Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. In this week's episode, co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper tell the remarkable story of Bert Trautmann — the former Nazi paratrooper who became Manchester City's beloved goalkeeper and an unlikely symbol of Anglo-German reconciliation. 70 years on from the legendary 1956 FA Cup final, Wilson and Draper trace Trautmann's extraordinary journey: from Hitler Youth member and fighting on the Eastern Front, to prisoner of war in England, to the man who played on with a broken neck at Wembley. They examine his teenage indoctrination, the atrocity he witnessed, that shattered his faith in Nazism and the 25,000 protesters at Maine Road. Along the way, they explore the brutal treatment of goalkeepers in this era and how three successive cup final incidents began to change the game's laws. Finally, they reflect on how a flawed, charismatic man became the perfect bridge between two nations.
Jimmy Ashcroft and the Goalkeeper's Lot
Hitler Youth — Trautmann's Indoctrination
The Eastern Front
Witnessing the SS Massacre
Captured Three Times — Soviets, Americans, and a Cup of Tea
Prisoner of War and the Accidental Goalkeeper
Staying in England
25,000 Protesters
Winning Over Manchester
The 1956 FA Cup Final — Playing On with a Broken Neck
The Dangerous Life of the Goalkeeper
Footballer of the Year and Personal Tragedy
Burma, Women's Football, and an OBE
The Perfect Symbol of Reconciliation
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
