Jabs 70th Birthday Summary 1987

Former Bundespräsident Scheel was the most prominent guest
(Ex-Commodore of the ‘Jagdflieger” Hans Joachim Jabs is 70 years old)

Lüdenscheid.  Their friendship outlasted the decades. When Hans Joachim Jabs (owner and manager of the well known enterprise Lister-Landgeräte) had his 70th birthday recently Mr Scheel (former Bundespräsident was the most distinguished congratulant.  A big group of guests came together at Burg Schnellenberg to honour Hans-Joachim Jabs. Men like Adolf Gallant, Wehnelt and Krupinski came to congratulate him personally.  Anton Weiler, head of the Gerling-Concern and president of the society der “Jagdflieger” (Jabs is the vice president) to which former Jagdflieger and pilots of the Bundeswehr belong, asked a band to play. Walter Scheels close friend Martin Drewes came from Brazil. “Past adversaries”, pilots from England and the USA wished Hans-Joachim Jabs good luck.  Besides many other congratulants from the Rotary and Golf club, Jab’s family of course were the central figures: his wife Ruth, his sons Hajo (manager of the Lister Werke as well) and Uwe, his grandchildren Annelie, Philip and Sebastian. The friends honoured a man who went down in the history of the German “Nachtjagd”. During the war Hans-Joachim Jabs was Commodore in Deelen close

to Arnheim of the Nachtjagdgesdwader1″ (NJG1).  In his youth he was a famous decathelete who nearly qualified for the Olympics.  After he took his final exams (Abitus) and went to the “air force training school” in Wildparkwerder, he was on everyone’s lips as a good pilot during the years of the war and was honoured with the oak leaves to the knight’s cross of the iron cross.  He took part in flights above Belgium and England.

At that time, 1942, they met: Walter Scheel as a young reserve officer placed in an airforce-ground division in Russia, came to the west front after recovering from serious typhoid fever as an ordinance office of Hans-Joachim Jabs.  He was a gunner in one of the four groups (Jabs was the leader) of the squadron.  Scheel’s commander was Martin Drewes who lives in Brazil now.  At the castle in Attendorn there was a big re-union. At the same time memories of hard times were awakened.  The young pilots of yesteryear who were 20 years old at that time, went through the hardest defence battles against the technical superiority of the Anglo-Americans who carried their bombs towards the German towns. In Schleswig-Holstein close to Husum, they were imprisoned together.  This experience of the difficult war years fostered their friendship till now. Often, Walter Scheel, whether as a Minister or Bundespräsident, came to Lüdenscheid to visit his friend Hans-Joachim Jabs.

Optimistic, companionable and humorous, that’s how Mr Jabs is often characterized. As a successful businessman, he proved wisdom and the ability to make wise decisions. As former Commodore he always supported the reconciliation. In England he often was a guest the Royal Airforce. His emotions were stirred up, when he got a letter from New Zealand. The former [british?] “Oberleutnant” John Caulton reminded him almost 30 years after the war ended, of an attack in the area of Arnheim. Caulton, who was shot down was very moved by the charitable behaviour of Jabs, after Caulton’s imprisonment.