“Sex Appeal”

Sex Appeal nearly came apart during the climb ahead of the May 29, 1943 raid on the submarine pens at La Pallice. Nearing 21,000 feet, her engines began cutting out and the aircraft fell into an uncontrolled descent, dropping to 2,000 feet before pilot Jake Epting managed to recover the engines and level off. In the tail turret, gunner Ben Kuroki was drenched in gasoline during the plunge and could see nothing outside; he came home from the mission soaked through, still sputtering from the fumes he had breathed and swallowed. Epting and the rest of the crew, spared his ordeal, had a clear view of the Circus's bombs striking the sub pens before they salvoed their own load and fled for the English coast at low altitude - keenly aware that a single spark, even from their own gun, could have set the fuel-soaked aircraft ablaze.