OBE for the German hero who stuck his neck outHerr Trautmann, who played in goal for Manchester City in the early postwar years, will be appointed an honorary Order of the British Empire by Sir Peter Torry, the British Ambassador.
“I am really proud of this award,” Herr Trautmann, 81, told The Times. “And happy that I could help bring Britain and Germany together in human and sporting terms during difficult times.”
...
The tall, blond Bremen worker had been drafted into the German parachute regiment. After what he later described as a prank, he was sentenced to three months in jail by a German army tribunal on sabotage charges. Instead of serving out the term, he was sent to the Russian Front, and was captured by the Red Army.
He escaped and was transferred to the Western Front. Captured by the French, he escaped again. In March 1945 he was captured by the Americans and again fled. Eventually the English managed to hold him; and in PoW Camp 50 in Ashton, he began his footballing career. “The camp commandant was an eccentric Scottish major who organised games between the prisoners and local teams,” said Herr Trautmann. His reputation as an acrobatic goalkeeper grew. After he was officially freed, he was signed by St Helens Town.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1338848,00.html I just love that story: sentenced by the Germans, escaped from the Soviets, French and Americans.