Hans-Peter Jacob
Karl Eugen Hans-Peter Jacob (sometime reffered to as Karl-Peter; b. 30 December 1909 in Kaiserslautern, Bayerische Pfalz; d. 22 February 1992 in Berg am Starnberger See, Bavaria) was a volunteer of the Reichswehr and officer of the Wehrmacht, at last Oberstleutannt and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in World War II.
Life
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Jacob entered the 10th Company/Infanterie-Regiment Augsburg of the Reichswehr as an one-year volunteer on 1 November 1934 and was released into the reserves on 12 October 1935 as Gefreiter der Reserve and reserve officer candidate. He took part in many reserve training weeks with the Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 99, was promoted to Leutnant der Reserve in 1937 and became an active officer 1938 with the Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98.
At the end of 1938 he became commander of the 1st (E) Company/Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98 and was commander of the 4th (heavy) Company/Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98 in April 1939. He took part in the Poland campaign and in the Battle of France, where he was severely wounded. In January 1941 he was commander of the 2nd Company/Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 143 (6. Gebirgs-Division). During the Balkans campaign he was once again wounded severely.
In February 1942 he was leader of the 1st Battalion/Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 141 serving on the Eismeerfront (polar sea front). In May 1942 he was transfered to the Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 143 and became leader of the Radfahr-Abteilung 67 (2. Gebirgs-Division). From the end of 1942 until the middle of 1944 he was teacher for Jagdtruppen at the Winterkampfschule (winter fight school) in Arys (Poland) and Lager Heuberg (Camp Heuberg). He then became commander of the 1st Battalion/Grenadier-Regiment 290 in Romania.
In February 1945 he was commanded to the Regiments-Führer-Lehrgang (regiment commander course) in Grafenwöhr and was presumably subsequently named commander of a regiment, simultaneously, as many sources assume, being promoted to Oberstleutnant.
Family
Hans-Peter Jacob met Leni Riefenstahl in Mittenwald in the late summer of 1940, where she was to film "Tiefland". Jacob, a talented Gebirgsjäger of the alpine or mountain troops, would become the stunt double for actor Bernhard Minetti for the next four weeks. It was a deep love and on 21 March 1944 they finally married in Kitzbühel (one of the wedding witnesses was Ferdinand Frech). After the war and his time as a POW, Jacob came home and Leni and he divorced in the spring of 1947. They would remain lifelong friends. After this he was engaged to Henriette von Schirach (de), separated wife of Baldur von Schirach. Although Henriette was divorced on 20 July 1950, she and Jacobs never married.
Hans-Peter Jacob, now a successful film producer, married 1956 the much younger German actress Ellen Schwiers (1930–2019), with whom he had two children, a daughter, Katerina (b. 1 March 1958 in München), and a son, Daniel (1963–1985), who both also became actors.
Promotions
- 12 October 1935 Gefreiter der Reserve and Reserve-Offizier-Anwärter (reserve officer candidate)
- 25 May 1936 Oberjäger der Reserve (reserve NCO)
- 12 July 1936 Feldwebel der Reserve
- 31 May 1937 Leutnant der Reserve with effect from 1 June 1937 and without rank senority
- later rank senority from 1 November 1937 received
- 12 May 1938 Leutnant (active) with effect from 1 June 1938 and with new rank senority from 1 October 1935
- 30 September 1938 Oberleutnant with effect from 1 October 1938 and with rank senority from 1 October 1938
- 25 September 1941 Hauptmann with effect from 1 August 1941 and with rank senority from 1 December 1940
- 31 March 1943 Major with effect from 1 January 1943 and with rank senority from 1 January 1943
- 1944/1945 Oberstleutnant (the exact date of the promotion to lieutenant colonel is not known)
Awards and decorations
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th Class
- Anschluss Medal (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938) on 8 November 1938
- Sudetenland Medal (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938) on 9 December 1939
- Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
- 2nd Class on 1 November 1939
- 1st Class on 10 or 20 April 1941
- Wound Badge (1939) in Silver on 3 August 1941
- Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) in Silver on 3 August 1941
- Medal "Winter Battle in the East 1941–42" (Medaille „Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42“) on 12 August 1942
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 June 1941 as Oberleutnant and Chef (commander) der 2. Kompanie/Gebirgs-Jäger-Regiment 143 in the 6. Gebirgs-Division/XVIII. Armee-Korps/18. Armee
