Year: 2015

German Spy equipped with Two and a Half Pounds of Chocolate

Recently I’ve reestablished contact with Martyn, grandson of Horace Jaikens, the police officer who was in charge of the Ramsey Police Station when Josef was captured. Martyn is a war history buff and a great source of information on Ramsey and the surrounding area. Last week, Martyn sent me some information from a book that […]

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The Mysterious Origins of Britain’s WWII Spy Catcher – William Edward Hinchley Cooke

Over a year ago, I wrote a blog post about Lt. Col. William Edward Hinchley Cooke, an MI5 officer who helped catch and prosecute numerous spies during World War II. Hinchley Cooke picked up the nickname “Cookie” during his career, a rather innocent term for such a dedicated and dangerous MI5 officer. While I have

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Exporter of Stockings & Spies – Captain Julius Jacob Boeckel

What does it take to become a spymaster? What are the qualifications? For the German Intelligence Service (Abwehr) in 1940, the answer would have been, “Not much”. We’ve already heard a bit about Major Nikolaus Adolf Fritz Ritter. He was hired by the German Abwehr in 1937 to run spy rings in the United States

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The German Spymaster and the Alabama Schoolteacher

Researching the life Josef Jakobs has led me down some very interesting side paths. I have come across many interesting characters whose lives intersected with that of Josef. Some were friends. Many were foes. Some were both. When Josef was recruited into the Abwehr (the German Intelligence Service) in 1940, he brushed shoulders with spymaster

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Magazine Article Review – After the Battle Magazine – Volume 100

The Magazine Article From the Editor, After the Battle, volume 100, Battle of Britain Prints International Ltd., 1998, page 23. Summary A very brief paragraph noted that the chair in which Josef Jakobs had been executed had been placed on display at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Included a photograph of the chair in a

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Magazine Article Review – After the Battle Magazine – Volume 80

The Magazine Article From the Editor, After the Battle, volume 80, Battle of Britain Prints International Ltd., 1993, page 2. Summary A brief mention of my trip to London in 1991. Winston Ramsey, editor of After the Battle Magazine, kindly took me on tours of Latchmere House, the Duke of York’s Headquarters, the Tower of

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