Malcolm Bailey's Football Blog: BERT STUCK HIS NECK OUT

Bernhard Carl "Bert" Trautmann (22 October 1923 – 19 July 2013) was a German professional football goalkeeper.

Born in Bremen, Bert joined the Jungvolm, the junior section of the Hitler Youth in August 1933. Trautmann joined the Luftwaffe early in World War 2, and then served as a paratrooper. He was initially sent to occupied Poland and subsequently fought on the Eastern Front for three years, earning five medals, including an Iron Cross. Later in the war, he was transferred to the Western Front, where he was captured by the British as the war drew to a close. As a volunteer soldier, he was classified a category "C" prisoner by the authorities, meaning he was regarded as a Nazi. One of only 90 of his original 1,000-man regiment to survive the war, he was transferred to a prisoner of war camp in Ashton in Makerfield, Lancashire. Trautmann refused an offer of repatriation, and following his release in 1948 decided to settle in Lancashire, combining farm work with playing goalkeeper for a local football team, St Helens Town.

Performances for St Helens gained Trautmann a reputation as an outstanding goalkeeper, resulting in interest from Football League clubs. In October 1949, he signed for Manchester City, a club playing in the country's highest level of football, the First Division (top one at the time). The club's decision to sign a former Axis paratrooper sparked protests, and 20,000 people attended a demonstration. Over time, he gained acceptance through his performances in the City goal, playing in all but five of the club's next 250 matches.

Named FWA Footballer of ther Year for 1956, Trautmann entered football folklore with his performance in the 1956 FA Cup Final. With 17 minutes of the match remaining, Trautmann suffered a serious injury while diving at the feet of Birmingham City's, Peter Murphy. Despite his injury, he continued to play, making crucial saves to preserve his team's 3–1 lead. His neck was noticeably crooked as he collected his winner's medal; three days later an X-Ray revealed it to be broken.

Trautmann played for Manchester City until 1964, making 545 appearances. After his playing career, he moved into management, first with lower-division sides in England and Germany, and later as part of a German FA development scheme that took him to several countries, including Burma, Tanzania and Pakistan. In 2004, he was appointed an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for promoting Anglo-German understanding through football. In 2013, Trautmann died at home near Valencia, Spain, aged 89.

Bert (Bernard) Trautmann, born in 1923, is the subject of a film, "The Keeper". David Kross (28), above, plays Bert who is a 28 year old Prisoner of War, born in Bremen and fighting the 2nd World War in the Luftwaffe as a paratrooper. Having been captured and imprisoned he was noticed by a local football "scout" who got him involved with St Helens Town FC in the Lancashire Combination.

In 1949 he joined Manchester City and by 1964 had played over 500 matches for them.
Kross plays opposite Freya Mavor, the actress, who plays "Trautmann's second wife".
The story includes reconciliation and post war coming to terms, with a German fitting uncomfortably into a professional football club.

Trautmann is best known for breaking a bone in his neck during a goalmouth collision and save, 15 minutes from time in the Cup Final at Wembley (above). Trautmann, chastised by English crowds for being a member of the Hitler Youth and for being part of the enemy, carried on playing making a heroic stance in his team's 3-1 win over Birmingham City.

His broken neck was diagnosed four days later.

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Birmingham could not capitalise on Trautmann's injury and for his heroism, he was made Footballer of the Year 1956. Manchester City, in the final, were driven on by Don Revie who was part of a cunning "Plan" to beat his opponents; this involved Revie being a deep lying centre-forward!! We all know about Don Revie and his managerial history and deep lying CFs!!
Much of the film was made in Northern Ireland and part in Ausburg, Germany, including the Wembley scene!
In 1955, Trautmann played in the previous Cup Final, losing to Newcastle United 1-3.

Bert Trautmann

OBE

Trautmann at an event at the Olympiastadion in Berlin in October 2010

Born

Bernhard Carl Trautmann

22 October 1923

Bremen, Germany

Died

19 July 2013 (aged 89)

La Llosa, Castellón, Spain

Spouses

Margaret Friar

(m. 1950; div. 1972)

Ursula von der Heyde

(m. 1974; div. 1982)

Marlis Trautmann

(m. 1986)

Children

Association football career
Youth career
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position	Goalkeeper
	Blau und Weiss
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1948–1949	St Helens Town	43	(0)
1949–1964	Manchester City	508	(0)
1964	Wellington Town	7	(0)
Total		558	(0)
Managerial career
1965–1966	Stockport County
1967–1968	Preußen Münster
1968–1969	Opel Rüsselsheim
1972–1974	Burma
1975	Tanzania (adviser)
1978–1980	Liberia (adviser)
1981–1983	Pakistan (adviser)
1983–1988	North Yemen (adviser)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals