The Legendary Manchester City Goalkeeper Who Once Served as a Nazi Soldier During World War II

Today, I’m going to tell you the remarkable story of Bert Trautmann, a man who endured tremendous hardship after serving as a Nazi soldier and eventually became one of Manchester City’s legendary goalkeepers.

Bert Trautmann was born on October 22, 1923, in Walle, an area west of Bremen, Germany. In 1930, Germany was experiencing serious economic difficulties and political changes under Nazi rule. Trautmann’s family also suffered financially, forcing them to sell their home and move into an apartment in Gröpelingen, a working-class district of Bremen.

From a young age, Trautmann was interested in football and athletics. He joined the YMCA and the football club Blau und Weiss. In August 1933, Trautmann joined the Jungvolk, the junior branch of the Hitler Youth. A year later, he won several prizes in local junior athletics competitions and was also awarded a certificate for sporting excellence from German President Paul von Hindenburg.

When the Second World War began, Trautmann was working as an apprentice mechanic. In 1941, he joined the Luftwaffe, the aerial warfare branch of the Wehrmacht, initially serving as a radio operator. During his training, however, he showed only limited ability in radio operations. Because he was considered unsuitable for the role, he was transferred to the Spandau area to train as a paratrooper.

Trautmann received several military decorations during his service. However, by 1945, Germany had lost the war, and Trautmann was captured as a prisoner of war during the fighting.

He was initially imprisoned near Ostend in Belgium. After being interrogated, he was transferred to a transit camp in Essex, England. He was then classified as a Nazi and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp at Marbury Hall near Northwich, Cheshire.

After spending some time there, however, his behavior and attitude led the authorities to view him not as a committed Nazi but simply as an ordinary German soldier. His restrictions were eased, and he was transferred to Fort Crosby in Hightown, near Liverpool, where he was put to work on local farms.

Trautmann remained there for around three years. In 1948, he was sent to POW Camp 50 at Ashton-in-Makerfield. There, he began playing football regularly as a centre-back. During a match against Haydock Park, he suffered an injury and moved into goal. From that moment on, Trautmann began his journey as a goalkeeper.

As the POW camp was preparing to close, Trautmann was offered the opportunity to return to Germany. He refused and instead remained in England. He worked on a farm in Milnthorpe and also took part in bomb-clearing work in the Huyton area.

In 1948, Trautmann began playing as an amateur goalkeeper for St Helens Town in the Liverpool County Combination. Throughout the 1948–49 season, he displayed outstanding goalkeeping performances. In the final of the local Mahon Cup, around 9,000 spectators attended, setting a record for the competition.

Since Trautmann’s arrival, St Helens Town had improved significantly, and in the 1949–50 season the club earned promotion to the Lancashire Combination Division Two. His performances attracted the attention of several clubs, who began trying to sign him before the following season.

The first major club to make him an offer was Manchester City, then playing in the First Division. On October 7, 1949, Trautmann signed a professional contract with Manchester City. He also became the first German athlete in Britain to play wearing Adidas footwear.

Initially, Manchester City supporters and members of the media were unhappy that the club had signed a former German soldier. Protests took place, and many British supporters in Manchester were particularly angry. Around 20,000 people reportedly protested against his signing.

Trautmann, however, began to win people over through his performances. In January 1950, during a match between Fulham and Manchester City, he made a series of outstanding saves against Fulham’s attacks and received widespread praise from both supporters and people within the football community.

Because of his exceptional goalkeeping ability, Trautmann gradually earned recognition and established himself as Manchester City’s first-choice goalkeeper.

He continued producing outstanding performances for Manchester City and helped the club reach the FA Cup Final in 1955. In the final, Manchester City faced Newcastle United, who had won the trophy in both 1951 and 1952.

Trautmann produced an excellent performance, keeping Newcastle’s attack under control. Manchester City eventually won the match 3–1 and lifted the FA Cup. Trautmann was also named the best player of the match.

Manchester City finished fourth in the league during the 1955–56 season and reached the FA Cup Final once again. This time, they faced Birmingham City.

Manchester City took a 3–1 lead, but with only a few minutes remaining, Trautmann suffered a devastating injury when Birmingham player Peter Murphy’s knee struck his neck.

Despite the severity of the injury, Trautmann refused to be substituted. He continued playing and made crucial saves to prevent Birmingham from coming back into the game. Manchester City eventually won the FA Cup once again, while Trautmann became one of the heroes of the match.

The injury was far more serious than initially believed. Trautmann had suffered fractures to five vertebrae, with the second vertebra fractured into two pieces.

He struggled for a long time to recover from the injury. Although he returned to play during the 1956–57 season, his injuries prevented him from regaining the same level of confidence and consistency he had shown before.

On April 15, 1964, in front of 47,000 spectators, Trautmann officially retired from professional football.

He had protected Manchester City’s goal for 15 years, from 1949 until 1964.

Bert Trautmann overcame countless obstacles and hardships on his journey to becoming a Manchester City legend. His remarkable life took him from being a German soldier during the Nazi era to becoming a professional goalkeeper and one of the most respected figures in English football.

His determination, perseverance and love for football helped him continue improving and ultimately become an exceptional goalkeeper.

And with that, we come to the end of Trautmann’s incredible story.

Thank you very much to everyone who stayed until the end and took the time to read this story.