Jacobs, Harry A (33743685)

Harry A Jacobs
Personal details
Birth name	Jakob Helmut
Born	1924 Mannheim, Germany
Died	2018
Nativity	Germany
Religion	Jewish
Awards	Bronze Star Medal
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	33743685
Rank	Master Sergeant
Rank at Ritchie	Private
Camp Ritchie	Class 12 (27 September – 25 November 1943)
Section	5B
Enlisted	Ft Myer, Virginia
Specialty	Interrogation of Prisoners of War (IPW); Order of Battle (OB)
Unit / division	4th Armored Division
Team	IPW 24

Awards and honors

Bronze Star Medal

• French Croix de Guerre
• Bronze Star Medal with V-device
• French Legion of Honor

Teammates

Team — IPW 24

These are other soldiers listed on the same team roster. People moved between teams; overlapping service dates are not always documented.

Research notes on this page are compiled from the source file and later edits. They may be unverified, incomplete, or incorrect, and should not be treated as established fact. Please correct the article or add sources on the talk page. For class-roster terms, see About the data.

Sources & confidence: Treat Research notes as leads, not settled fact. Prefer NARA, the class roster, newspapers, Find a Grave, or published histories for contested claims. Mark unsourced claims with {{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.

Harry A. Jacobs (1924–2018) was a Ritchie Boy who trained at Camp Ritchie in Class 12 and Class 10 and served in military intelligence with the 4th Armored Division.

Biography

Jacobs, born Helmut Jakob, was born in Mannheim, Germany, and emigrated to the United States during the Nazi period.

From 1938 to 1940, Harry graduated Eastern High School in Washington, DC. In February 1947, Jacobs attended BS Degree, Foreign Service, Georgetown University.

He enlisted at Fort Myer, Virginia, on June 23, 1943, as a private (ASN 33743685).

He trained at Camp Ritchie in IPW-Ge Class 12 and completed OB Class 10, qualifying as an Order of Battle analyst.

On 2 November 1943, Jacobs was naturalized at Hagerstown, MD (5827246). He was promoted to master sergeant in March 1944 and assigned to SHAEF military intelligence in London. Jacobs served with OB Team 24 of the 4th Armored Division and entered combat in July 1944.

He was later attached to CIC Detachment 504 and returned to the United States in late 1945.

Harry Jacobs died several months after seeing the publication of his book.

Gallery

• 
  In the photo to the left, Bruce Henderson (left) is with Ritchie Boy Gideon Kantor (right). In the photo on the right, Dan Gross, Camp Ritchie's (Unofficial) Historian (left) is with Ritchie Boy Harry Jacobs (right).
• 
  In the photo to the left, Bruce Henderson (left) is with Ritchie Boy Gideon Kantor (right). In the photo on the right, Dan Gross, Camp Ritchie's (Unofficial) Historian (left) is with Ritchie Boy Harry Jacobs (right).
• 
• 
  Pictured below, they are (left to right): Harry Jacobs, Gideon Kantor, and Alfred Shehab
• 
• 
• 
• 

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	94
Nara ASN	33743685
Nara Name	JACOBS HARRY A
Nara State	34
Nara County	1
Nara POE	3347
Nara DOE	230643
Nara Grade Alpha	PVT
Nara Grade Code	8
Nara Branch Alpha	NO
Nara Branch Code	2
Branch	No branch assignment
Nara Term or Enlistment	5
Term of enlistment	Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Defer. Date	0
Nara Source	0
Nara Nativity	N1
Nara Year of Birth	24
Nara Race	J
Nara Race Description	White not yet a citizen
Nara Education	5
Nara Civilian Occupation	101
Nara Marital Status	6
Nara Height (inches)	4
Nara Weight (lbs)	0
Class_ASN	33743685
Class_Name	JACOB, Helmut Albert; JAKOB, Helmut A.
match_method	pass2_asn_last
row_source	both

Research notes

• Also Class 10 GerOB
• Camp Sharpe
• OB 24
• Gross RITCHIE BOYS - FIELD NOTES: OB specialist Class 12 + GerOB Class 10; OB Team 24 / 4th Armored Division.

Timeline

• 2 November 1943 — Naturalized at Hagerstown, MD (5827246).
• 23 June 1943 — Enlisted as Pvt (ASN 33743685) at Fort Myer, VA.
• 25 November 1943 — Graduated Class 12 as IPW Ge German Linguist (Cert.No. 4269).
• 25 November 1943 — Graduated Class 12 as IPW Ge German Linguist (Certificate 4269).
• 11 July 1944 — 4th Armored (“Spearhead”) Division landed at Utah Beach. Entered combat on 17 July 1944.
• 11 July 1944 — 4th Armored Division landed at Utah Beach. Entered combat on 17 July 1944.
• 13 March 1944 — Alerted for overseas deployment, promoted to M/Sgt.
• 17 April 1944 — Assigned to Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), Military Intelligence Service in London.
• 17 April 1944 — Reported and assigned to SHAEF (MIS) in London.
• 18 May 1944 — Assigned to newly established OB Team 24 for duty with 4th Armored Division (3rd Army).
• 4 July 1944 — Pvt Harry B. Levine (1906-1993) assigned to OB 24 from OB 33 (78th Infantry Div).
• Assigned to new OB Team 24 for duty with 4th Armored Division (3rd Army) along with 2nd Lt. Alfred Maul in charge. (S/Sgt Launer transferred from OB Team 24 to OB Team 4 on 13 May 1944).
• 30 October 1945 — Awarded French Croix de Guerre.
• November 1945 — Detailed to 79th Infantry Division for shipment back to the U. S.
• 26 August 1996 — Awarded Bronze Star Medal with V-device by Department of the Army.
• 26 August 1996 — Awarded Bronze Star Medal with V-device by Department of the.
• 4 March 2015 — Awarded French Legion of Honor at French Embassy, Wash, DC.
• 4 March 2015 — Awarded French Legion of Honor at French Embassy, Washington DC.
• Born 30 April 2024 in Germany (Helmut A. Jakob).
• 11/45 Detailed to 79th Infantry Division for shipment back to the U. S.
• 6/45 Attached to CIC Detachment 504.
• 6/45 Attached to Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) Detachment 504.
• 6/45 Awarded Bronze Star Medal at Landshut by 4th Armored Division.
• 7/44 4th Armored Division involved in action in the Ardennes, Battle.
• 13 March 1944 — Alerted for overseas movement.
• 6 April 1944 — Departed for Europe aboard RMS Queen Mary.
• 14 May 1944 — After short British OB course in London, assigned to OB Team 24 (about this time attached to 4th Armored Division).

Sources

• Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): RITCHIE BOYS - FIELD NOTES.doc
• Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
• Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
• NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
• 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-01-26 (2 posts)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-02-02 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-04-16 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-10-05 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-11-26 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-08-06 (1 post)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Harry A Jacobs for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 2 source documents reviewed)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Jacobs, Harry A for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 2 source files: HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, HARRY JACOBS.doc)