Jack had seen the cost of pressure on men who were barely more than boys. And he had felt the sting of military justice. Swift, impersonal, and absolute..... winter, tragedy, and a critical technical challenge would test him in ways he could never have imagined. Winter, tragedy, and a critical technical challenge would test him in ways he could never have imagined.

Jack never forgot it. “One of the bravest acts I ever saw,” he wrote. “Hope he finished the war all in one piece. A decent chap was Clarke.

Wellington bombers (“Wimpeys”) flew daylight raids against the German coast and were torn apart by Messerschmitt Bf 109s. Early Wimpeys carried Vickers K guns and poor turrets; the better Fraser-Nash turrets would come later. Losses mounted.