Jacobs, Harry A (33743685)

Harry A Jacobs
Personal details
Birth name	Jakob Helmut
Born	1924 Mannheim, Germany
Died	2018
Nativity	Germany
Religion	Jewish
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	33743685
Rank	Private
Camp Ritchie	Class 12 (27 September – 25 November 1943)
Section	5B
Enlisted	Ft Myer, Virginia

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 (born Jakob; Helmut; from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 12.

Biography

Two special guests in the audience were Ritchie Boys Gideon Kantor and Harry Jacobs, who coincidentally both served together in the 4th Armored Division in WWII. Harry trained at Camp Ritchie, MD and Camp Sharpe, PA and specialized in Interrogation of Prisoners of War (IPW) and Order of Battle (OB). Afterwards, Harry joined OB Team 24 for duty with the 4th Armored Division. Harry entered combat on July 17, 1944 and saw action in the Ardennes, Battle of the Bulge, Bastogne, through Germany and into Czechoslovakia. This is just a snapshot of Harry Jacobs' story. Ritchie Boy Harry Jacobs published “The Pentagon Brank” in 2007. It is a fascinating novel of mystery and intrigue based on Harry’s experience in military intelligence during and after World War II. Ritchie Boy Harry Jacobs has had a WWII novel published entitled - "The Raid Toward Prague: May 1945. It became available on Amazon on June 29, 2018. Harry Jacobs graduated from Georgetown University and American University. Jacobs this past Friday, November 23, 2018 at age 94. Harry Jacobs was born in Mannheim, Germany and emigrated to the United States during the Nazi regime.

Research notes

• Also Class 10 GerOB
• Camp Sharpe
• OB 24

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
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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

Timeline

• 6/23/1943 Enlisted as Pvt (ASN 33743685) at Fort Myer, VA. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 12)
• 9/27/1943 Started Class 12 (IPW-Ge). (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 15)
• 2/17/44 Completed Class 10 (OB), qualified as Order of Battle Analyst. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 19)
• 3/13/44 Alerted for overseas deployment, promoted to M/Sgt. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 20)
• 4/6/44 Ordered to Camp Kilmer for shipment to ETO as part of 3-man OB Team together with 2nd Lt. (later Capt) Alfred Maul (1916-1975) and S/Sgt Alfred Launer (1922-2001). (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 21)
• 4/6/44 Ordered to Camp Kilmer for shipment to ETO as part of 3-man OB Team together with 2nd Lt. (later Capt) Alfred Maul (1916-1975) and S/Sgt Alfred Launer (1922-2001). (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 21)
• 4/6/44 Ordered to Camp Kilmer for shipment to ETO as part of 3-man OB Team together with 2nd Lt. (later Capt) Alfred Maul (1916-1975) and S/Sgt Alfred Launer (1922-2001). (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 21)
• 4/17/1944 Reported and assigned to SHAEF (MIS) in London. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 23)
• 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 5/13/44). (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 26)
• 7/4/44 Pvt Harry B. Levine (1906-1993) assigned to OB 24 from OB 33 (78th Infantry Div). (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 27)
• 7/11/44 4th Armored (“Spearhead”) Division landed at Utah Beach. Entered combat on 7/17/44. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 28)
• 7/11/44 4th Armored Division landed at Utah Beach. Entered combat on 7/17/44. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS.doc, page unknown; paragraph 26)
• 8/17/44 Cpl Levine was hurt in jeep accident and evacuated to a hospital. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 29)
• 10/30/1945 Awarded French Croix de Guerre. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 40)
• 8/26/1996 Awarded Bronze Star Medal with V-device by Department of the Army. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS.doc, page unknown; paragraph 44)
• 8/26/1996 Awarded Bronze Star Medal with V-device by Department of the. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 47)
• 3/4/2015 Awarded French Legion of Honor at French Embassy, Wash, DC. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS - 16.doc, page unknown; paragraph 49)
• 3/4/2015 Awarded French Legion of Honor at French Embassy, Washington DC. (Dan Gross private research timeline; HARRY JACOBS.doc, page unknown; paragraph 45)

Sources

• Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
• 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)