After graduation from school and receipt of his Abitur (university entry qualification) in 1936 from the "Johanneum" in Lübeck, he completed his compulsory Reich Labour Service.

In July 1938 he completed the conversion course to fighters, and on 1 November 1938 was posted as a 1st Lieutenant and Adjutant for I. Gruppe of JG 144, flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109D.

Jabs' method with the Bf 110 was to approach from above and dive onto his opponents, using the weight of the aircraft and its heavy forward firing guns to advantage.

He declined dogfighting, attempting instead to maintain speed and height, and was conscious of the need to put distance between his aircraft and the opposing fighters when the time came.

At the outset of the battle the twin-engined Messerschmitt Bf 110 was expected to engage in air-to-air combat while escorting the Luftwaffe bomber fleet.

When Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring insisted the fighters stay with the bombers as a close escort, the Bf 110 was unable to take advantage of its strengths.

[9] In October 1940 Jabs' unit was transferred to Stavanger, Norway to perform coastal patrols to protect German shipping.

An increasing threat of night attacks on the territory of the Third Reich prompted the Luftwaffe high command to strengthen relevant defenses.

As Bomber Command's nighttime bombing campaign against German industry gathered strength, a night fighter force was developed by Wolfgang Falck and Josef Kammhuber.

[16] The Luftwaffe's Adolf Galland was given responsibility to provide air cover for the Scharnhorst-class battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.

Jab's gruppe was to place 30 Bf 110 night fighters over the fleet from before dawn till they were relieved by the Fw 190s of JG 2.

[20] On 1 November 1942 Jabs was appointed Staffelkapitän of 11./NJG 1, where he would become friends with Helmut Lent, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, Günther Radusch and Martin Drewes.

With the addition of FuG 202 Lichtenstein radar Jabs began having greater success locating British bombers.

Beyond the range of fighter escort, Bomber Command discouraged the idea, but the Eighth believed their aircraft would be able to fight their way through to the target.

[22] Göring insisted that all aircraft, including the night fighter force, would be put into the air to resist these attacks against Germany.

[24] Several attacks from the beam were made, and eventually a break in the formation opened a gap which Jabs and his wingman took advantage of.

Overall 5 B-17s were lost on the mission, one due to a mid-air collision with a Fw 190, but of the 8 aircraft Jabs' gruppe put up, all 8 suffered significant damage.

To their surprise, the night fighter pilots discovered they could fly below a heavy British bomber and remain out of sight and undetected.

With the target confirmed Jabs would fire from below, aiming for the fuel cells in the right wing root between the fuselage and the inboard engine.

[34] On 1 April Bomber Command was placed under the control of Eisenhower and SHAEF, and the force was turned to France to begin air preparations for the invasion.

Also present at the award ceremony were Gerhard Barkhorn, for the Swords to his Knight's Cross, and Erich Hartmann, Walter Krupinski, Kurt Bühligen, Horst Ademeit, Reinhard Seiler, Dr. Maximilian Otte, Bernhard Jope and Hansgeorg Bätcher from the bomber force, and the Flak officer Fritz Petersen, all destined to receive the Oak Leaves.

On 29 April 1944 Jabs paid a visit to fellow night fighter pilot Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer and his Gruppe at St. Trond Belgium.

In mid-afternoon through cloudy and foggy skies Jabs made the short trip back to his home base at Deelen.

As the two aircraft rapidly closed both began firing, but Jabs' twin 30 mm cannon took effect first, ripping open the Spitfire's drop tank and putting hits on the engine and wing.

He made an abrupt hard landing, and with the aircraft still rolling he and the crew scrambled for cover while the airfield's Flak batteries attempted to drive off the attackers.

They spoke together for a short time, and Caulton asked Jabs for a small signed note as a mark of their meeting.

[42] One such loss was Helmut Lent, who on 5 October was flying his Ju 88G-6 nightfighter from Stade to Nordborchen to meet with Jabs to discuss operational matters.

[4] The last two victories Jabs was credited with against Bomber Command were made on the evening of 20/21 February 1945 when he brought down a pair of Lancasters.

[44] After the war Jabs met a number of his former adversaries, including two from his encounter of 29 April 1944, Geoffrey Page and John Caulton.

[46] In the 1960s Kiwi native and former Pilot Officer John Caulton read a book Jabs had contributed to, and was intrigued as to whether this was the same man who had given him the note in Belgium.