Suitch's Bitch
Consolidated B-24J Liberator #42-100374

This project presents the B-24 flown by Suitch's Crew on the Gotha raid of 24 February, 1944, their first mission. The bomber, which the crew named 'Suitch's Bitch', bears the white circle and F of the 445th BG (H) as well as the squadron markings (IS) of the 700th BS (H). The letter J+ on the aircraft was the individual call sign given to the plane.
Two members of the regular crew were not on the mission the day that the bomber was shot down: Lt Murphy, the co-pilot, was replaced by the squadron operations officer, Captain Waldher, while Sgt Panconi, the tail gunner, was left behind as a result of the group decision to leave one crew member behind in order to carry more ordinance. Three members of the crew that were on the mission were killed. Lt Suitch and the navigator, Lt Eckard, both died when their parachutes failed to open. The tail gunner, Sgt Ulmer, never left the plane, though the waist gunners later reported that he was present and uninjured when they both bailed out.
Lt Murphy and Sgt Panconi both flew several missions as replacement crew on various bombers, but not together. Lt Murphy was shot down on a mission to Berlin and reconnected with Lt Peterson, the bombardier, in a POW camp. Sgt Panconi, however, was killed when his bomber was shot down a mission to Kassel.

The bomber is displayed with a follow me jeep, an M1 bomb truck, a Clarktor tractor, and a Dodge ambulance.