Many of the spies executed in England during the two world wars were brought through the doors of the Bow Street Magistrates’ Court. Over its nearly 300-year history, Bow Street dealt with an extraordinary range of high-profile cases: author Oscar Wilde, Irish nationalist Roger Casement, fascist broadcaster William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) and key suffragettes like […]
A Visit to the Bow Street Police Museum Read More »
I’ve known for a few decades that Josef Jakobs claimed to have been imprisoned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp. I’ve always wondered if his claim was true. Lt. Col. Robin W.G. Stephens, commandant of MI5’s secret interrogation centre certainly believed it was true. But it’s always been a niggling question in my mind. Every year, however,
Was German Spy Josef Jakobs imprisoned at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp? Read More »
A few months ago, I received a comment on one of my blog posts about Josef’s landing spot. The anonymous individual was writing in reference to the military map code that is contained within the MI5 files on Josef. The file notes that Josef was found at: Grid bearing 135 degrees from Dovehouse Farm. Distance
The Cassini Code of Josef Jakobs’ Landing Spot in Ramsey, Huntingdonshire Read More »
German spy, Josef Jakobs, was not a well man when he was found in the early morning hours of 1 February 1941. He had a shattered right ankle which cause him excruciating pain and made movement impossible. After a jostling ride to the Ramsey Police Station in the back of a horse-drawn cart, Josef was
Compassionate Care for a German Spy at Dulwich Hospital Read More »
In January 1941, Josef Jakobs received wireless training in The Hague prior to being sent on his espionage mission to England. During his interrogation by MI5, he was asked many questions about the German Abwehr’s activities in The Hague, most of which he could not answer. Josef told the MI5 officers about his accommodation which
The Hague – Vondelstraat Wireless Training Centre Read More »
On 8 January 1941, Josef Jakobs was sent from Hamburg to The Hague to complete his espionage training. In some of his initial statements to the MI5 officers in April 1941, Josef stated that he had stayed at the Hotel Central while in The Hague. In later statements, he corrected that information and said that
The Hague – Haunts of Spies Read More »
Two years ago, I wrote a blog post about the German Abwehr’s activities in Hamburg. Many of the agents sent to England from the Continent in 1940 and 1941 were run by spymaster Nikolaus Ritter from the Abwehr’s Ast Hamburg (Referat I Luft) offices. Early in my research into Josef Jakobs I discovered that he
German Abwehr Activities in The Hague Read More »
Back in 2008, the Duke of Kent cut the ribbon on the official opening of the Wandsworth Prison Museum. The tiny museum, tucked in an old garage was stuffed to the ceiling with artifacts and documents from the more than 150 year history of Wandsworth Prison. The volunteer curator, a serving prison officer named Stewart
The New and Improved Wandsworth Prison Museum Read More »
The Mail Online has an interesting article about an old map that has recently come to light. The map, which belonged to a Luftwaffe navigator, was found in an attic of a former WW2 air gunner and likely came from a downed Luftwaffe plane. Dated November 30, 1941, the map identifies some of the key
Duke of York’s Headquarters targeted by Luftwaffe during World War 2 Read More »
Hamburg has proved to be a stubborn nut to crack. Very stubborn. During the last few years of writing this blog, I’ve been tackling various locales, people and objects, trying to deepen my own understanding of the role they played in the story of German spy, Josef Jakobs. Most of my blogs have focused on
Abwehr Locales in Hamburg Read More »