Last Jewish Fighter of British SAS and LRDG Elite Units Dies at 100

Jack "Zaki" Mann, the last surviving Jewish soldier from the original British elite units SAS and LRDG formed during World War II, passed away at the age of 100. Dan Fox, president of the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women (AJEX), eulogized Mann as a hero, gentleman, and source of inspiration, extending condolences to his wife Helga and family.

Born in Cairo to Jewish parents, Mann enlisted in the British Army at 17 after learning about the Nazi atrocities against European Jews. Initially joining the Royal Corps of Signals in 1942, his multilingual skills quickly placed him in special operations. He was assigned to the LRDG, an elite unit conducting deep desert reconnaissance and raids behind enemy lines in Libya against Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's forces. The LRDG specialized in desert navigation and disrupting enemy supply lines, also serving as a "desert taxi" for the nascent SAS by guiding commandos behind enemy lines for sabotage missions on Nazi aircraft and airfields.

Later in the war, Mann served in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), known as "Churchill's Secret Warriors," undertaking covert missions in enemy territory without uniforms, blending with locals under the constant threat of execution if captured. One notable operation he participated in was Operation Postmaster in 1942, where British forces seized German and Italian ships off West Africa.

Mann also served in the Special Air Service (SAS), one of the world's most renowned special forces units, which later inspired elite units globally, including Israel's Sayeret Matkal. His life and service symbolize the bravery and sacrifice of Jewish soldiers in British special operations during WWII.