He was initially sent to occupied Poland, and subsequently fought on the Eastern Front for three years, earning five medals, including an Iron Cross.

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.

After his playing career, he moved into management, first with lower-division sides in England and Germany, and later as part of a German Football Association development scheme that took him to several countries, including Burma, Tanzania and Pakistan.

[3] The bleak economic climate of the early 1930s forced the Trautmanns to sell their house and move to an apartment block in the working class area of Gröpelingen, where Bernhard lived until 1941.

[10] He first served in Occupied Poland, although being stationed far behind the front line meant experiencing prolonged bouts of monotony; consequently, Trautmann and the rest of his regiment resorted to sports and practical jokes to pass the time.

Over-winter hit-and-run attacks on Soviet Army supply routes were the unit's main focus and in spring, Trautmann was promoted to Unteroffizier (corporal).

Gains were made in 1942, but the Soviet counter-offensive hit Trautmann's unit hard, and by the time it was withdrawn from the Eastern Front, only 300 of the original 1,000 men remained.

[14] By this point, German soldiers without valid leave papers were being shot as deserters, so Trautmann sought to avoid troops from either side.

After evading his captors, he jumped over a fence, only to land at the feet of a British soldier, who greeted him with the words "Hello Fritz, fancy a cup of tea?

As a volunteer soldier who had been subject to indoctrination from a young age, he was classified a category "C" prisoner by the authorities, meaning he was regarded as a Nazi.

[18] Trautmann, one of only 90 of his original regiment to survive the war,[13] was then transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp at Marbury Hall, near Northwich, Cheshire, and interned with other category "C" prisoners.

[29] Though privately expressing doubts about the signing,[30] the club captain, Eric Westwood, a Normandy veteran, made a public display of welcoming Trautmann by announcing, "There's no war in this dressing room".

[31] Trautmann made his first team debut on 19 November against Bolton Wanderers,[26] and after a competent display in his first home match, protests shrank as fans discovered his talent.

[33] He continued to receive abuse from crowds at away matches, which affected his concentration in some early games; in December 1949, he conceded seven goals at Derby County.

The match received widespread media attention, as most of the British press were based there; several leading sportswriters watched Trautmann in action for the first time.

The damage caused to the city by the Luftwaffe meant former paratrooper Trautmann was a target of hatred for the crowd, who yelled "Kraut" and "Nazi".

[36] City were struggling in the league, and widely expected to suffer a heavy defeat but a string of saves from Trautmann meant the final score was a narrow 1–0 loss.

By contrast, Trautmann, influenced by the Hungarian goalkeeper Gyula Grosics, sought to start attacks by throwing the ball to a wing-half, typically Ken Barnes or John McTavish.

Further problems were caused by the loss of Jimmy Meadows to injury after 18 minutes, leaving City with 10 men,[42] a disadvantage that meant Trautmann's ability to start attacks from throws was limited.

The match remained level until midway through the second half, when Jack Dyson and Bobby Johnstone scored two goals in as many minutes to give Manchester City a 3–1 lead.

[45] His neck continued to cause him pain, and Prince Philip commented on its crooked state as he gave Trautmann his winner's medal.

[46] Trautmann attended that evening's post-match banquet despite being unable to move his head,[47] and went to bed expecting the injury to heal with rest.

[57] After leaving City, Trautmann played for Wellington Town, who offered him £50 per match, signing in September 1964 to replace an injured regular keeper.

[62] After a couple of months pondering his future career plans, Trautmann received a telephone call from the Stockport County chairman, Victor Bernard, who offered him the position of general manager.

[64] From 1967 to 1968, he was the manager of the German team Preußen Münster, taking them to a 13th-place finish in the Regionalliga West,[65] following which he had a short spell at Opel Rüsselsheim.

"[36] Similar sentiments were expressed by the Manchester City forward Neil Young, who recalled that "the only way to beat him with a shot in training was to mis-hit it".

[69] As a former handball player, Trautmann was adept at throwing the ball long distances, an attribute he used to start attacking moves,[22] particularly after witnessing the Hungarian goalkeeper Gyula Grosics use such tactics to good effect in Hungary's 6–3 victory over England in 1953.

The former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson named Trautmann as his boyhood hero,[71] and Gordon Banks cited him as an influence on his playing style.

[75] However, the stand was gone within a decade: in May 2003 the club moved to the City of Manchester Stadium, Maine Road was closed[76] and was demolished the following year.