Another veteran, former Royal Marine John Harrison, 93, returned to the scene of the Normandy Campaign to receive his Legion d’honneur medal.
He is one of the 3,000 surviving Allied servicemen to be given the prestigious Legion d’honneur by the French government for their role in liberating the country from the Nazis. He returned to England in February 1945 when he was hit in the leg by shrapnel. Canadian Corporal Eldon “Bob” Roberts (5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m)), who commanded a troop of seven men, captured the gun crew. Nacken wore size 17 boots as an adult.
He was called Germany’s tallest man and was credited as being the world’s tallest man at the time.
1906–1987 (81) Malaysia: 220 cm 7 ft 1 in Mohd Azli Hisyam Tallest man in Malaysia. On one side towered a 7ft 3in (2.21m) German man mountain who quit his job with an American freak show to join the Wehrmacht. 7’3” Jakob Nacken (221 cm), the tallest German soldier of WW2, chatting with 5’3” (160 cm) British corporal Bob Roberts after surrendering to him near Calais, France, 1944. He had bruises on his head from hitting the tops of doorways that were built to accommodate people of normal height. 1975– United States Germany: 221 cm: 7 ft 3 in: Jakob Nacken: Tallest Nazi soldier in World War II World's tallest man at the time.
Tragically, his younger brother Ernie was less lucky and died only the day after he took up the same position Mr Roberts had just left when his company was relieved. If you are unable to donate, just enjoying and sharing is helpful in getting more eyes on the content we produce. It is an acknowledgment of the bravery and sacrifice they made.
The 92-year-old great-grandfather served as a Corporal in the war, fighting in France and evading death at every turn. Evgeny Stepanovich Kobytev: A soldier's face after four years of war, 1941-1945, The 100 most influential historical pictures of all time, Crowded ship bringing American troops back to New York harbor after V-Day, 1945, Adolf Hitler's eye color in a rare color photo, Father stares at the hand and foot of his five-year-old, severed as a punishment for failing to make the daily rubber quota, Belgian Congo, 1904, Everyday life along the Berlin Wall, 1985-1986. Mr Roberts’ most memorable moment came when he took the surrender of Germany’s tallest soldier. Bob Roberts now (left) and arresting one of the German army's largest men, US election: Republicans back Joe Biden to get intelligence briefings, 'Held to ransom' by Dominic Cummings: How Boris Johnson's late-night call helped avert mass exodus.