[Patrick]

MT insinuates that JJ has a pattern of misleading or at least the author of the diary does. It's too cryptic, if there is evidence of such it would be news, but only if there is evidence and with out the rest of us seeing it, how are we to be convinced...faith alone?

I don't know if "misleading" is the right description, it implies a malicious attempt to deceive. But perhaps "occasional hyperbole" better describes MT's assertion about the accuracy of some of Jacob's recollections? Here's something from Sims' interview with Jacobs referenced earlier that caught my eye --

Originally Posted by van der Laan

JJ has done several interviews in the 60s and 70s, a really good one is inside the book by Edward H Sims "Fighter Tactics and Strategy 1914 - 1970" published in 1972 ISBN-0-8168-8795-0 [ i found mine used on amazon.com for nine dollars US ]

Chapter 8 "A Reserve Officer" is entirely about old JJ and most of it in the form of an interview . . .

From Chapter 8, page 54:

I left flying school at Hangelar, near Bonn, to join the Army in 1914. I flew as an observer, bomber pilot and artillery spotter -- the Aviatik, LVE (sic), Rumpler and other planes.

. . .

In the beginning I sometimes carried bombs -- we threw them over the side with our hands -- ten kilo bombs. We carried six in the cockpit.

That's a very plain statement of fact by Jacobs. He specifies "ten kilo bombs" which in context of the rest of his statement (taking place in the 1914-15 time period) means 10 kg Cabonit bombs. He's specific about the amount carried -- "six" -- and how they were carried -- "in the cockpit".

But on reflection it seems -- unlikely. Terry Phillips and I discussed this same point regarding the Ilges and Brandt flight and quickly (too quickly?) discarded the idea that six Carbonits could be carried loose.

LVG C.IV Question

It's an odd-shaped weapon that can not be stood on end or stacked on it's side -- the best way to carry them is to hang them from the wire loop at the fin end. It's big enough that six of them would crowd out a cockpit, (in fact, doubtful you could find room for six and an occupant in any cockpit), and present a real danger of shifting weight or plunging right through the fabric side if the pilot was forced to manuever. One or two loose in the cockpit might be believable, but it seems that six would require some kind of rack or magazine.

So how are we to take Jacob's statement to Sims? Positive confirmation that it was possible to carry six Carbonit bombs loose in a 1914-15 era aeroplane cockpit? Or perhaps an exaggeration to add emphasis and color to his description?

For me, his statement proves nothing because the real-world physics keep getting in the way. Until someone can show the exact method of carrying six Carbonit bombs, either loose or mounted in some way, inside the cockpit, I find it an unbelievable description. I don't think Jacobs is misleading or lying or deliberately attempting to distort historical truth. But he makes a plain statement here that is difficult to connect to reality. I think "occasional hyperbole" is probably about right, and I'm sure Manfred has studied this far more thoroughly than I, so perhaps there's something to what he says.