“I’LL BE AROUND”
(B-17G SN 42-31892)
As recounted by Ellis McClintick
Navigator, 570th Sq.

In late May 1944 when Captain Roger Sterr and his crew completed their combat tour (a measly 30 missions), their airplane “I’ll Be Around” was assigned to the Leroy Holmberg crew. (For those who weren’t in the 570th. B-17G #892 was originally assigned to the Sterr crew, about halfway through their tour. They selected the name and the co-pilot (Earl Schmidt) did the painting honors.) As the navigator on the Holmberg crew, I recall that we completed our 25th mission in “I’ll Be Around” but not our 26th!

But before we get to that, I must recount our trip to Leipzig in “I’ll Be Around” just prior to the Sterr crew departure from our hut (#32). It was a routine formation flight until the IP when fighters hit us. I reached for my portside 50 caliber, took aim and squeezed, but --nothing happened! I quickly traced the problem right down the ammo chute to its source. Our intrepid, heavy weight bombardier (Jack Pelton) was firing away, oblivious to the fact that he and his seat were sitting firmly on my gun’s ammo chute! When we returned to hut 32 that evening and reported our experiences and malfunctions to Sterr & Co., they gave us all kinds of hell! Nothing could possibly be wrong with “I’ll Be Around” obviously it was all the fault of a green crew. They had a fond affection for that airplane and we did too, but - - - then it happened!!!

It was June 4. 1944, just two days before “D” Day and we were outbound on a “milk run”. Our mission (my crew’s 26th) was to bomb coastal defenses preparatory to the invasion of the continent. I seem to remember that we were carrying 500# GP bombs and I’m sure we were at 21.000 ft. We had just passed what I recall as the Braintree “splasher”, when the trouble started. The exact events that warned us of the fire are hazy. Obviously those crewmembers in the aft sections heard an alarm bell or intercom order to “Bail Out”, because they did just that. I have never been able to recall hearing an alarm bell or what was said on the intercom, but we (Pelton & I) were aware of some danger and that we should prepare to get out. I had snapped on my chest parachute (a 28’ square model) when the engineer/top turret gunner (T/Sgt Andrew Brown) came through the tunnel into the nose section. His clothing and parachute harness were afire, which Felton and I quickly beat out. By now the tunnel was a wall of fire, but it was the only way out, so I crawled in and pushed myself through the escape hatch (which was already open). I went out headfirst with one hand on the ripcord handle!

The next memory I have is swinging through the air in my 28’ “swing” and my rear end hurt like hell (my pelvis was injured). As I tried to stop the swinging and make the parachute harness straps more comfortable, I must have passed out (again?). The next thing I remember was seeing the ground coming up - - fast! And when I touched down, I apparently passed out again. I had noticed a column of British troops on a nearby road just before I hit the ground, and I came to (or begin my recall?) as some of the troops were trying to get me out of my parachute harness. I can remember giving some instructions and showing them how to operate the parachute harness “quick release”. They got me onto a stretcher, into an ambulance and on the way to an U. S. Army Hospital. My new home was the 121st Station Hospital, APO 69, located somewhere near Colchester (England).

My surviving fellow crewmen were already at the hospital. Rolmberg (P) was severely burned (as was I) and required over two weeks in recovery. S/Sgt Kick (waist gunner) suffered a broken leg, as I recall and was out of service for a couple of months. I spent about six weeks in recovery and arrived back at the 570th in August (1944). (I finished my combat tour with Clifton Brown crew and Marcus Hedrick crew in late October).

It was determined that the fire in “I’ll Be Around” was caused when a short circuit in the top turret ignited an oxygen system leak. The oxygen fed fire became an inferno in the top turret and cockpit areas. In later discussions with other crewmembers I learned that after I bailed out, the Plexiglas nose blew out or partially blew out. When this occurred, the fire was retarded and soon went out. Pelton indicated that T/Sgt Brown disappeared from the nose section and he (Pelton) proceeded to bail out. As nearly as we can tell, Brown made an attempt to fly the plane and perhaps intended to land at one of the nearby air bases. There is evidence that he did salvo the bombs (safe) and the airplane reportedly was seen flying with the bomb bay doors open. The reports also indicate that the plane was seen to stall and crash into the ground. We now know the crash site as Scotties’ Farm, near the village of Messing (England).

We mortals will never fully understand why Andy Brown, like many heroes before him, attempted to fly and land the airplane when spare parachutes were available for his use. His actions were truly heroic and he was certainly the hero of our crew on June 4, 1944.

Technical Sergeant Andrew J. Brown was an outstanding B-17 Crewman and a super human being and we were all extremely sad to lose him. We were also sad to lose the great airplane we came to know as “I’LL BE AROUND”.