A win in the Westdeutscherpokal (West German Cup) propelled the team into the national level playoff once again in 1932, and they again were put out in an eighth final round matchup, this time by Hamburger SV (1–3).

German football was re-organized in 1933 under the Third Reich into sixteen top-flight regional divisions and VfL became part of the Gauliga Niederrhein.

Through this period the club made appearances (1935, 1936, 1939) in the early rounds of the Tschammerpokal tournament, predecessor to today's DFB-Pokal (German Cup).

Immediately following the war, Benrath played in the Bezirksliga Berg-Mark and advanced to the regional Niederrhein final where they dropped a 2–0 decision to Rot-Weiß Oberhausen.

By 1947, they were part of the Landesliga Niederrhein (III) and in 1949 qualified for the 2nd Oberliga West (II) where they played a single season.