One of them tries to flee, jumps over a fence and then walks right on the teeth of a rake, whereupon the handle hits him in the face.

Ludwig Aurbacher also wrote down a well known version in "Ein Volksbüchlein" (1827–1829) [3] and gave the seven protagonists names: Allgäuer, Seehas, Nestelschwaub, Blitzschwaub, Spiegelschwaub, Gelbfüssler and Knöpfleschwaub.

[4] Both Ferdinand Fellner and Georg Mühlberg are well known German artists who made illustrations to the story.

[5] During World War I the Fokker D.VII (OAW-built 4649/18) of the Luftstreitkräfte's Jasta 65 fighter squadron, flown by Gefreiter (corporal) Wilhelm Scheutzel [6] was resplendent in a scheme depicting a scene from an ancient German fable brought back to popularity by the Brothers Grimm in 1857.

But his Fokker D.VII has the 'Sieben Schwaben' (Seven Swabians) depicted in battle with a hare, using their one shared, pike-like spear.

The story is really an olden day 'blonde joke' about the people of Swabia and is thought to have been told by those in neighbouring areas of Germany as a tongue-in-cheek insult to the region.

Scheutzel joined Jasta 65 from Jasta-Schule II on 12 July 1918 and lasted until the end of the war.