Jabs Letter 1970

Hans-Joachim Jabs

588 Lüdenscheid,
Peterstraße 22
Tel. 22879

22nd October, 1970

Dear Mr. Caulton,

to get favourable news from you after more than 26 years’ was really a reason for me to be surprised and very happy indeed.

When I received your letter and read it with my family I was frankly spoken – really impressed.

I am indeed very pleased to understand that you went through the war well, that you found a good job and that you founded a nice family, so that I want to express my best wishes and heartiest congratulations.

When writing this letter to you, I should really like to report on so many things which have happened in the meantime, and especially during the last period of the war. However, to do this in details one should really have to write a small booklet.

First of all I want to thank you very much for your kind letter, and I take this occasion to inform you only of the most important points in my life, since we met at Arnhem.

You will certainly know that after our head-on encounter in April, 1944, my aircraft burnt out in the airfield. I still remember that you told me that our resistance could not last too much longer … and your opinion was right.

The year of 1945 for us was naturally full of very, very hard fights, which I definitely passed nearly safe and sound.

In May, 1945, in Schleswig-Holstein, I came with my complete night-fighter-squadron in a British prisoners-of-war camp.

By the end of 1945 I became free and had to find that the home of my wife and our house at Magdeburg were burnt out, so that we found a new home at Reinfeld in Schleswig-Holstein.

In March, 1945, our second son was born. The eldest was already born in 1942, so that we are really an “elder couple”, which has already passed it’s silver wedding some years ago. However, for having married already in 1940 we still feel ourselves really young and merry.

Hans-Joachim Jabs

588 Lüdenscheid,
Peterstraße 22
Tel. 22879

– 2 –

Since 1950 I am working in the line of agricultural machinery. 1953 I founded here at Lüdenscheid – together with an important company – a manufacturing company for agricultural machinery and implements. Today, these are two works, in which we make our products and I am glad to inform you that we export to New Zealand, too.

I hope that next year my sons will – after having finished their studies – both join the company, so that I will find some “helpful hands”, because there is a lot of daily labour and trouble, which you certainly can imagine.

I did not became an active member of the new German Air Force. Certainly we still maintain a lot of close relations to my old comrades, and especially to the Royal Air Force, too. On occasion of the 50th anniversary of the RAF and in memory of the Battle over England we all met in London last year.

Please, find enclosed some photos which have been taken on occasion of this meeting. Probably you know one or the other of your British friends personnally. On the back of these photos you will find some note of explanation.

I really hope that you will be able to come to Europe next year, so that we can arrange a personal meeting.

I should indeed be very pleased to see you again. Your fearless and straight behaviour on occasion of our first meeting – which for you will have been a really depressive one – has left a deep impression on me, and I have very often spoken about it amongst friends.

With my best wishes and kindest regards to your children, your wife and yourself, I remain,

Yours Sincerely,

Hans-Joachim Jabs