After the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Germany occupied the western half of Poland. "AKS" became Fussball Verein Germania Königshütte and in 1940 joined Germany's first division Gauliga Schlesien where they finished atop the table. Piatek Germanized his name to Piontek and was a key player as "FV Königshütte" became the dominant side in the division, far outperforming state-supported rival "1. FC Kattowitz". The club earned division titles in the Gauliga Oberschlesien in 1942, 1943, and 1944, advancing to play in the regional qualifying rounds of the German national championships, where they were put out in the early going each year. "Germania" also made first round appearances in play for the Tschammerpokal, predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal (German Cup), in 1941 and 1942.