Did Josef Jakobs land in North Stifford, Essex?

The mystery and secrecy surrounding the capture of Josef Jakobs in 1941 has often made it difficult for researchers to track down accurate information on Jakobs and the circumstances surrounding his arrival in England. Over the years, two landing sites have been mentioned for Jakobs: North Stifford Village in Essex and Ramsey Village in Huntingdonshire. […]

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Ramsey Home Guard

On the morning of February 1, 1941, the Ramsey Home Guard received word that a suspected spy (Josef Jakobs) had been discovered in a field near Dove House Farm. Situated near the RAF Upwood airbase, the Home Guard was primed to be on the lookout for suspicious folk. A simple phone call by Home Guard

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Tower of London

Josef Jakobs on Facebook

I had no idea that Josef had a Facebook page! How can one have a Facebook page when one has been deceased for 70+ years? Well, apparently “famous people”, deceased or alive, get a Facebook page if they have a Wikipedia article. So the information on Josef’s Facebook page is essentially the same information as

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Who is Kenneth C. Howard?

N.B. See my February 12, 2017 blog for a break in the case. The Public Record Office (National Archives) in Kew has a small museum which, when I visited in January 2012, contained a small display case featuring some items to do with Josef. One of the items was a small black notebook, apparently found

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Tower of London

Filming – Bloody Tales of the Tower

An independent film company, True North Productions, contacted me in December. They are producing a mini-documentary on the history of the Tower and had heard about me. After several email conversations and an introductory Skype call, we connected via Skype, and I was interviewed by one of the hosts of the show. The documentary is

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