Josef Jacobs
| Josef Jacobs | |
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| Born | May 15, 1894 Kreuzkapelle, Rhineland |
| Died | July 29, 1978 Munich |
| Allegiance | German Empire |
| Service/branch | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Years of service | 1914 - 1919 |
| Rank | Leutnant |
| Unit | Fokkerstaffel West, FFA 11, Jastas 7, 12, 22 |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite |
Josef Carl Peter Jacobs (May 15, 1894 - July 29, 1978) was a German flying ace with 48 victories during the First World War. His total tied him with Werner Voss for fourth place among German aces.
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[edit] Background
Josef Jacobs was born in Kreuzkapelle, Rhineland, German Empire, and learned to fly in 1912, aged 18. As a schoolboy in Bonn, he had been fascinated by the activities he saw at the nearby flying school in Hangelar. There he learned to fly, under the tutelage of Bruno Werntgen.[1] When war broke out, he joined up for the Imperial German Army Air Service to train as a pilot; whereby he was posted to FEA 9.
[edit] Military service
[edit] 1915 - 1916
On 3 July 1915, Jacobs was posted to FA 11 (a reconnaissance squadron) for a year, flying long-range sorties over Allied lines, his first flight occurring the evening of his arrival. His first victory over a French Caudron occurred in February 1916, however, it was unconfirmed, due to lack of independent witnesses. After leave in April, Jacobs was posted to Fokkerstaffel-West to fly a Fokker E.III Eindecker and he finally achieved his first official victory, over an enemy aircraft on 12 May when he shot down a two-seater Caudron crewed only by its pilot.[1] At the end of July, Jacobs and his unit had been pulled back for what became a month's aerial bodyguard duty, protecting General Headquarters at Charleville. On 1 September, Jacobs left this duty that disgusted him, and returned to a front line assignment flying a Fokker E.III. On the 19th, he upgraded to a Fokker D.II. His old comrade in arms, Max Ritter von Mulzer, died in a crash a week later. On the 29th, Jacobs fell ill from dysentery; the sickness waylayed him for several weeks.[2]
Fokker Staffel West became Jasta 12 on 6 October 1916, and Jacobs remained with it, although a month later he transferred to Jasta 22, then under the command of Oberleutnant Erich Hönemanns, who was a personal friend.[3]
[edit] 1917 - 1918
He achieved his second victory (this time over a Caudron RIV) in January 1917. He achieved three officially claimed and many more unclaimed victories whilst at Jasta 22, where he remained until August 1917, when he transferred to Jasta 7 as its commander.
From early 1918 onwards, Jacobs started flying the Fokker Dr.I triplane with Jasta 7, and had his aircraft finished in a distinctive black scheme. The Dr I was his favoured mount until October 1918 and he used its manouevibility to his advantage, becoming the triplane's highest scoring ace, with over 30 confirmed victories.
Jacobs' victory tally slowly rose, until at 24 victories (achieved on July 19, 1918) he was awarded the coveted Pour le Mérite. Jacobs would remain with Jasta 7 until the armistice; his final victory tally was 48 enemy aircraft and balloons. Jacobs continued to fight against the Bolshevik forces in the Baltic in 1919, with Kommando Sachsenberg.
[edit] Post World War I
After the war, he briefly became a flying instructor in the Turkish Army, before completely withdrawing from military activity. He became a director in the Alder works and later owned his own aircraft manufacturing company in Erfurt in the 1930s. In addition to aviation, Jacobs was a keen participant in bob sleighing and car and speedboat racing.
When the NSDAP came into power he became a Major in the Reserves, although refused to join the Luftwaffe after being asked by Hermann Göring. Jacobs then moved his company to Holland during the World War II and at one stage went into hiding, after refusing to let Göring become a major shareholder in his company.
Jacobs died in Munich, Bavaria, Germany in 1978. He was at that time the last surviving bearer of the Pour le Merite order.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- van Wyngarden, G (2006). Early German Aces of World War I. Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-841-76997-5
[edit] External links
- Josef Carl Peter Jacobs - The Aerodrome - Aces and Aircraft of World War I
- Who's Who - Josef Jacobs
- Camouflage & Markings: Fokker Dr. I Aces
- Portrait: Josef Carl Peter Jacobs (German)
- Jacobs and his 26th "credit" {RAF 82nd Squadron crew POW 15 September 1918}
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