“Vestral/Valiant Virgin”

Flying near the rear of the formation during the low-level Ploesti mission of August 1, 1943, Valiant Virgin, piloted by Lieutenants Russell DeMont and Robert Murray, delivered its bombs on the target before an engine lost power on the way out. Rather than burn extra fuel keeping pace with the rest of the formation, DeMont chose to throttle back and withdraw alone. The bomber reached Benghazi with fuel to spare and returned safely.