason, PCC championship series
More than half of Oregon's points were scored by Gale and Wintermute, who had 18 and 11 respectively. The second game of the series was closely contested in the first half, but Oregon opened a 25–23 lead at halftime and extended their advantage to eight points before a run of three baskets by California. A stretch featuring three scores by Dick helped the Webfoots rebuild their lead later in the second half, and they clinched a two-game sweep with a 53–47 victory. Dick and Wintermute contributed 16 points apiece. It was Oregon's first PCC championship in 20 seasons.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Postseason, NCAA Tournament
Oregon received an invitation to the NCAA Tournament's West Regional, which was held on March 20 and 21 in San Francisco. First, Oregon faced  Texas in the first round, in a matchup of teams considered superior to either of their potential opponents in the regional final, according to analysts. The Webfoots scored 10 of the game's first 12 points, led by Dick and Wintermute, and held a three-point halftime advantage. After Texas had closed their deficit to one point multiple times in the second half, Oregon went on a scoring run and eventually opened a 19-point lead.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Postseason, NCAA Tournament
The Webfoots defeated Texas by a final score of 56–41. Wintermute had 14 points in the game, and Dick added 13. In the regional final against Oklahoma, a 10–0 run to close the first half put the Webfoots in front, 21–14. Oregon took advantage of Oklahoma's strategy of attempting to play a fast-paced game and extended their lead in the second half. Dick had 14 points and Gale and Wintermute scored 11 and 10, respectively, as Oregon advanced to the national championship game with a 55–37 victory. All three of the Webfoots' leading scorers in the regional final were selected to the all-Western regional squad, as determined by Kansas head coach Phog Allen. Hobson commented on his team's NCAA Tournament opponents that "We were head and shoulders above [both], but not so with Washington and California."


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Postseason, NCAA Tournament
The title game was held on March 27 in Northwestern University's Patten Gymnasium. Oregon's opponent was Ohio State, who had won the East Regional by winning against Wake Forest and Villanova. Oregon took advantage of the Buckeyes' defense, which was designed to stop Gale and Wintermute, by using Gale as "a decoy", in his words. This created an opportunity for contributions from the Webfoots' other players, including Dick, who led both teams by scoring 15 points. On Ohio State's offensive possessions, the Webfoots used a match-up zone defense, as Hobson sought to force the Buckeyes into attempting long-distance shots.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Postseason, NCAA Tournament
The defense held the Buckeyes' field goal percentage to 17 percent for the game; in addition, Oregon gained a rebounding advantage. The Webfoots held a five-point lead at halftime, having led by as much as seven. After Ohio State closed to within one point, Oregon pulled away in the second half to win the national championship, 46–33. Afterward came what Dick termed "a two-handed trophy presentation"; during the game, Anet had broken a figure off the top of the championship trophy while attempting to gain possession of the ball by the sideline.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Postseason, NCAA Tournament
On the team's way back to the University of Oregon, a crowd of 2,000–3,000 people greeted the Webfoots in The Dalles, Dick's birthplace, and presented him with what Sporting News writer Joe Gergen called "the first championship watch in NCAA Tournament history." The train stopped in several other cities on the way to Eugene, where a parade was held for the Webfoots.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Aftermath and legacy
At the end of the season, Anet, Gale, and Wintermute were selected as All-Americans. In the 1939–40 season, the Webfoots were unable to defend their PCC championship, finishing second behind Oregon State in the division; the following season, all but one of the players from the championship team had graduated, and the Webfoots ended tied for third. The team did not win the Northern Division again until 1944–45. Hobson left the program before the 1947–48 season to become Yale's men's basketball head coach.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Aftermath and legacy
Gale and Wintermute later played professional basketball in the National Basketball League; both were members of the same team, the Detroit Eagles, and Anet declined an offer to join them. Dick briefly played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball before embarking on a military career of over 30 years after the U.S. entered World War II. Anet and Johansen joined a Eugene, Oregon-based AAU team, the Rubenstein's Oregonians, and helped the club win a state title and reach the quarterfinals of the AAU's national basketball tournament in 1940. Bob Hardy and Mullen both played minor league baseball, and Mullen reached the major leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1944.


1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team, Aftermath and legacy
Hobson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1965, and Gale followed him into the Hall 12 years later. The entire 1938–39 Oregon team was enshrined in the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1984, and Anet, Dick, Gale, Hobson, Johansen, and Wintermute were inducted as individuals. The University of Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame selected the team and Hobson as part of its inaugural class of inductees in 1992. Dick and Gale (1993), Wintermute (1994), and Anet and Johansen (1996) were also inducted in later years. All five of the team's starters have had their numbers retired by the university. Oregon's appearance in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament was the only one in program history until the 2016–17 season.


1938–39 Palestine League
The 1938-39 Palestine League was the sixth season of league football in the British Mandate for Palestine. The defending champions were Maccabi Tel Aviv.


1938–39 Palestine League
According to the Israel Football Association, Hapoel Tel Aviv won the title. League matches were played from 5 February 1938 to 4 June 1938, completing the first half of the season before the summer break. However, as the Arab revolt intensified in fall 1938 and with the High commissioner issuing restrictive orders on travel throughout Palestine,  the EIFA created a two-tiered league for the Tel Aviv region, with matches played in the league counting towards the national league. The Tel Aviv League was completed on 14 January 1939 and in February 1939 a new league season began, with teams playing in regionalized divisions instead a national league.


1938–39 Panhellenic Championship
The 1938–39 Panhellenic Championship was the 10th season of the highest football league of Greece. 14 teams participated, for the first time so many and for the first time from the province. It was held in two groups, Southern Group with 8 and Northern Group with 6 teams, which qualified from the championships of the local associations. The Southern Group was formed by club of Athens' and Piraeus' associations and resulted as follows:


1938–39 Panhellenic Championship
The Northern Group was formed by clubs of Macedonian and Eastern Macedonian association and resulted as follows:


1938–39 Panhellenic Championship
It was the first time that teams outside Central Greece and Thessaloniki participated in the national championship. The champions of the two groups, AEK Athens (due to a better goal ratio than Olympiacos) and Iraklis, competed in a 2 legged final for the title of champion. The champion was AEK Athens, which qualified for the national championship as the runner-up of Panathenian championship, with the then rising star, Kleanthis Maropoulos.


1938–39 Panhellenic Championship
In order to complete the championship, since 26 matchdays were required, it was decided that the teams that qualified for the national championship will not compete again but will transfer each other results of local championships. From this period, the HFF established a point system of 3-2-1 in all competitions, so that there was the ability of zeroing any team that refused to take part in a match. This system was valid until the 1972–73 season.


1938–39 Polska Liga Hokejowa season
The 1938–39 Polska Liga Hokejowa season was the 10th season of the Polska Liga Hokejowa, the top level of ice hockey in Poland. Four teams participated in the final round, and Dab Katowice won the championship. To win promotion to the final round, Warszawianka beat Czarni Lwów, Ognisko beat ŁKS Łódź, and Polonia Warszawa beat AZS Poznań.


1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1938–39 season was Port Vale's 33rd season of football in the English Football League, and their first ever season in the Third Division South, having switched from the Third Division North in summer 1938. It was the club's last full season of football before the breakout of war in Europe. It was thus the last season of competitive football for many of the players, including Tom Nolan, who became the club's top scorer for the fourth and final time with seventeen goals. Progressing to the semi-final stage of the Football League Third Division South Cup, they could progress no further as the tournament was cancelled before its conclusion. Manager Tom Morgan shocked the club by leaving for another position in March.


1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division South
The pre-season saw another reconstruction of the first eleven, as eleven new signings arrived at The Old Recreation Ground, most notably: highly rated goalkeeper Arthur Jepson (Grantham Town); veteran left-back George Collin (Sunderland); right-half George Hannah (Derby County); left-half Sid Wileman (signed from Derby for 'a substantial fee'); and goalscoring winger John Callender (Lincoln City). Work at the stadium took place, as ground outside the stadium was prepared for car parking. The eclectic training schedule of the previous season was expanded, with bowls and cricket supplemented by games of tennis and baseball. Also on 20 August, a Football League Jubilee Fund match was played against nearby Crewe Alexandra, with the Vale picking up a 3–2 win, raising £243 in the process.


1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division South
The season began with George Heppell in goal, as Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club at first refused to allow Jepson to play. With three defeats in the first four games, most of the new men were dropped, as Morgan struggled to find consistency in his picks. It took until the end of October for the team to get into their stride, as their 5–1 win over Walsall was their fifth consecutive home win. They also travelled to St James Park to record a 3–1 win over Exeter City – their first away win since September 1937.


1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division South
Nottinghamshire CCC seemed justified in initially refusing Jepson permission to play, as he played seventy minutes of the game with his right hand strapped up, having dislocated his fingers. Ken Fish was then sold to BSC Young Boys of Switzerland, having fallen out of favour; yet the directors refused to hear offers for the rest of the team, determined as they were to strengthen the team.


1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division South
Despite stylish play, especially from Alf Bellis, the club then went from Guy Fawkes Night to New Year's Eve without a victory, their five defeats taking them to just two points clear of the re-election zone. Ending their run with a 4–0 win over Bristol City, they lost Jack Roberts to a dislocated shoulder.


1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division South
Trying out new, young players in 1939, the club re-signed veteran forward Tommy Ward from Stoke City. A 4–0 hammering at Fellows Park from bottom-placed Walsall left Vale third-from-bottom by March. Disgruntled supporters turned against the team, as regular barracking was directed at the players. Roberts and Jepson struggled with injuries, but by March the newcomers had finally gelled as a group, and results soon picked up. Yet manager Tom Morgan shocked the club by leaving for the vacant position at Wrexham, leaving the club somewhat rudderless.


1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division South
Despite receiving a 4–0 beating from Notts County at Meadow Lane, the players rallied to produce four points from their last three games. Two of these points came from a 2–0 win over champions Newport County at Somerton Park, making Vale the only team to have recorded the double over "Ironsides" that season.


1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division South
They finished in eighteenth place with 37 points, then a club record low position. They were four points clear of having to petition for re-election, and eighteen points short of promotion. Their 52 goals scored was a poor record, though a total of 58 goals conceded was much improved on the previous campaign. Nolan's seventeen goals were the only major contribution in front of goal.


1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Finances
On the financial side, gate receipts had increased by £659, however an overall loss was made of £1,723. The move to the southern division had cost a considerable amount in transfer fees, though home game income had improved by £676 to £6,403. Further financial worries were lessened by a transfer credit of £1,455. Despite the poor season, seventeen players were kept on, though promising teenage midfielder John Smith was sold to Chelsea. Other departures included Harry Davies (retired); Leonard Smart; Tommy Ward (Mansfield Town); Arthur Caldwell; Arthur Masters; George Collin (Burton Town); Sid Wileman (Hinckley United); and John Callender (Gateshead).


1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Cup competitions
In the FA Cup, Vale overcame Wrexham of the Third Division North 2–1 at the Racecourse Ground. However they crashed out at the Second Round, losing 1–0 at home to league rivals Southend United. For both matches the players had relaxed beforehand with activities such as golf, country walks, and games of snooker.


1938–39 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Cup competitions
In the short-lived Football League Third Division South Cup, the "Valiants" progressed to the semi-finals at the expense of Walsall (4–0), Mansfield Town (3–1), and Ipswich Town (2–0). In the semis they came to a goalless stalemate with Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road – the tournament was cancelled at this stage, and so no club would win it. The club had actually lost money in the much-maligned tournament, as atrocious attendances were not enough to even pay player bonuses. Port Vale and Queens Park Rangers actually protested in favour of cancelling the tournament due to the financial failure of the cup, and the Football League agreed with them to 'wash out' the competition.


1938–39 Primeira Divisão
The 1938–39 Primeira Divisão season was the fifth season of top-tier football in Portugal. The competition was renamed Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão (National Championship of the First Division) or Primeira Divisão for short.


1938–39 Primeira Divisão, Overview
It was contested by 8 teams, and F.C. Porto won the championship.


1938–39 Primera Fuerza season, Overview
It was contested by 7 teams, and Asturias won the championship.


1938–39 Primera Fuerza season, Moves
After this season Euzkadi was broken up, with most of its players joining other teams in the league, except two who joined teams in Argentina.


1938–39 Primera Fuerza season, Moves, Top goalscorers
Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name.


1938–39 Rangers F.C. season
The 1938–39 season was the 65th season of competitive football by Rangers.


1938–39 Ranji Trophy
The 1938–39 Ranji Trophy was the fifth season of the Ranji Trophy. Nineteen teams took part in four zones in a knockout format. Bengal won their first title defeating Southern Punjab in the final.


1938–39 Rochdale A.F.C. season
The 1938–39 season saw Rochdale compete for their 18th season in the Football League Third Division North.


1938–39 Rugby Union County Championship
The 1938–39 Rugby Union County Championship was the 46th edition of England's premier rugby union club competition at the time.


1938–39 Rugby Union County Championship
Warwickshire won the competition for the first time after defeating Somerset in the final.


1938–39 SK Rapid Wien season
The 1938–39 SK Rapid Wien season was the 41st season in club history.


1938–39 SM-sarja season
The 1938–1939 SM-Sarja season was played 7 teams from 4 cities making it the largest competition yet. Each team played 6 games each.


1938–39 Scottish Cup
The 1938–39 Scottish Cup was the 61st staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Clyde who defeated Motherwell in the final.


1938–39 Scottish Districts season
The 1938–39 Scottish Districts season is a record of all the rugby union matches for Scotland's district teams.


1938–39 Scottish Districts season, Results, Inter-City
Glasgow District: A. S. Nicolson (Hillhead HSFP), A. P. Fairlie (Shawlands F. P.), Robert Wilson Shaw (Glasgow HSFP), W. G. Biggart (Glasgow Academicals), J. M. Sinclair (Glasgow University), W.C.W. Murdoch (Hillhead HSFP), I. E. Dawson (Hillhead HSFP), J. D. Niven (Hillhead HSFP), I. Wilkie (Hillhead HSFP), R. C. Graham (Hillhead HSFP), Vivian Weston  (Kelvinside Academicals), J. L. McClure (Ayr), T. R. Graham (Hutchesons GSFP), Laurie Duff (Glasgow Academicals), J. Macdonald (Kelvinside Academicals)Edinburgh District: George Roberts (Watsonians), John Craig (Heriots), D. T. Gollogly (Royal HSFP), A. A. S. Scott (Edinburgh Wanderers), William Renwick (Edinburgh Wanderers), A. Reid (Watsonians), Ernie Anderson (Stewart's College F. P.), Jake Borthwick (Stewart's College F. P.), G. W. Wilson (Watsonians), Ian Henderson (Edinburgh Academicals), David Deas (Watsonians), D. U. Dewar (Watsonians), G. H. Hendry (Watsonians), D. K. A. MacKenzie (Edinburgh Wanderers), George Gallie (Edinburgh Academicals)


1938–39 Scottish Division One
The 1938–39 Scottish Division One was the last season of competitive football in Scotland before World War II. The league championship was won by Rangers by eleven points over nearest rival Celtic.


1938–39 Scottish Division Two
The 1938–39 Scottish Second Division was won by Cowdenbeath. Edinburgh City finished bottom. It was the last season of play until the 1946–47 season due to World War II.


1938–39 Serie A, Events
The goal average substituted the tie-breaker in event of equal points, to save time considering the risk of war. This change greatly helped Triestina.


1938–39 Serie B
The Serie B 1938–39 was the tenth tournament of this competition played in Italy since its creation.


1938–39 Serie B, Teams
Casale, Fanfulla, SPAL, Siena and Salernitana had been promoted from Serie C, while Novara and Alessandria had been relegated from Serie A.


1938–39 Serie B, Events
The goal average substituted the tie-breaker in event of equal points, to save time considering the risk of war. This change greatly helped Venezia.


1938–39 Serie C
The 1938–39 Serie C was the fourth edition of Serie C, the third highest league in the Italian football league system.


1938–39 Sheffield Shield season
The 1938–39 Sheffield Shield season was the 43rd season of the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. South Australia won the championship.


1938–39 Slovenian Republic League
The 1938–39 Slovenian Republic League was the 20th season of the Slovenian Republic League. I. SSK Maribor have won the league for the third time, defeating Bratstvo 4–3 on aggregate in the final.


1938–39 Southern Football League
The 1938–39 season was the 41st in the history of the Southern League. Colchester United won the title. Three clubs applied to join the Football League, although none were successful. The following season saw the league split into Eastern and Western sections as part an emergency war-time competition, after which the league was discontinued until the end of World War II.


1938–39 Southern Football League, Final table
A total of 23 teams contest the division, including 17 sides from previous season, one team relegated from The Football League and five new teams.


1938–39 Southern Football League, Football League election
Three Southern League clubs, Chelmsford City, Colchester United and Gillingham, applied to join the Football League. However, both League clubs were re-elected.


1938–39 St. Louis Soccer League
Final league standings for the 1938-39 St. Louis Soccer League, also known as the Inter-City Soccer Loop.


1938–39 St. Louis Soccer League, History
The St. Louis Soccer League collapsed in 1938. League and team officials then reorganized the league to include teams from Chicago and Cleveland. Known both as the St. Louis Soccer League and the Inter-City Soccer Loop, the league lasted one more season before formally disbanding in 1939.


1938–39 Stoke City F.C. season
The 1938–39 season was Stoke City's 39th season in the Football League and the 25th in the First Division. It was the final full season of league football until 1946 due to World War II.


1938–39 Stoke City F.C. season
Stoke again made no major signings despite a very disappointing campaign last season. After a poor start Stoke began to play well during the season and finished in a respectable 7th place having collected 46 points almost equalling their best points tally of 47.


1938–39 Stoke City F.C. season, Season review, League
Despite the scare of relegation last season, there were no significant new faces at the Victoria Ground for the 1938–39 season but Frank Soo took over captaincy from Arthur Turner. The fans did not share the club's confidence and their judgement appeared to be justified as the team spent the first three months of the season in the bottom four. Manager Bob McGrory's patience was wearing thin and he started to trim his squad, selling Charlie Scrimshaw to Middlesbrough for £3,000 and veteran Arthur Turner to Birmingham. To strengthen the attack, he recruited Arthur Griffiths and Patrick Gallacher but both players were struck down by injury after a handful of appearances.


1938–39 Stoke City F.C. season, Season review, League
New players or not, an amazing transformation took place and had Stoke beaten Leeds on the final day of the season and not drawn, they would have equalled their best points tally of 47. At home in particular they became a potent force and lost just twice at the Victoria Ground during the season.


1938–39 Stoke City F.C. season, Season review, FA Cup
No progress was made in the Cup as Stoke lost in a third round replay to Leicester City.


1938–39 Sussex County Football League
The 1938–39 Sussex County Football League season was the 19th in the history of the competition.


1938–39 Sussex County Football League, Clubs
The league featured 14 clubs which competed in the last season, no new clubs joined the league this season. Littlehampton added Town to the club name.


1938–39 Svenska Serien season
The fourth season of Svenska Serien, at the time Sweden's top-tier hockey league, was scheduled to be held over the winter of 1938–39, but due to a harsh winter, the series was played as a shortened single-round robin tournament in the autumn of 1939, immediately prior to the start of the 1939–40 season. For this reason, there was no promotion or relegation as a result of this tournament. Hammarby IF went undefeated, winning all seven matches, to win the league title. This was their first time Hammarby finished first-place in Svenska Serien, and the fourth time Hammarby finished first in Sweden's first-tier league (which had previously been Klass I and Elitserien).


1938–39 Svenska mästerskapet (men's handball)
The 1938–39 Svenska mästerskapet was the eighth season of Svenska mästerskapet, a tournament held to determine the Swedish Champions of men's handball. Teams qualified by winning their respective District Championships. 19 teams competed in the tournament. Västerås IK were the defending champions, but failed to qualify after being eliminated from the District Championship of Västmanland by KFUM Köping. Upsala Studenters IF won the title, defeating Redbergslids IK in the final. The final was played on 2 April in Studenternas tennishall in Uppsala, and was watched by 822 spectators.


1938–39 Svenska mästerskapet (men's handball), Champions
The following players for Upsala Studenters IF received a winner's medal: Torsten Petré, Anders Vanäs, Arne Södergren, Anders Kastenholm, Bror Sanner, Bertil Lundin (1 goal in the final), Åker Persson (2), Herbert Lundin and Hans Norgren (4).


1938–39 Swedish football Division 2
Statistics of Swedish football Division 2 for the 1938–39 season.


1938–39 Swedish football Division 2, League standings, Division 2 Norra 1938–39
Teams from a large part of northern Sweden, approximately above the province of Medelpad, were not allowed to play in the national league system until the 1953–54 season, and a championship was instead played to decide the best team in Norrland.


1938–39 Swedish football Division 3
Statistics of Swedish football Division 3 for the 1938–39 season.


1938–39 Taça de Portugal
The 1938/39 Taça de Portugal was the 1st season of the Taça de Portugal (English: Portuguese Cup), the premier Portuguese football knockout competition, organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). The final was played on 26 June 1939 between Académica de Coimbra and Sport Lisboa e Benfica.


1938–39 Taça de Portugal
The Taça de Portugal replaced the previous knockout competition, the Campeonato de Portugal (Championship of Portugal), which defined the Portuguese champion.


1938–39 Taça de Portugal, First round
In this round entered the teams from Primeira Divisão (1st level) and Segunda Divisão (2nd level).


1938–39 Taça de Portugal, Quarterfinals
In this round entered the winner from Madeira Championship and the winners of the previous round.


1938–39 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team
The 1938–39 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represented The University of Texas at Austin in intercollegiate basketball competition during the 1938–39 season. The Longhorns were led by third-year head coach and former Longhorn basketball consensus first-team All-American Jack Gray. The team finished the season with a 19–6 overall record and a 10–2 record in Southwest Conference play to win the SWC championship. Texas advanced to the inaugural postseason NCAA Tournament, recording its first Elite Eight appearance.


1938–39 Toronto Maple Leafs season
The 1938–39 Toronto Maple Leafs season was Toronto's 22nd season of operation in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Maple Leafs again advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Boston Bruins.


1938–39 Toronto Maple Leafs season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1938–39 Toronto Maple Leafs season, Playoffs
The Maple Leafs finished in third place in the regular season, which matched them up against the New York Americans in the first round, best of three series. After sweeping the Americans in 2 games, the Leafs played the Detroit Red Wings in the next round in another best of three series, which they won 2–1. In the finals, they played the Boston Bruins, who defeated them 4–1.


1938–39 Tranmere Rovers F.C. season
Tranmere Rovers F.C. played the 1938–39 season in the Football League Second Division. It was their 18th season of league football, and they finished 22nd of 22, and were relegated. They reached the Third Round of the FA Cup.


1938–39 Tranmere Rovers F.C. season
Tranmere won just 6 of 42 matches, the all-time worst record of any team in the Second Division.


1938–39 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
The 1938–39 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 1938–39 NCAA men's basketball season and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. The Bruins were led by 18th year head coach Caddy Works. They finished the regular season with a record of 7–20 and were fourth in the southern division with a record of 0–12.


1938–39 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team, Previous season
The Bruins finished the regular season with a record of 4–20 and were fourth in the southern division with a record of 0–12.


1938–39 USM Alger season
In the 1938–39 season, USM Alger is competing in the Third Division for the 2nd season French colonial era, as well as the Forconi Cup. They will be competing in Second Division, and the Forconi Cup.


1938–39 USM Blida season
In the 1938–39 season, USM Blida is competing in the First Division for the 6th season French colonial era, as well as the Forconi Cup, and the North African Cup.


1938–39 United States collegiate men's ice hockey season
The 1938–39 United States collegiate men's ice hockey season was the 44th season of collegiate ice hockey in the United States.


1938–39 Washington Huskies men's basketball team
The 1938–39 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington for the 1938–39 NCAA college basketball season. Led by nineteenth-year head coach Hec Edmundson, the Huskies were members of the Pacific Coast Conference and played their home games on campus at the UW Pavilion in Seattle, Washington.


1938–39 Washington Huskies men's basketball team
The Huskies were 20–5 overall in the regular season and 11–5 in conference play; second in the Northern division.


1938–39 Washington Huskies men's basketball team
After a six-game winning streak, Washington was a game behind leader Oregon with two games remaining, both against the Webfoots in Seattle. Oregon won the first to clinch the title, then won the finale as well; they went on to win the conference title (swept California) and the first NCAA Tournament, which had an eight-team field.


1938–39 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team
The 1938–39 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represented Washington State College for the 1938–39 college basketball season. Led by eleventh-year head coach Jack Friel, the Cougars were members of the Pacific Coast Conference and played their home games on campus at WSC Gymnasium in Pullman, Washington.


1938–39 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team
The Cougars were 23–10 overall in the regular season and 8–8 in conference play, third place in Northern division.


1938–39 Welsh Cup
The 1938–39 FAW Welsh Cup is the 58th season of the annual knockout tournament for competitive football teams in Wales.


1938–39 Welsh Cup, Second round
14 winners from the First round plus Llay United and Rhayader. Caerphilly United and Llanerch Celts get a bye to the Third round.


1938–39 Welsh Cup, Third round
8 winners from the Second round, Caerphilly United and Llanerch Celts plus 16 new clubs.


1938–39 Welsh Cup, Fourth round
12 winners from the Third round. Lovell's Athletic get a bye to the Fifth round.


1938–39 Welsh Cup, Fifth round
Six winners from the Fourth round, Lovell's Athletic plus nine new clubs.


1938–39 Welsh Cup, Sixth round
Eight winners from the Fifth round plus Chester and Newport County.


1938–39 Welsh Cup, Seventh round
Two winners from the Sixth round. Cardiff City, South Liverpool and Chester get a bye to the Semifinals.


1938–39 Welsh Cup, Semifinal
South Liverpool and Chester played at Goodison Park, the second replay between Cardiff City and Oswestry Town were held at Shrewsbury.


1938–39 Western Football League
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Frietjes (talk | contribs) at 21:01, 11 February 2020 (expand templates per Fb team TfD outcome and Fb competition TfD outcome and Fb cl TfD outcome and Fb rbr TfD outcome). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


1938–39 Western Football League
The 1938–39 season was the 42nd in the history of the Western Football League.


1938–39 Western Football League
The Division One champions for the second time were Lovells Athletic, after finishing bottom the previous season. The winners of Division Two for the second consecutive season were Trowbridge Town. There was again no promotion or relegation between the two divisions this season, and the league was restructured before the 1939–40 season following the outbreak of World War II.


1938–39 Western Football League, Final tables, Division One
Division One was increased from five to six clubs, with one new club joining:


1938–39 Western Football League, Final tables, Division Two
Division Two remained at eighteen clubs with no clubs leaving or joining.


1938–39 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team
The 1938–39 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College during the 1938-39 NCAA basketball season. The team was led by future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Edgar Diddle. Former All-State player, Ted Hornback returned to his alma mater this season as assistant coach. He would remain in that position until Diddle's retirement in 1964, when he would be promoted to Athletic Director. The Hilltoppers won the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships. All five starters, John Hackett, Harry Saddler, Wilson Stemm, Herb Ball, and Carlisle Towery, were selected to the All-SIAA team. Hackett, Saddler, and Towery also made the All-KIAC team.


1938–39 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team
The 1938–39 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team represented the College of William & Mary in intercollegiate basketball during the 1938–39 season. Under the second year of head coach John Kellison's second stint with William & Mary, the team finished the season 9–12 and 4–9 in the Southern Conference. This was the 34th season of the collegiate basketball program at William & Mary, whose nickname is now the Tribe.


1938–39 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team
The Indians finished 12th in the conference and did not quality for the 1939 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament. However, the Indians did record their first ever conference victories during 1939.


1938–39 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team
The 1938–1939 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented University of Wisconsin–Madison. The head coach was Harold E. Foster, coaching his fifth season with the Badgers. The team played their home games at the UW Fieldhouse in Madison, Wisconsin and was a member of the Big Ten Conference.


1938–39 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season
The 1938–39 season was the 47th season of competitive league football in the history of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. They played in the top tier of the English football system, the Football League First Division.


1938–39 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season
The team finished as runners-up for a second consecutive season and also finished as FA Cup runners-up when they lost the FA Cup Final to outsiders Portsmouth. This was to be the final full league campaign until 1946–47 as the following season was cancelled and annulled in September 1939 after the outbreak of World War II.


1938–39 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season, Results, Football League First Division
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points


1938–39 Yorkshire Cup
The 1938–39 Yorkshire Cup, was the thirty-first occasion on which the  Yorkshire County Cup competition was held.


1938–39 Yorkshire Cup
The previous year's defeated finalists returned for a second year, but this year they were triumphant, Huddersfield winning the trophy by beating Hull F.C. by the score of 18-10.


1938–39 Yorkshire Cup
The match was played at Odsal in the City of Bradford, now in West Yorkshire. The attendance was 28,714 and receipts were £1,534.


1938–39 Yorkshire Cup
For the  losers, Hull FC, it was to be their fifth defeat in six appearances in the Yorkshire Cup final.


1938–39 Yorkshire Cup, Background
This season there were no junior/amateur clubs taking part, no new entrants but Newcastle folded and so there is one less entrant, reducing the  total number to fifteen.


1938–39 Yorkshire Cup, Background
This in turn resulted in one bye in the first round.


1938–39 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, Final, Teams and scorers
Scoring - Try = three (3) points - Goal = two (2) points - Drop goal = two (2) points


1938–39 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments
1 * Odsal is the home ground of Bradford Northern from 1890 to 2010 and the current capacity is in the region of 26,000, The ground is famous for hosting the largest attendance at an English sports ground when 102,569 (it was reported that over 120,000 actually attended as several areas of boundary fencing collapse under the sheer weight of numbers) attended the replay of the Challenge Cup final on 5 May 1954 to see Halifax v Warrington.


1938–39 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments, General information for those unfamiliar
The Rugby League Yorkshire Cup competition was a knock-out competition between (mainly professional) rugby league clubs from  the  county of Yorkshire. The actual area was at times increased to encompass other teams from  outside the  county such as Newcastle, Mansfield, Coventry, and even London (in the form of Acton & Willesden.


1938–39 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments, General information for those unfamiliar
The Rugby League season always (until the onset of "Summer Rugby" in 1996) ran from around August-time through to around May-time and this competition always took place early in the season, in the Autumn, with the final taking place in (or just before) December. (The only exception to this was when disruption of the fixture list was caused during, and immediately after, the two World Wars.)


1938–39 Yugoslav Football Championship
The 1938–39 Yugoslav Football Championship (Serbo-Croato-Slovenian: Državno prvenstvo 1938/39 / Државно првенство 1938/39) was the 16th season of Kingdom of Yugoslavia's premier football competition.


1938–39 Yugoslav Ice Hockey League season
The 1938–39 Yugoslav Ice Hockey League season was the third season of the Yugoslav Ice Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Yugoslavia. Four teams participated in the league, and Ilirija have won the championship.


1938–39 Yugoslav Ice Hockey League season, Champions
Ice Rihar, Tone Pogačnik. Luce Žitnik, Jule Kačič, Karel Pavletič, Oto Gregorič, Viljem Morbacher, Milan Lombar, Jože Gogala.


1938–39 in Belgian football
The 1938–39 season was the 39th season of competitive football in Belgium. R Beerschot AC won their 7th and last Premier Division title. The next season of Belgian football was interrupted due to World War II. Official competitions resumed in the 1941-42 season.


1938–39 in Belgian football, Overview
At the end of the season, R Daring Club de Bruxelles and RFC Brugeois were relegated to Division I, while SC Eendracht Aalst (Division I A winner) and R Tilleur FC (Division I B winner) were promoted to the Premier Division. FC Wilrijck, Cappellen FC, RCS Schaerbeek and Wezel Sport were relegated from Division I to Promotion, to be replaced by R Fléron FC, RCS Hallois, RRC Tournaisien and Herenthals SK.


1938–39 in English football
The 1938–39 season was the 64th season of competitive football in England.


1938–39 in English football, Honours
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition


1938–39 in Mandatory Palestine football
The 1938–39 season was the 12th season of competitive football in the British Mandate of Palestine.


1938–39 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1938–39 Palestine League
Matches of the 1938–39 Palestine League were due to be continued after the summer break. However, as the Arab revolt intensified in fall 1938 and with the High commissioner issuing restrictive orders on travel throughout Palestine,  the EIFA created a two-tiered league for the Tel Aviv region, with matches played in the league counting towards the national league. The Tel Aviv League was completed on 14 January 1939 and in February 1939 a new league season began, with teams playing in regionalized divisions instead a national league.


1938–39 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1939 Palestine League
Shortly after the previous league season was abandoned, a new season was initiated. With the Arab Revolt still raging, the league played regionally, split into Tel Aviv, Samaria and Southern regional leagues League matches were not completed by the end of the season and continued after the summer break.


1938–39 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1939 Palestine Cup
Hapoel Tel Aviv, defeating Maccabi Avshalom Petah Tikva 2–1 in the final, completed a third consecutive cup triumph.


1938–39 in Mandatory Palestine football, British-run leagues
British Army authorities organized leagues in Jerusalem, Haifa and Tiberias, competed by teams from the different army units, as well as several local and national cup competitions. In Haifa and Tiberias local Jewish teams (Hapoel Haifa, Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Kfar Ata in Haifa and Hapoel Tiberias in Tiberias) participated in the leagues, due to travelling difficulties to meet other Jewish clubs.


1938–39 in Mandatory Palestine football, British-run leagues
2nd Battalion Black Watch won the Jerusalem Services and Police League, while the Haifa league was abandoned midway of the second round of fixtures.


1938–39 in Mandatory Palestine football, Maccabi Tel Aviv Tour of Australia
On 24 May 1938, Maccabi Tel Aviv embarked on a five-month tour of Australia, playing 19 matches throughout the tour, appearing in some matches as Palestine. Maccabi won 11 of the matches, drawn 3 and lost 5, with a goal difference of 92–49, striker Gaul Machlis scoring 28 of the goals for Maccabi.


1938–39 in Mandatory Palestine football, Maccabi Tel Aviv Tour of Australia
The return journey took almost a month, as the team's ship, which was headed to Singapore was rerouted to Bombay, as World War II broke out. Maccabi played two matches against local teams, winning 8–0 and 7–0, before departing via Aden and Port Said back to Palestine.


1938–39 in Scottish football
The 1938–39 season was the 66th season of competitive football in Scotland and the 49th season of the Scottish Football League. Due to the World War II the league was not officially competed for again until the 1946–47 season.


1938–39 in Scottish football, Scottish Cup
Clyde were winners of the Scottish Cup after a 4–0 win over Motherwell.


1938–39 in Scottish football, Junior Cup
Rutherglen Glencairn were winners of the Junior Cup after a 1–0 win over Shawfield in the final.


1938–39 in Scottish football, Scotland national team
Scotland were joint winners of the 1939 British Home Championship with England and Wales


1938–39 in Swedish football
The 1938-39 season in Swedish football, starting August 1938 and ending July 1939:


1938–39 in Swedish football, National team results
Sweden: Henock Abrahamsson - Erik Nilsson, Olle Källgren - Erik Almgren, Arne Linderholm, Arthur Svensson - Arne Nyberg, Sven Jonasson, Knut Hansson, Gunnar Bergström, Åke Andersson.


1938–39 in Swedish football, National team results
Sweden: Gustav Sjöberg - Erik Nilsson, Olle Källgren - Erik Almgren, Arne Linderholm, Arthur Svensson - Arne Nyberg, Sven Jonasson, Knut Hansson, Gunnar Bergström, Arne Bryngelsson.


1938–39 in Swedish football, National team results
Sweden: Gustav Sjöberg - Erik Nilsson, Olle Källgren - Erik Almgren, Arvid Emanuelsson, Arthur Svensson - Arne Nyberg, Erik Persson, Knut Hansson, Sven Jonasson, Arne Bryngelsson.


1938–39 in Swedish football, National team results
Sweden: Sven Bergquist - Harry Nilsson, Erik Nilsson - Kurt Svanström, Arvid Emanuelsson, Karl-Erik Grahn - Curt Hjelm, Erik Persson, Fridolf Martinsson, Gunnar Bergström, Åke Andersson.


1938–39 in Swedish football, National team results
Sweden: Sven Bergquist - Harry Nilsson, Erik Nilsson - Kurt Svanström, Arvid Emanuelsson, Karl-Erik Grahn - Arne Nyberg, Erik Persson, Fridolf Martinsson, Gunnar Bergström, Åke Andersson.


1938–39 in Swedish football, National team results
Sweden: Erik Andersson - Erik Eriksson, Erik Lundin - Roland Lindberg, Sven Jacobsson, Göte Ellström - Stig Nyström, Curt Hjelm, Knut Johansson, Willis Karlsson, Ragnar Larsson.


1939
1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1939th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 939th  year of the 2nd millennium, the 39th  year of the 20th century, and the  10th  and last year of the 1930s decade.


1939
This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.


1939, Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.


1939 (film)
1939 is a Swedish drama film which was released to cinemas in Sweden on 25 December 1989, directed by Göran Carmback.


1939 (film), Plot
The film is set in Stockholm in 1939 where 18 year old Annika from Värmland comes to work as a waitress girl.


1939 (film), Home video
In 1990, the film was released to VHS by Media Transfer, and to DVD in 2010 as part of the series Svenska klassiker.


1939 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 24 Heures du Mans 1939) was the 16th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place at Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, on 17 and 18 June 1939. The 1939 programme cover depicted the raising of six nations' flags: France, Italy, Great Britain (its civil Red Ensign), Belgium, Germany, and the United States.


1939 24 Hours of Le Mans
By June 1939, the outbreak of World War II was less than three months away. The following year's 24 Hours of Le Mans was originally planned for June 1940, but due to the invasion of France in May the race was called off. Endurance racing would not return to Le Mans until 1949, four years after V-E day ended World War II in Europe.


1939 AAA Championship Car season
The 1939 AAA Championship Car season consisted of three races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Syracuse, New York on September 2. There was also one non-championship event in Springfield, Illinois. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Wilbur Shaw.


1939 Akron Zippers football team
The 1939 Akron Zippers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Akron as an independent during the 1939 college football season. In its first season under head coach Thomas Dowler, the team compiled a 5–4 record and was outscored by a total of 132 to 122. Dominic Patella was the team captain.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1939 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 46th overall and 7th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his ninth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of five wins, three losses and one tie (5–3–1 overall, 2–3–1 in the SEC).


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The Crimson Tide opened the season with a victory over Howard before they upset Fordham 7–6 in an intersectional contest at the Polo Grounds in week two. After their victory over Mercer, Alabama was shut out 21–0 by Tennessee, their second consecutive shutout loss against the Volunteers. The Crimson Tide then rebounded with a homecoming victory over Mississippi State. However, Alabama would then go winless over their next three conference games with a tie against Kentucky followed by shutout losses to both Tulane and Georgia Tech. The Crimson Tide rebounded in their final game of the season to defeat Vanderbilt.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Howard
To open the 1939 season, Alabama defeated Howard (now Samford University) 21–0 at Denny Stadium. After a scoreless first half, the Crimson Tide scored their first touchdown on a one-yard Paul Spencer run in the third quarter. Alabama then closed the game with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns for the 21–0 win. The first came on a five-yard Herschel Mosley pass to Holt Rast and the second on a second, one-yard run by Spencer. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Howard to 17–0–1.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Fordham
On the road against a favored Fordham squad, the Crimson Tide defeated the Rams 7–6 at the Polo Grounds in an intersectional matchup. The Crimson Tide scored their only points of the game in the first quarter. Jimmy Nelson scored Alabama's only touchdown on an 18-yard run to cap a 40-yard drive, and then Hayward Sanford connected on the extra point to give the Crimson Tide a 7–0 lead.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Fordham
Sanford later missed a 33-yard field goal in the first, and the Rams turned the ball over on downs at the Alabama 19-yard line to keep the score 7–0 at the end of the quarter. Fordham then scored their only points of the game late in the fourth after Dom Principe scored on a short touchdown run; however, Alex Yudikaitis missed the extra point which proved to be the margin in their loss. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Fordham to 1–1.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Fordham
This game is also noted as being the second televised college football game after the 1939 Waynesburg vs. Fordham football game played one week earlier. The game was televised exclusively in New York City as it was broadcast over W2XBS and only a few hundred televisions were thought to be in existence at the time.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Mercer
A week after the road win at Fordham, Alabama defeated the Mercer Bears 20–0 at Denny Stadium in the first all-time meeting between the schools. The Crimson Tide took a 7–0 first quarter lead after Paul Spencer scored on a one-yard touchdown run to cap a 42-yard drive. After a scoreless second quarter, Alabama scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns for the 20–0 victory. Gene Blackwell scored first on an eight-yard run and Herschel Mosley scored on a four-yard run.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Tennessee
On the Monday prior to their annual game against the Volunteers, Alabama was selected to the No. 8 and Tennessee was selected to the No. 5 position in the first AP Poll of the 1939 season. In the game, Alabama was shut out by rival Tennessee 21–0 before an overflow crowd of 40,000 at Shields-Watkins Field. After a scoreless first quarter, Tennessee took a 7–0 lead in the second after Johnny Butler scored on a 56-yard run. Up by a touchdown at the end of the third, a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown runs gave the Volunteers the 21–0 win. The first was made by Bob Foxx on an 11-yard run and the second by Buss Warren om a 12-yard run.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Tennessee
Although Alabama was shut out and lost by three touchdowns, Tennessee head coach Robert Neyland said of the Crimson Tide's performance that "I don't think the score indicates the difference between the teams. It should have been about 7 to 0." The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 13–7–2.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State
After their loss to Tennessee, Alabama dropped from No. 8 to No. 20 in the AP Poll as they entered their annual homecoming game. Against Mississippi State the Crimson Tide defeated the Maroons 7–0 before 15,000 fans at Denny Stadium. The only points of the game came in the first quarter when Charley Boswell threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Holt Rast. Alabama outgained the Maroons in rushing yardage 173 to 65 in the victory. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 19–5–2.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Kentucky
As Alabama entered their contest against Kentucky, they gained one position the rankings to No. 19 and the Wildcats entered the rankings at No. 15 in the weekly AP Poll. In the game, the Crimson Tide battled the Wildcats to a 7–7 tie in the first game played at Legion Field of the season. After a scoreless first, Holt Rast blocked a Kentucky punt that was recovered by Alabama at the Wildcats' two-yard line. Two plays later, Paul Spencer scored on a short run and Bud Waites converted the extra point to give the Crimson Tide a 7–0 lead. Still down by a touchdown at the end of the third, Kentucky tied the game in the fourth on a short Noah Mullins run and Jim Hardin extra point. The tie brought Alabama's all-time record against Kentucky 17–1–1.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Tulane
After their tie with Kentucky, the Crimson Tide dropped out of the weekly AP Poll, and Tulane took the No. 7 position after their victory over Ole Miss. In New Orleans, the Crimson Tide was shut out by the Green Wave 13–0 before a crowd of 52,000 at Tulane Stadium. After a scoreless first, Tulane took a 6–0 halftime lead when Harry Hays scored a touchdown on a 69-yard reverse. Robert Kellogg then scored the Green Wave's other touchdown in the third with his three-yard run. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Tulane to 12–4–1.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Georgia Tech
In their final home game of the season game against Georgia Tech Alabama lost their second consecutive game by a shutout, 6–0 against the Yellow Jackets at Legion Field. The only score of the game was set up after R. W. Murphy recovered a John Hanson fumble at the Alabama 38-yard line. Three plays later the Yellow Jackets scored on a 24-yard E. M. Wheby touchdown reception from Johnny Bosch, and after Holt Rast blocked the extra point attempt, Georgia Tech led 6–0. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Georgia Tech to 11–11–3.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Vanderbilt
In their season finale against the Vanderbilt Commodores, Alabama won 39–0 at Dudley Field on Thanksgiving Day to end a two-game losing streak. In the first half touchdowns were scored on a Jimmy Nelson touchdown reception in the first and by a 77-yard Herschel Mosley run and a 67-yard Paul Spencer run in the second. Up by three touchdowns at halftime, the Crimson Tide scored three second half touchdowns in the 39–0 victory. Second half touchdowns were scored on a 20-yard Jimmy Nelson reception and by Spencer on an eight-yard run and by Hal Newman on an 18-yard reception from Billy Harrell as time expired. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 12–9.


1939 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, After the season, NFL Draft
Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1939 squad were drafted into the National Football League (NFL) between the 1940 and 1942 drafts. These players included the following:


1939 Albanian National Championship
Statistics of Albanian National Championship in the 1939 season. This event is still not officially recognized from AFA, but in December 2012 the Albanian sports media have reported that this championship, along with the other two championships of World War II is expected to be recognized soon.


1939 Albanian National Championship, Overview
1939 Albanian National Championship was the 8th season of Albania's annual main competition. It started on July 1, 1939, and ended on September 30th, 1939. Eight teams were separated in two groups of 4 teams each, playing two leg matches with a knock-out system. Group A teams were: SK Tirana, Rinia Korçare, Bashkimi Elbasanas and Dragoj. Group B teams were: Vllaznia, Besa, Teuta and Ismail Qemali.


1939 Albanian National Championship, Results, First Round
In this round entered all the teams in two groups.


1939 Albanian National Championship, Results, Semifinals
In this round entered the four winners from the previous round.


1939 Albanian National Championship, Results, Finals
In this round entered the two winners from the previous round.


1939 Albanian National Championship, Results, Finals
SK Tirana: Gurashi I; Maluçi, Janku ; Myzeqari, F.Hoxha, Karapici; Kryeziu, Lisi, Korça, Lushta, Plluska.


1939 Albanian National Championship, Results, Finals
Vllaznija: Jubani; Hila, Pali; Alibali, Vasija, Koxhja; Shkjezi, L.Hoxha, Boriçi, Radovani, Gjinali.


1939 Albanian National Championship, Results, Finals
Goals: Plluska 6', Lisi 13', Kryeziu 32', Kryeziu 40', Vasija 43', L.Hoxha, Lushta, Korça 60’, Boriçi 76', Boriçi 79', Boriçi 80'


1939 All England Badminton Championships
The 1939 All England Championships was a badminton tournament held at the Royal Horticultural Hall, Westminster, England from 7–12 March 1939.


1939 All England Badminton Championships
It was the last to be held before the Second World War and would not reoccur until 1947.


1939 All-Big Six Conference football team
The 1939 All-Big Six Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Big Six Conference teams for the 1939 college football season. The selectors for the 1939 season included the Associated Press (AP).


1939 All-Big Ten Conference football team
The 1939 All-Big Ten Conference football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Big Ten Conference teams selected by the Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) for the 1939 Big Ten Conference football season.


1939 All-Big Ten Conference football team, Key
UP = United Press: "Coaches, scouts, players, campus correspondents and sports editors in every Big Ten center, participating in one of the most thorough investigations of football talent ever attempted in the midwest"


1939 All-Big Ten Conference football team, Key
Bold = Consensus first-team selection of both the AP and UP


1939 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
The 1939 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship was the 11th staging of the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament for boys under the age of 18.


1939 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
Cavan entered the championship as defending champions, however, they were defeated by Monaghan in a replay of the Ulster final.


1939 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
On 24 September 1939, Roscommon won the championship following a 1-9 to 1-7 defeat of Monaghan in the All-Ireland final. This was their first All-Ireland title.


1939 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The 1939 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship was the 12th staging of the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1928.


1939 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
Cork entered the championship as the defending champions in search of a record-equalling third successive title.


1939 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
On 3 September 1939 Cork won the championship following a 5-2 to 2-2 defeat of Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. This was their third All-Ireland title in-a-row and their fourth title overall.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship
The 1939 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship was the high point of the 1939 season in Camogie. The championship was won by Cork, who defeated Galway by a 15-point margin in the final.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Semi-final
The exclusion of All Ireland champions Dublin in a dispute over the ban on hockey players (in practice the All Ireland championship was organised by the National Camógaíocht Association while Dublin remained in the old Association with support from Kildare and clubs in Meath and Wicklow) was to lead to an eight-year-long split in the Camogie Association. It opened the way for Louth to win the Leinster championship once more, defeating Meath by 8–2 to 4–1 in the Leinster final in Darver.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Semi-final
A goal entering the third quarter from Kitty Buckley and two from Renee Fitzgerald were the turning points in Cork's 6–3 to 2–3 victory over Louth in the semi-final. Louth refused Cork's offer of a walk-over in the All Ireland semi-final, also fixed for Darver. They paid Cork's travelling expenses, organised a welcome reception and then made their exit from the championship by an 11-point margin. Patsy McCullagh scored all of Galway's 2–1 in the semi-final in Belfast but missed the final.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Final
Renee Fitzgerald scored four goals in the final as Cork won by 15 points. Cork were not presented with the O'Duffy Cup as Dublin had not returned it. They played in grey, green and white, the colours of county champions, Old Aloysians, who supplied ten of the starting twelve.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final
The 1939 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final was the eighth All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1939 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, an inter-county camogie tournament for the top teams in Ireland.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final
Cork had an easy win over the inexperienced Galway team.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The 1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 53rd staging of Ireland's premier Gaelic football knock-out competition. Kerry were the winners.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Format, Provincial Championships format changes, Leinster Championship format change
2 Preliminary Rounds instead of usual 1. Involved were Longford, Carlow, Westmeath & Wicklow of course the winners qualified for a Quarter-Final to meet the stronger teams.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Format, Provincial Championships format changes, Munster Championship format change
In 1939 Kerry were given a bye to the Munster final, Preliminary Round was just a lone match between Cork vs Waterford, The winners of the game played in the Quarter finals along with Tipperary, Limerick and Clare the winners of the game played in a lone Semi final. The format was previously used in 1933 and was used again in 1941.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Format, All Ireland Semi Finals system
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was run on a provincial basis as usual in every 3rd year in rotation, with the four winners from Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster advancing to the All-Ireland semi-finals. The draw for these games was as follows:


1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
The 1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 52nd All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
Kerry had to play without their captain Sean Brosnan who had a heavy cold. Dan Spring (later TD and father of Tánaiste Dick Spring) scored both Kerry goals. Meath rued their missed chances - they shot 11 wides.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
It was the fifth of five All-Ireland football titles won by Kerry in the 1930s.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
This was the first Championship meeting of Kerry and Meath.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The 1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 53rd staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 7 May 1939 and ended on 3 September 1939.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
Dublin entered the championship as the defending champions, however, they were beaten by Kilkenny in the Leinster final.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland final was played on 3 September 1939 at Croke Park in Dublin, between Kilkenny and Cork, in what was their first meeting in a final in nine years. Kilkenny won the match by 2-07 to 3-03 to claim their 12th championship title overall and a first title since 1935. The 1939 All-Ireland final remains one of the most iconic of all time. Played on the day that Britain declared war on Germany, the climax of the match took place during a terrific thunderstorm and earned the sobriquet of the "thunder and lightning final".


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
Kilkenny's Jim Langton was the championship's top scorer with 1-20.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Teams
A total of thirteen teams contested the championship, including all of the teams from the 1938 championship. Wexford re-entered the championship after a one-year absence.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
The 1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, also known as the Thunder and Lightning Final, was the 52nd All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 3 September 1939, between Kilkenny and Cork. The Munster champions narrowly lost to their Leinster opponents on a score line of 2-7 to 3-3.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Overview
Sunday, 3 September was the date of the 1939 All-Ireland senior hurling final between Cork and Kilkenny. Cork were appearing in their first championship decider since 1931 when they defeated Kilkenny after a three-game saga to take the title. Kilkenny, however, last won the All-Ireland title in 1935 and last appeared in the final in 1936 when they fell to Limerick.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Overview
Two days before the final, on 1 September, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, and, when his ultimatum expired, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcast Britain's declaration of war on Germany over the radio at 11.15am on 3 September, signaling the start of World War II. His declaration of war came 4 hours before the final began at 3.15pm.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Overview
Players and supporters awoke to torrential rain on the morning of the game. It continued to fall until the early afternoon but subsided just before the game started. As Jack Lynch and Jimmy Walsh led their respective teams around Croke Park bright sunshine greeted the men in red and the men in black and amber.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Match report
At 3:15pm GAA President Paddy McNamee threw in the sliothar the game was on. Even with the benefit of the wind at their backs the Cork men, who were playing at Croke Park for the first time in eight years, began slowly. Within three minutes the Munster champions were 1-1 to 0-0 in arrears as Jimmy Phelan found the net for the first time in the game with an early assault on the Cork goalmouth. Cork captain Jack Lynch opened the scoring for his team, however, ‘the Rebels’ struggled until half-time when they trailed by 2-4 to 1-1.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Match report
The game had just restarted when players and spectators alike were startled by a ferocious clap of thunder. What followed was a thunderstorm of extraordinary proportions with thunder and lightning accompanying a heavy downpour. Conditions were so bad that spectators could not make out the identity of some of the players on the field. The spectators sitting in the open had to seek refuge from the elements at several stages throughout the second thirty minutes of play while the press box situated in the front row of the Cusack Stand also had to find alternative accommodation.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Match report
On the field of play the hurlers battled with the elements as well as with each other. So bad were the conditions that the dye from the players’ jerseys ran into their togs. The Cork players found their feet and came storming back into the game. Jack Lynch stood up and played a captain’s role once again when he scored another goal for Cork. Kilkenny’s Paddy Phelan was the star defender of the day as he repelled wave after wave of Cork attacks on goal.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Match report
As the game neared its conclusion Cork’s Willie Campbell lined up to take a long-range free. He sent the sliothar goal-wards, however, it fell through a number of defenders and hurleys and ended in the Kilkenny net. It was speculated that Ted O'Sullivan might have got a touch on the sliothar; however, regardless of this the sides were level with just two minutes left in the game. Most agreed that a draw was now likely and, given the conditions that the game was played in, a draw would have been appropriate.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Match report
With time running out Jack Lynch missed a number of points before Paddy Phelan sent a 70-yard free in towards the Cork goalmouth. The sliothar was gobbled up by the defence and cleared, but only as far as Jimmy Kelly who sent it straight over the bar for a one-point lead. Many newspapers credited Terry Leahy with scoring the point, however, Kelly was the hero of the day. Immediately after the puck-out the referee blew the whistle and Kilkenny were the champions on a score line of 2-7 to 3-3.


1939 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, Legacy
A sliotar from the game, with the inscription "Jim Langton - All-Ireland 1939", sold at auction in Kilkenny for €750 in March 2021.


1939 All-Pacific Coast football team
The 1939 All-Pacific Coast football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Pacific Coast teams for the 1939 college football season. The organizations selecting teams in 1939 included the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press (UP).


1939 All-Pacific Coast football team
The USC Trojans won the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) championship, compiled an undefeated 8–0–2 record, were ranked #3 in the final AP Poll, and were represented by three players on the first teams selected by AP or UP: quarterback Grenny Lansdell (AP, UP), guard Harry Smith (AP, UP) and tackle Phil Gaspar (UP).


1939 All-Pacific Coast football team
UCLA finished second in the PCC with a 6–0–4 record, were ranked #7 in the final AP Poll, and placed two players on either the AP or UP first teams: halfback Kenny Washington (AP, UP) and end Woodrow Strode (AP).


1939 All-Pacific Coast football team
Two players from outside the PCC received first-team honors. Both played for the Santa Clara Broncos: end Bill Anahu (AP, UP) and center John Schiechl (AP, UP).


1939 All-Pacific Coast football team, Key
UP = United Press: "The sports editors and writers of United Press newspapers in the Far West today present their Pacific Coast all-star football team in 1939."


1939 All-Pacific Coast football team, Key
Bold = Consensus first-team selection of both the AP and UP


1939 All-Pro Team
The 1939 All-Pro Team consisted of American football players chosen by various selectors for the All-Pro team of the National Football League (NFL) for the 1939 NFL season. Teams were selected by, among others, the NFL coaches (NFL), Professional Football Writers Association (PFW), the United Press (UP), the International News Service (INS), Collyer's Eye (CE), and the New York Daily News (NYDN).


1939 All-Pro Team
Players displayed in bold were consensus first-team selections. Four players were selected for the first team by all six selectors: Chicago Bears fullback Bill Osmanski; Green Bay Packers end Don Hutson; Chicago Bears tackle Joe Stydahar; and Chicago Bears guard Dan Fortmann.


1939 All-SEC football team
The 1939 All-SEC football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) chosen by various selectors for the 1939 college football season. Tennessee won the conference.


1939 All-SEC football team, Key
Bold = Consensus first-team selection by both AP and UP


1939 All-Southern Conference football team
The 1939 All-Southern Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by the Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) for the All-Southern Conference football team for the 1939 college football season.


1939 All-Southwest Conference football team
The 1939 All-Southwest Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Southwest Conference teams for the 1939 college football season. The selectors for the 1939 season included the United Press (UP).


1939 Allan Cup
The 1939 Allan Cup was the Canadian national senior ice hockey championship for the 1938-39 Senior season.


1939 Amateur World Series
The 1939 Amateur World Series was the second Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (which titled it the Baseball World Cup as of the 1988 tournament). Great Britain did not defend the AWS title it had won in the inaugural event the previous year. The tournament took place, for the first time, in Cuba. It was contested by the national teams of Cuba, Nicaragua and the United States, playing six games each from August 12 through August 26. Cuba won its first AWS title – the first of what would be a record 26 titles by the time the series ended in 2011, 22 more titles than the next closest nation.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2
The 1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2 was the unsuccessful second attempt by American mountaineers to climb the then-unclimbed second-highest mountain in the world, K2, following the 1938 reconnaissance expedition. Fritz Wiessner, the leader of the expedition, and Pasang Dawa Lama got to within 800 feet (240 m) of the summit via the Abruzzi Ridge – a difficult and arduous route – with Wiessner doing practically all the lead climbing. Through a series of mishaps, one of the team members, Dudley Wolfe, was left stranded near the top of the mountain after his companions had descended to base camp.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2
Three attempts were made to rescue Wolfe. On the second attempt three Sherpas reached him after he had been alone for a week at over 24,000 feet (7,300 m) but he refused to try to descend. Two days later the Sherpas again tried to rescue him, but they were never seen again. A final rescue effort was abandoned when all hope for the four climbers had been lost.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2
The deaths and the apparently badly organized nature of the expedition led to considerable acrimony between team members and commentators back in America. At first, most people blamed Wiessner, but after he published an article in 1956, criticism turned to one of the team, Jack Durrance. When Durrance at last made his manuscript expedition diary available in 1989, it seemed instead that the primary failings had been with the deputy leader, Tony Cromwell, as well as with Wiessner himself.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2
In 1961, Fosco Maraini described the expedition as "one of the worst tragedies in the climbing history of the Himalaya".


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Background, K2
K2 is on the border between what in 1939 was the British Raj of India (now Pakistan) and the Republic of China. At 28,251 feet (8,611 m) it is the highest point of the Karakoram range and the second highest mountain in the world. From the beginning of the 20th century several unsuccessful attempts had been made to reach the summit and the 1909 Duke of the Abruzzi expedition reached about 20,510 feet (6,250 m) on the southeast ridge before deciding the mountain was unclimbable. This route later became known as the Abruzzi Ridge (or Abruzzi Spur) and eventually became regarded as the normal route to the summit.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Background, American Alpine Club 1938 expedition
At the American Alpine Club's 1937 meeting, Charlie Houston and Fritz Wiessner were the main speakers and Wiessner proposed an expedition to climb K2 for the first time, an idea that was strongly supported. The American Alpine Club (AAC) president applied for an expedition permit via the Department of State – the British colonial authorities approved the plan for an attempt in 1938 to be followed by another in 1939 if the first attempt failed. Although Wiessner had been expected to lead the first expedition, he backed down and suggested Houston replace him. Houston had considerable mountaineering experience – he had organized and achieved the first ascent of Alaska's Mount Foraker in 1934 and had been a climbing member on the British–American Himalayan Expedition of 1936 which reached the top of Nanda Devi, then the highest summit to have been climbed.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Background, American Alpine Club 1938 expedition
Houston's expedition investigated several routes up the mountain and, after deciding on the Abruzzi Ridge, made good progress up to the head of the ridge at 24,700 feet (7,500 m) on July 19, 1938. However, by then their supply lines were very extended, they were short of food and the monsoon seemed imminent. It was decided that Houston and Paul Petzoldt would make a last push to get as close to the summit as they could and then rejoin the rest of the party in descent. On July 21 the pair reached about 26,000 feet (7,900 m). In favorable weather they were able to identify a suitable site for a higher camp and a clear route to the summit.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Background, American Alpine Club 1938 expedition
The expedition was regarded as a success. A suitable route up the Abruzzi Ridge had been explored in detail, good sites for tents had been found (sites that would go on to be used in many future expeditions) and they had identified the technically most difficult part of the climb, up the House Chimney at 22,000 feet (6,700 m) (named after Bill House who had led the four-hour climb up the gully). The way was now clear for a 1939 expedition.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Background, Fritz Wiessner
Wiessner was a 39-year-old German rock climber who had achieved a huge number of climbing routes in the Alps, some of them outstanding first ascents. He was an astute businessman in the chemical industry and a visit to America in 1929 drew him into spending more, and then nearly all, his time there. In 1932 he joined an expedition to Nanga Parbat led by Willy Merkl. From their high point at 23,000 feet (7,000 m) Wiessner spotted K2 130 miles (210 km) away and the mountain became an obsession for him.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Background, Fritz Wiessner
Back in the United States Wiessner made friends with many influential and rich people and he introduced skiing and rock climbing techniques of a higher standard than those practised at that time in America. In 1935 he became a U.S. citizen and the next year he and Bill House became celebrated as the first people to climb Mount Waddington in Canada, a mountain on which there had previously been sixteen unsuccessful attempts. By 1938 he had become the pre-eminent American climber and, having been on Nanga Parbat, the only one with experience on an eight-thousand-metre peak. He seemed the obvious choice to lead the 1938 expedition for which he had led the successful attempts to secure funding. As it turned out he had prior commitments in 1938 but he was available for 1939.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Team members
In the fall of 1938, the American economy was not in good shape, and there were no realistic prospects for obtaining public or private funding for a 1939 expedition, so Wiessner had to choose a team from people who could pay their own expenses. The expedition would be away for up to six months, there were rather few accomplished mountaineers in America at the time, and none of the 1938 expedition members felt able to repeat their efforts. The people selected were going to be decided on grounds of availability, and ability to pay, rather than on mountaineering ability. The total cost was estimated to be $17,500 (equivalent to US$257,346 in 2019), or $2,500 per person.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Team members
Eventually, there were to be six members of the team, as well as nine Sherpas appointed in advance; porters were signed up en route. No  mountaineers considered most-qualified were able to join the expedition. Tony Cromwell, appointed to be Wiessner's deputy, was wealthy enough not to need to be in employment, and was dedicated to mountaineering with more mountain ascents than anyone else in the AAC. He always employed mountain guides, and he was very much a follower on his mountain expeditions, which were not particularly challenging.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Team members
He was 44, and had said that he would not be climbing high on K2. Chappell Cranmer (aged 20) was a student at Dartmouth College, and had been a climbing partner of Wiessner's earlier in 1938. He had done some mountaineering in the Rockies and rock climbing in New England. He had very limited experience, but did seem to have promise. George Sheldon, a classmate of Cranmer's, was very enthusiastic – the little experience he had had was in the Tetons.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Team members
Dudley Wolfe, born 1896, was the son of a wealthy coffee merchant who had married the even-wealthier daughter of a silver baron. Turned down by the U.S. Army for war service, Wolfe joined the French Foreign Legion too late in the Great War to see action. He owned an immense and magnificent estate in Maine, from where he competitively sailed his various yachts. He had an interest in skiing and, later, mountaineering, though he frequently needed guides to haul him up. He was bulky and clumsy, but also strong, and easily tolerated arduous conditions.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Team members
Jack Durrance was appointed when a more experienced climber dropped out at the last minute, after Wiessner and Wolfe had already left for Europe. He was known to Cranmer and Sheldon through their shared Dartmouth connections. He was twenty-six, and his childhood had been spent in Bavaria, where he had learned skiing and rock climbing. Returning to the United States in 1935, he had become a mountain climber and guide in the Tetons. Although he had not started his medical training, he was appointed the official expedition doctor.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Team members
He had little money, but some generous members of the AAC helped fund him. He considered himself under-qualified for the expedition and, in his personal diary, wrote that he thought the same of everyone else, save Wiessner. Among those who had turned down their invitations were Bill House, Adams Carter, Sterling Hendricks, Roger Whitney, and Alfred Lindley – any of whom would have strengthened the team. House later said hisdecision was due to personal differences with Wiessner.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Team members
The non-climbing participants were to be met in Srinagar: Lieutenant George Trench, the British liaison and transport officer; Chandra Pandit, the interpreter; and Noor, the cook. Pasang Kikuli was sirdar, and the other Sherpas were Pasang Dawa Lama (deputy sirdar), Pasang Kitar, Pemba Kitar, Phinsoo, Tsering Norbu, Sonam (Pasang Kikuli's brother), Tse Tendrup, and Dawa Thondup. Pasang Kikuli had been with Houston on the 1936 ascent of Nanda Devi, and was sirdar in 1938 on K2 – he was thus the most experienced climber in the world on high mountains.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Equipment
Wiessner and Wolfe purchased mountaineering equipment in Europe where, in those days, there was a much wider choice than in America. They bought the best available – Wolfe was paying most of the bills which were over and above the official expenses. They obtained strong but heavy tents, inflatable mattresses, Primus stoves, nailed boots and eiderdown sleeping bags. They obtained the best ropes of the time made of Italian hemp which, being water absorbent, become heavy and almost impossible to manipulate when frozen.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Equipment
Dehydrated (not freeze-dried) food was very limited – milk and a few fruits and vegetables – and most food was canned, apart from pemmican. Padded clothes were not available, they failed to buy satisfactory boots or sleeping bags for the Sherpas and omitted to provide snow goggles for the porters. Short-range radios and supplementary oxygen systems were both available in 1939 but were unreliable and very heavy so they were not taken. Durrance's high-altitude boots were not delivered to him in time. For the time they were well equipped with technical climbing equipment such as pitons, carabiners and crampons.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Voyage out
Durrance sailed to Germany and, after some skiing in Switzerland, went to Genoa where he boarded SS Conte Biancamano on March 29, 1939. He was there told that Vittorio Sella, a veteran of the 1909 Abruzzi expedition and now the grand old man of mountain photography, was asking to meet members of the expedition. While they were talking Wiessner and Wolfe turned up and Wiessner was visibly upset – the intention had been that he, Wiessner, would greet Sella first. Durrance felt slighted and later said he would have returned home if he had the money.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Voyage out
At Naples, Cranmer, Cromwell and Sheldon joined the ship and a spirit of comradeship was regained. They travelled first-class in style arriving in Bombay on April 10 from where they took a forty-hour train journey to Rawalpindi. In two cars they drove 180 miles (290 km) to Srinagar in the Vale of Kashmir.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Preparation for 1939 expedition, Srinagar and Vale of Kashmir
At Srinagar they were hosted by Kenneth Hadow, a British expatriate owner of a large estate. He had organized customs clearance for their baggage and also advised on suitable staff for local appointment. He arranged for the team to stay at a skiing hut at 10,000 feet (3,000 m) from where they made ski ascents to five nearby summits to acclimatize. On April 27 they returned to Srinagar and met up with the non-climbing team members; the Sherpas had travelled from Darjeeling.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Approach to K2
At that time the road ended at Wayil just north of Srinagar, 330 miles (530 km) (or a month's trek) from the mountain, so after driving there on May 2 they took to foot and pony. They travelled in stages of about 15 miles (24 km) a day, taking on fresh porters and ponies every three or four stages. Trekking via Sonamarg and the Zoji La pass into Baltistan they reached Skardu and crossed the Indus River into the Karokoram in an ancient hand-rowed barge.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Approach to K2
Cromwell wrote "This is indeed a bleak and barren country, and how the inhabitants manage to live fills me with a constant admiration and wonder. The hills are entirely barren of vegetation, which only exists on the irrigated alluvial fans." To cross the fast-flowing Shigar River required a ferry that was unable to carry their ponies. Following the river up past Shigar they went northwest and, at Dasu, east beside the Braldu River –  the villages became progressively more poverty-stricken and diseased until they eventually reached Askole, the last habitation, which was comparatively wealthy. On May 22 they departed with 123 porters each bearing 60–65 pounds (27–29 kg) and passed the snout of the Biafo Glacier.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Approach to K2
On May 26 they reached the source of the Braldu River at the Baltoro Glacier at 11,500 feet (3,500 m). Passing Mustagh Tower to the north and then Masherbrum to the south they were held up by a porters' strike when they camped at Urdukas. On May 30 Cranmer got cold, wet and exhausted trying to retrieve a tarpaulin from a crevasse and some porters had to be led back to Askole because of snow blindness, caused by the lack of goggles.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Approach to K2
Next day they reached Concordia (15,092 feet (4,600 m)) where the Godwin-Austen Glacier enters the Baltoro – after turning into the Godwin-Austen they were at last able to see K2. The party had been in very good spirits throughout the journey. Base Camp was established at 16,500 feet (5,000 m) from where most of the porters were sent back down to Askole with instructions to return on July 23 – there would be fifty-three days to climb the mountain.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Approach to K2
Next day, after Wiessner, Cromwell and Pasang Kikuli had set off on a reconnaissance, Cranmer became very ill, probably with pulmonary edema, and Durrance, despite his lack of medical training, treated him very successfully, giving artificial respiration for two hours and possibly saving his life. However, this was the end of Cranmer's effective participation – he might have been Wiessner's best climber.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Line of ascent
The camps were in the same locations as in 1938 and it was helpful that four of the Sherpas had been on the previous expedition.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Line of ascent
Wiessner saw himself as the person to lead the climb up the mountain, as well as being the overall organizational leader. The appointment of Cromwell, who had not intended to climb higher than Camp IV, as deputy and the lack of other experienced climbers gave Wiessner an over-dominant position in the team. This had caused no difficulties up to Base Camp but on the mountain Wiessner was to become progressively farther and farther separated from the main group of the team and no one seemed able to take charge of the logistics lower down.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Line of ascent
Of the better climbers, Cranmer was seriously ill and Durrance was greatly impeded because of still waiting for his proper boots. The Abruzzi Ridge can be climbed from Base Camp up to Camp VI in a few hours of good weather but in poor weather or with indifferent climbers the ridge is a dangerous place to be. Between Camp IV and Camp VII the Abruzzi Ridge is sharp, steep and unrelenting with exposure and rockfall being problems on the lower section. Strong winds can be a major difficulty; K2 partly protects the major eight-thousanders to the south but is itself, as the second peak at the start of the Karakoram range, very exposed to storms.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Progress up mountain, To Camp IV
On June 5 they carried 700 pounds (320 kg) up the Godwin-Austen glacier and its icefall to reach Camp I. After several carries Camp I was occupied on June 8 and next day Wiessner, Durrance and Pasang Kikuli reached Camp II which was to become the main low-level location for food and equipment to be stocked with 3,360 pounds (1,520 kg) of supplies.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Progress up mountain, To Camp IV
Wolfe's clumsiness as a climbing member of the team put others at risk but he was good company and very hard working so he was well liked. As time went by he associated himself more closely with Wiessner who seemed to be taking him as a favorite, possibly because he was substantially funding the expedition's costs.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Progress up mountain, To Camp IV
Leaving Cromwell to lead as far as Camp IV, on June 14 Wiessner returned to Base Camp where he found Cranmer in better health, able to organize things at base although he was not fit to climb higher. On June 17, back at Camp II, Wiessner found the advance party had not even reached the site of the 1938 Camp III – Cromwell, a fair weather climber with no leadership experience, was turning out to be a very timid leader, often making excuses for why activity should be postponed. Wiessner again took the climbing lead but even he took two days to reach Camp IV with a large team of eleven – as it turned out he continued to lead the climbing for the rest of the attempt on the summit.


1939 American Karakoram expedition to K2, Progress up mountain, Storm
On June 21 there was a severe storm that lasted for eight days. At Camp IV the temperature dropped to −2 °F (−19 °C) and down at Camp II there were hurricane-force gusts of 80 miles per hour (130 km/h). On June 28 Tsering Norbu went down to Base Camp and was able to bring back up the mail that had arrived and, at last, Durrance's boots. The storm ceased suddenly on June 29 leaving Wiessner and Wolfe still confident of reaching the summit but the rest of the team had lost all enthusiasm for the expedition.