Month: January 2015

Today in 1941 – January 31 – Josef Jakobs landed by parachute near the village of Ramsey in Huntingdonshire

On this day in 1941, German spy Josef Jakobs descended from a German airplane over the dark fields of England. Like many parachutist spies, Josef hurt himself during the descent, breaking his ankle as he left the aircraft. At about 7:30 pm local time, Josef landed in a potato field on Dovehouse Farm, near the […]

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Book Review – Fighting to Lose: How the German Secret Intelligence Service helped the Allies win the Second World War – John Bryden (2014)

The Book Fighting to Lose: How the German Secret Intelligence Service helped the Allies win the Second World War. John Bryden. Dundurn. 2014. Summary There have been many books written about the triumph of the British double-cross system run by MI5 during World War II. The inept German Abwehr (German Secret Intelligence Service) sent poorly

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A Peek inside Wandsworth Prison

I went to prison while visiting London last year. Before that statement gives my parents heart failure, I must note that I went to prison as a visitor, not as an inmate. It was an enlightening and disturbing experience. A few months prior to my visit, I had contacted Prison Officer Stewart McLaughlin who also

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Book Review – In the Highest Degree Odious: Detention without Trial in Wartime Britain – A.W. Brian Simpson (1984)

The Book In the Highest Degree Odious: Detention without Trial in Wartime Britain. A.W. Simpson. Clarendon Press. 1984. Review This book was riveting and eye-opening. It is perhaps best encapsulated by a quote from Churchill, part of which forms the title of the book: The Power of the Executive to cast a man into prison

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The Rocky Road to Josef Jakobs’ Court Martial: The Officer Commanding Grenadier Guards

The court martial of an enemy agent was no simple matter. Josef Jakobs was a member of the German military, the English had decided that he could be tried by a court martial. But in order to comply with military law, Josef needed to have a commanding officer who could implement the proceedings. In late

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The Rocky Road to Josef Jakobs’ Court Martial: the Judge Advocate

MI5’s application to have German spy Josef Jakobs tried by court martial had been accepted by the Attorney General in late June. The officers of MI5 had anticipated that the court martial would take place within two weeks of the AG’s approval but there was some difficulty in arranging military prison accommodations for Josef within

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The Rocky Road to Josef Jakobs’ Court Martial: The Judge Advocate General of His Majesty’s Forces

In late June 1941, MI5 made a request to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to have German spy Josef Jakobs tried by court martial, rather than by a civilian court. The DPP forwarded the request to the Attorney General for his approval, which was granted on June 24, 1941. The very next day, the

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The Rocky Road to Josef Jakobs’ Court Martial: The Attorney General for England and Wales

The British Security Service (MI5) needed to jump through several bureaucratic hoops in order to have German spy Josef Jakobs tried by court martial. Their application for a court martial first landed on the desk of the the Director of Public Prosecutions who, after reviewing it, sent it on to the Attorney General on June

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