Jack Harmer was a 6′ 4″ RAF pilot who beat the odds to survive one of the most dangerous assignments of WWII: flying heavy bombers over occupied Europe.

– The Unbeaten Warrior: Jack was one of the few pilots to captain “Friday the 13th,” the most famous Halifax bomber of the war. While seven previous bombers with the registration “F” had been lost, “Friday” lived up to its black-humored name by surviving a record 128 successful missions.

– Cool Under Fire: Jack completed 30 operational sorties, including five to heavily defended targets in Germany. His citation for the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) praised his “cool efficiency” and “cheerful courage,” noting that his attacks were consistently accurate and determined.
– A Close Call with Fuel: The bomber’s history is filled with hair-raising stories, such as one mission where the crew accidentally flew past a cyclist in a ditch while trying to navigate through icy clouds, eventually landing just as the engines cut out from lack of fuel.

Jack’s survival was a feat in itself; 52% of Bomber Command crews did not survive the war, and his squadron, the 158th, suffered the highest casualties in the command.