Jewish WWII British special forces veteran who fought against Nazis in Africa dies, aged 100

Jack Mann, a Cairo-born Jewish veteran of World War II, has died at the age of 100. Mann served with the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), a British unit formed to combat Nazi forces in North Africa, including Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps. He was the last surviving member of the LRDG. Mann enlisted in the British military at 17 and worked as a radio operator. His service with the LRDG was crucial to the operations of the nascent Special Air Service (SAS) and helped maintain control of the Suez Canal. Mann later served with the SAS and Britain's naval special forces, the Special Boat Service (SBS), undertaking postings across the Middle East and North Africa, including in British Mandatory Palestine. He also served in the Special Operations Executive. Mann told The Jewish Chronicle in 2014 that he joined the army in his late teens after learning about the Holocaust and Adolf Hitler's persecution of Jews. He stated his uncle's influence and the news of atrocities motivated him to fight. Despite his significant service, Mann downplayed his own heroism, describing his role as communications. He emphasized the horrors of war, urging his children and grandchildren to "never forget." Dan Fox, president of the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen (AJEX), eulogized Mann as "A hero, a gentleman, an inspiration."

“

One of my uncles was a big Zionist, and he heard about how [German Führer Adolf] Hitler was killing Jews, and I said I was going to help [fight him].