Ltn Joeph Jacobs and the quest for the 2nd DEVIL image

[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. It starts:

It was a sunny autumn day in Munich, in 1968, and we got up from the table in the lounge and walked through the lobby of the Hotel Bayerische Hof, outside. Smiling, my stocky, brown-eyed companion extended his right hand. With an auf vidershen and a bow, he turned, putting on his hat and walked briskly away. About five feet nine, a quick walker in a well-tailored blue suit, he did not look back and I followed him with my eyes until he disappeared around the corner. He was seventy-four then, the most successful surviving scout pilot of the Kaiser’s Germany. He shot down forty-eight Allied aircraft in the 1914-18 war and survived a long list of incredible experiences, having met many of the best Allied scout pilots in aerial combat. Josef Jacobs; fifth ranging ace of the German Flying Service in the World War, probably remained at the front on flying duty longer than any other celebrated German pilot.

We talked all morning about air fighting in the First World War, and about the tactics and the great fliers of that conflict, and I thought, as the famous fighter pilot now a representative of a small crane factory, disappeared: “There goes a man poorly remembered by his country for a tremendous contribution”

“I went to the front in 1914 and stayed there for the rest of the war” ….,

It ends:
He seemed amused at my astonishment that at seventy-four, he didn’t receive a pension for his outstanding service to Germany in the war.
“You see, I was only a reserve officer.”

[Reinout]

What an excellent picture - thanks for that!

Are there any good monographs/biographies about Jacobs? He seems deservings of one if you ask me.

Kind regards,

Reinout

[ludwig113]

what a great thread,keep it coming

[StephenLawson]

Michal excellent thread. We all can learn if we listen.

[van der Laan]

Well this thread is starting to die down ... thanks for the comments though.

Rienout: short of Lawsons translations of the diary, the Niel O'Connor books, the Sim's book and a live interview for French TV in the 70, I know of no other sources but there simply must be more out there.

Time to change gears a bit. TONIGHT: it's CRASH NIGHT,

Yep as many of you already know, old JJ was about as lucky in crashes as my sister is. Heck she crashed a brand new 300zx on the way home from the dealer once, and if not mistaken that was crash number 8 before she was 30. Lately, she’s worked more on her dent skills than the total loss metric, but she's still just under fifty so theres time left to run up the score still.

JJ has crashed and survived maybe every type of aircraft that he flew except the EIII, unfortunately I do not yet have images of every machine after his handy work, but here is a start.

In addition to crash landings, JJ reported at least two Parachute jumps from which he claimed it was his last resort but work as designed. I'll bet the countless jumpers he saw bailing out of the balloons he flamed up early on gave him the confidence to take to the silks rather than auger in like many of his companions.


Hold tight I'm loading ....

[van der Laan]

We’ll start off with these; they are right out of the Dairy of old JJ held at the Lafayette Foundation in Denver. I snapped these with my digital so the quality is off and I really can’t tell you much about them, but I’m positive Steve Lawson can fill us in on them. Steve ;Fire Away.

[StephenLawson]

First. As most of you can see Jacobs is neither joyous or happy at surviving this crash of his Halberstadt D.V. He was doing a bit of stunting for some friends and hs landing gear hit a wind vane (we would say weather vane in the US). The image shows tht he is clearly miffed at himself.

[van der Laan]

I know someone who shall remain nameless (as often happens in situations like this) who did the same in an air force T-33 just outside of Corsicana Texas in the late 60s. Unseen barbed wire maliciously reached out from the ground and snagged the little plane by the wing. It all came crashing to the ground a hundred feet from a sausage plant.

Poor little bird never had a chance. The pilot and his shocked co-pilot came skidding to a halt, knee deep in pig waste and nearly had been decapitated. Officially it was referred to as an engine stall on a low altitude pass and after the neighbors were informed of the importance of a common story, it stayed that way. No one ever had any idea of the fantastic air show that had transpired just prior to the fence taking its jealous revenge upon the care free aircraft and no credit for the show was ever claimed.

[van der Laan]

When Albatros’ Collide

Here is an interesting set from the Ferko collection. Neil O’Connor had the same in his book and reports:

The date is August 21 1917 Jacobs was returning from combat patrol having taken a hit in his engine. As he prepared to land, another Albatros of his flight, Ltn. Hermann Kunst at the controls came in at the same time. And the two ships collided.

Both men survived and the farmers swept up the remains, only a few bits and pieces ever made it to EBAY in the 21st century. Damn those farmers and their cursed wagons!

[Hal Oele]

Hi Folks, hello van der Laan,

it´s always the damned details...

yours Hal

Here are some small but very important information...

1) Lt.d.R. Josef Jacobs NEVER jumps with a parachute, thats pure fiction of the thirties.

2) The Albatros crash happens not with a Ltn. Hermann Kunst. The pilot was Ltn.d.R. Knust, an ex-pilot from Jasta 22. Throughout the "Presentatin Diary" of Jacobs, held by the LaFayette Foundation, you will find the notation KUNST, but that's wrong. The same with Böhne, when the name was BOHNE.

That brings us to the question:
Why did Jacobs noticed the names of close friends in a wrong way, if its written in 1918??? Because of many other shady entries, it must be allowed to ask when the diary was really written, and is it realy the handwriting of Staffelführer Jacobs?

Manfred Thiemeyer