Josef Jakobs was charged under the Treachery Act of 1940. Prior to its promulgation, suspected spies and saboteurs could be charged under the Official Secrets Act or the Defence Regulations, neither of which offered the death penalty as a punishment. On May 22 and May 23, the Treachery Act bill was rushed through the House […]
Josef Jakobs – A Victim of the Treachery Act – Part 2 Read More »
German spy Josef Jakobs was charged under the Treachery Act, 1940, tried by court martial and executed by firing squad on 15 August 1941. In total, 16 spies were executed within England during World War 2 under the Treachery Act, yet many others were spared. What was the Treachery Act and how did it come
Josef Jakobs: A Victim of the Treachery Act, 1940 – Part 1 Read More »
Upon his capture near Ramsey, Huntingdonshire on 1 February, 1941, Josef Jakobs was found with several smoking accessories in his possession. One of the Home Guard volunteers who found Jakobs said that he was surrounded by used cigarette butts (about 30) and that his lighter was empty. During his imprisonment at Camp 020, the British
The Smoking Accessories of German Spy Josef Jakobs Read More »
When Josef Jakobs was captured near the village of Ramsey on 1 February, 1941, several tablets (pills) were found in his possession. The British Security Service (MI5) thought that they might be useful for secret writing. Jakobs denied this and said that the pills in his possession were codeine and aceticone (both useful for coughs)
Mystery Tablets found on German Spy Josef Jakobs Read More »
On Tuesday 5 August, 1941, Josef Jakobs was condemned to death for espionage by a General CourtMartial. There was no possibility of filing an appeal, so Jakobs wrote a plea for mercy to His Majesty King George VI. Jakobs wrote his petition out by hand, and in German, probably on 6 August. The military chaplain
A Plea for Mercy from German spy Josef Jakobs to King George VI Read More »
On the evening of 31 January, 1941, at 7 pm (British Time), Josef Jakobs departed Schipol Aerodrome in Amsterdam in a two-engined German aircraft. The three-man air crew flew the plane toward England and at 8 pm, over fields of Huntingdonshire Jakobs jumped from the air craft at an elevation of 3000 feet. Jakobs had
Equipped to Jump into the Unknown – Parachute Equipment of a German spy Read More »
In September 1940, four would-be “German” spies landed on the coast of England. The men were captured relatively quickly and in November 1940 were put on trial at the Old Bailey in London. Sjoerd Pons, a Dutchman, was acquitted and imprisoned for the remainder of the war. Of the other three, all were found guilty
Dead Men Talking – The Final Letters of Condemned Spies Read More »
Josef Jakobs was seated in a chair for his execution by firing squad at the Tower of London. The use of a chair for his execution has been variously explained: (1) Jakobs had broken his ankle during his landing and was unable to stand, therefore he was seated in a chair. (2) Jakobs was to
Chair of Execution for Wartime Spies facing the Firing Squad Read More »
Death Row. The end of the line. One door in, one door out. Appeals are written. Appeals are rejected. There is usually only one exit from Death Row. Inexorably the clock ticks down to the appointed hour. Usually there is no escape. Josef Jakobs was found guilty of treachery at his court martial on August
A Prescription for the Impending Death of German spy Josef Jakobs Read More »
On September 3, 1939, England declared war against Germany. On September 5 of that same year the English Parliament, with Royal Assent, passed a National Registration system. With war declared, evacuations looming, and the last census eight years old, the government wanted to know who lived in England and how to keep track of them.
National Registration Identity Card carried by German spy Josef Jakobs Read More »