When German spy Josef Jakobs parachuted into a potato filed on Dovehouse Farm the night of January 31, 1941, he had a Shell Touring Map in his possession. The map was a fold-out variety and relatively small-scale. Not the best map for a would-be spy! When MI5 examined the map, they noticed that a triangle […]
A Theory for the Marks on Josef Jakobs’ Shell Touring Map Read More »
For the last few years, I’ve been scratching away at the personal history of Tin-Eye (Robin W.G.) Stephens, former commandant of MI5s secret interrogation centre, Camp 020. I’ve discovered quite a bit about Tin-Eye – his parents, his brother who died in WWI, the death of his second wife. But the death of Stephens continues
Long Shot on discovering the death date of Lt. Col. Robin William George Stephens Read More »
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote two posts which I hope brought some clarity to the location of Karel Richter’s landing site. The first looked at the possibility that Karel had sheltered at the Cherry Green Leaves camp northeast of London Colney. The second delved more deeply into determining, with some certainty, the landing
Photos from the Field Trip with Karel Richter Read More »
Given that Josef Jakobs and Karel Richter trained together in Hamburg under the Abwehr, I am always interested in information on Richter. Sifting through the internet the other day, I came across a rather odd article and even odder site that mentioned Richter. The site is called the Online Publishing Company (OPC) and is run
Karel Richter at the Centre of a Conspiracy Theory Read More »
Last week, I wrote a blog in which I tried to figure out the 1941 parachute landing site of German spy Karel Richter. A map drawn by Camp 020 officer, D.B. Stimson, gave some clues but also had its fair share of problems, most notably a mysterious row of houses and an odd North direction.
Landing Site of German Spy Karel Richter Read More »
Today, I received three courtesy copies of a BBC History magazine entitled The Secret History of Spies. I had been contacted last year by the magazine’s Picture Editor about supplying a copy of Josef’s photograph. In return, they sent me copies of the magazine. It is a nice-looking piece of work and covers a range
Article Review – BBC History Magazine – The Secret History of Spies Read More »
In the early morning hours of May 12, German spy, Karel Richter landed by parachute near London Colney. Originally a Czech citizen from the Sudetenland, in 1938, Karel suddenly found himself a defacto German when the Sudetenland was appropriated by Nazi Germany. A seaman by trade, Karel abandoned ship with the declaration of war in
Clearing up Memories of German Spy Karel Richter Read More »
Every few months, I sieve through the internet searching for new articles, blog posts or websites that mention Josef Jakobs. There are usually a few. Sometimes they are accurate, sometimes not so much. Often they are simply a regurgitation of previous information, and the errors multiply. The Hagley Woods Mystery – The Unredacted blog This
Errors Abound around Josef Jakobs Read More »
The Book A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City; Anonymous; Metropolitan Books, 2005. Summary In April 1945, the author, a female journalist living in Berlin, began to keep a daily diary as her city collapsed around her. The Russians arrived a few days later and the author writes in detail about the
Book Review – A Woman in Berlin – 2000 Read More »
Today, I came across a new website/blog featuring an article on Latchmere House/Camp 020. The article is hosted on the St. Margarets Community website. Written by Martyn Day, the article gives a brief history of Latchmere House and features a few quotes from its Commandant during World War 2, Lt. Col. Robin William George Stephens.
Website Review – Latchmere House – St. Margaret’s Community Website Read More »