Republic P-47 "Thunderbolt"
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Jean Stravinsky, e-mail, 12.01.2024 10:18

I made a mistake on the Spitfire Mk XIV: Given the way the prop turns, it would be better in right rolls, not left.


Jean Stravinsky, e-mail, 12.01.2024 10:14

According to the SETP test in 1989, the roll rates for both the P-51D and the P-47D were not that great: peak was 55-60 dps while under 3 G and 72-79 dps at 1 G. The low figure was the P-51D and the high figure the P-47D. Controls on the P-51 are crisp but very heavy.

Sustained level turns of 27 seconds for the P-47 is Russian test nonsense. SETP has the P-47 Bubbletop and P-51D roughly equal at 10 seconds for a 180. I made my own estimations based on studying closely 800 Encounter Reports, assuming the Me-109G-6 was 19s left (below 250 mph) and 21s right, the Razorback with needle tip prop was about the same (similar in the first loop as well), but far looser and mushier in hard turns, which burned speed, while the Bubbletop was substantially worse turning in sustained turns, easily 22-23s both ways. Looking at the serial numbers on each Encounter Report, the Bubbletop was clearly worse by some margin vs the Razorback... P-51D with flaps, but at full power, was about 21s left and 23s right, and with lowered power plus flaps, below or at 200 mph, about 20s left and 22s right.

The FW-190A was about 19 seconds both ways with reduced power (maybe even 18s with broad chord ailerons to catch the wing: It also required the pilot to push on the stick to keep the nose down in turns below 250 mph, which was intimidating given the vibrations in the stick which killed the sense of touch), but it was extremely poor in hard turns (over 4 Gs), and even more so in hard right turns. However the symmetry in sustained speed turns gave it an advantage in slow (below 250 mph) prolonged 3 G turns, if the pilot was comfortable pushing on the stick with the ailerons deflected... It could exert high G forces on the pilot, but much of these forces were deceleration through mushing, not curving(!), so it could hardly achieve 4-5 Gs in real trajectory terms at high speeds, which is workable but extremely poor for hit and run tactics: Russian Red Fleet summary: "The Fw-190A will INEVITABLY offer turning combat at a minimum speed."

The Spitfire V felt lively in response, and out-turned both Germans above 250 mph, but it still sustained the speed in horizontal circles only to about 21s both ways, at a faster speed but in a much wider circle. It was unique in that it could stall itself to point accurately, wings rumbling, at smaller German circles, but this was not true out-turning, which usually required steady fire at a steady distance. The Mark IX was worse and the Mk XIV about the same as the IX, probably 22s both ways, 23s for the XIV, and both worsened in roll compared to the Mk V: V: 80 dps peak at a low 220 mph, IX 50 dps at the same speed, XIV 40 degree peak(!), maybe 50 to left. (All roll peaks would be at the same 220 mph speed, getting worse after: The NACA 868 chart is entirely calculated values, as explained 2 pages prior to the chart, and has no bearing on any reality...)

Russian evaluation of lend-lease Spitfire Mk Vs and IXs: "The Spitfire failed in horizontal fighting, but was particularly adapted to vertical fighting." (Le Fana de l'Aviation" #496)

Pierre Clostermann (RAF combat mission record holder, 18 kills, master of ceremony at wartime conferences on Luftwaffe aircrafts): "The notion that the Spitfire could out-turn the FW-190A or the Me-109G, below 220 knots (roughly 240 mph), is a good joke. Few pilots who tried it came back to complain about the legend. In combat turns the speed always went down and down to those speeds."(1990s recorded interview available on Chuck Owl YT channel)


Ron, e-mail, 18.09.2015 03:06

The main complaint for the P-47N was a lack of acceleration due to it's loaded weight with so much fuel. That's understandable. Even so, it did well as an escort. By the time it engaged the Japanese interceptors, it must have been light enough on it's feet to deal with most. High altitude champs can rule at will.


GARY BEDINGER, 01.04.2015 07:18

I NEVER EVER FLEW AN AIRPLANE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE,BUT I'VE BEEN STUDYING MILITARY PLANES FOR A VERY,VERY,VERY LONG TIME.
THE P-47 "THUNDERBOLT" WHICH WAS BUILT BY THE REPUBLIC AIRCRAFT COMPANY WAS TRULY ONE OF THE GREATEST MILITARY AIRCRAFT WHICH WAS PRODUCED IN AMERICA.THE P-47 WAS ALSO CALLED THE "JUG" BECAUSE THE P-47 LOOKED LIKED A JUG WITH WINGS AND A TAIL.THE P-47 FLEW AT 440mph AT 40,000 FEET.THE P-47 MOSTLY FLEW IN THE EUROPEAN THEATRE OF WW2 BUT THE PILOTS OF THE U.S. AAF FLEW THE P-47 IN THE PACIFIC THEATRE OF WW2 AS WELL.GREAT AIRPLANE!!!!


Ron, e-mail, 11.02.2015 05:36

The AN/M3 0.50 Cal. guns had a RoF up to 1200 rpm each gun for the P-47N in the last missions of WW 2.
WoF perhaps 6.848 kg per sec. if the 8 guns didn't jam.


Roby Rolfo, e-mail, 02.12.2014 20:57

If there are any veteran P-47 pilots still here and posting, first let me just say a big, 'Thank You' for your service. Likewise, if any of you are in NY or Long Island, the home of the P-47 (as well as the Grumman planes), I'd be more than happy to buy you a drink, or a meal, or whatever.

Getting to the point, I was wondering if anyone had any recollection of P-47 performance with "field modifications." I have heard references to some impressive numbers, but never from first hand sources.

Ernie Treff, you said your crew chiefs were getting 3300hp out of the R 2800C (which is great info), but do you also remember the top speeds that this could produce?

Like I said, I've heard mention of 500mph P-47's (mostly M's), so I'm curious if you could confirm this. Thanks again!


Col. Scott Walker U.S.A.F., 11.11.2014 01:28

Fact, the P-47 Thunderbolt was greatly feared by the Luftwaffe! KG-200 had five captured THUNDERBOLTS which they tested and flew to different Luftwaffe bases for demonstrations! Both Hannah Reitsch and Anna Kreisling both flew the P-47 Thunderbolt and urged Adolf Galland to build a copy of it for the Luftwaffe! Another American fighter that was captured in Norway with British Markings and flown by Anna Kreisling in KG-200 was the Chance Vought F4U Corsair!!!


Barry, 15.05.2013 11:42

Of the total P47's produced 12602 were P47D's. The colour illustration is a P47M of the 63rd Fighter Squadron of the the 56th Fighter Group based at Boxted Essex in the summer of 1944. The camouflage is an unusual two shades of grey.

On another issue why does this website not remove all this garbage that appears about Anna Kreisling? There are some very sad people out there!


Arlie Blood, e-mail, 10.11.2012 23:21

I joined the 388th Fighter Group at Cross City Florida in 1941. It was a Combat Crew Training Wing. After completing the course I was retained as an instructer. I soon had 1500 hours in the JUG and was itching to see some combat.The 405th Fighter Group was forming at Waltereboro for shipment overseas. I flew over there and convinced the Group Commander, Jim Ferguson, that with my 1500 hours in the JUG I would be a real asset to his organization but he would have to make a personal request to get me out of the Training Command. Apparently he had some pull because I was the envy of all the pilots when orders arrived transfering me to the 405th Fighter Group. I was assigned to the 510th Fighter Squadron as C Flight Commander.
I was shot down by German Flak while strafing a factory.
I was captured and put aboard a German Prison Train. We cut a hole in the end of the boxcar and all the little guys were able to crawl out and jump off at night while the guards slept.
We joined the French Undergroud. We were supplied with weapons and attacked Germans at night. We had to be back in camp before daybreak. We lived in an area called the Maqui. The Maqui was a thick brier bush so thick that one had to lay prone and crawl to enter. We were fairly safe as long as we did not venture out in the daytime.
A new member entered the camp and said he had witnessed my aircraft crash and showed me a piece with numbers on it.It was my plane.


Robert F. Dorr, e-mail, 30.09.2012 20:58

I'm looking for veterans or family members of the 414th Fighter Group, which flew P-47N Thunderbolts from Iwo Jima in 1945.


Ernie Treff, e-mail, 19.06.2012 18:00

Contrary to a belief that there are no 56 FG pilots left, there are three that I know of: Vic Bast, Russ Kyler, and me. We flew the P-47M in combat after helping solve some of the new model problems; i.e. engine running too cool, ignition problems, etc. With some great P&W and Republic guys, and of course our crew chiefs and maintenance guys, we got the R 2800C producing 3300 HP at 35000 ft and had an airplane that could outperform every propellor driven fighter in the world in regular service. There were 130 of them made for us and we flew all of them.


MARINER, e-mail, 29.01.2012 02:54

OS P47 TUNDERBOLT, foram os melhores caças/escolta e ataque ao solo da 2war., EM DESTAQUE , pilotos brasileiros do esquadrão "SENTA A PUA"- mais missões com mais alvos atingidos. THE BEST PILOTS.


Klaatu83, e-mail, 20.11.2011 16:51

The P-47 was the Cadillac of WW-II fighter planes: big, heavy and powerful. The R-2800 that powered it was, likewise, a masterpiece of an airplane engine. Like the airframe, the engine could absorb more punishment than most of it's contemporaries and still keep running. It helped make the Thunderbolt a formidable ground-attack platform. In addition, the turbo-supercharger also gave the P-47 excellent high-altitude performance. Couple all those traits with eight .50 caliber machine guns and the ability carry a formidable load of range-extending drop tanks, bombs or air-to-ground rockets, and the result was one of the true war-winning aircraft of World War II.


Grady Stoodt, e-mail, 28.08.2011 20:35

I really love the ruggedness and shape of the P-47.


Art Deco, 10.08.2011 05:16

The designation XP-47H applies to the Thunderbolt fitted with the Chrysler XIV-2200 inverted V engine. Modified from a P-47B. Fastest looking, and slowest of all.


Naga, 10.08.2011 01:05

What was the designation for the P-47 experimental platform for a Chrysler in-line engine?


LT. TOM EASTERLING, e-mail, 03.07.2011 18:14

I AM LT. LEWIS T. EASTERLING, COMBAT PILOT, 2 PURPLE HEARTS, AND POW. I FLEW WITH THE 358 FTR. GP. 365 TH. SQ.
EUROPE IN 1944 & 1945. YOU CAN READ MY STORY AT 22.01.2010.
I WROTE MY BOOK "TICKET TO HELL" IN 1994.
I NOW HAVE A NEW BOOK THAT IS EVEN BETTER. IT IS CALLED
"FURROW IN THE CLOUDS"


frostym, e-mail, 06.05.2011 14:56

My Dad was with the 365th FG, 388th Squadron, the Hell Hawks. He was a SSgt and crew chief for the P-47.


Nicholas Gravino, e-mail, 30.12.2010 00:31

My uncle's aircraft was also displayed in a video entitled "A Fighter Pilot's Story written by Quentin Annenson who was in the 9th Air Force 366 FG. 392 FS.


Nicholas Gravino, e-mail, 30.12.2010 00:13

My uncle Lt. Karl T. Hallberg was with the 9th AF 366 FG 389 FS stationed at Asch Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. On December 31 1944, my uncle and 3 other P-47s took off for the Rhuer Valley. My uncle was over a target of opportunity and attempted to release a 500lb under his right week, but to no avail. He tried to shake it loose but to no avail. He returned to base and upon touching down the bomb came loose and exploded. Everything from his bucket seat aft was gone. The aircraft totally disintegrated and came to rest off the runway. My uncle survived. He rolled off his left wing and went unconscious. He survived with a plate in his head. A picture of his aircraft is in the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Fairborn Ohio, the Smithsonian Institute. The Cradle of Aviation Museum, Roosevelt Field, NY. and was at Republic Aviation. As I write this article, I am looking at the picture on my office wall. I gave it the name Miraculous Metal, quite apropos. If anyone would like a copy of this print, I would be happy to send it.


Ademar Lelis, e-mail, 24.11.2010 14:51

Simplesmente belo.........se não.......o melhor para sua época.


Karl Legacy, 23.11.2010 06:34

I love the Shafter Minter Warbird airshow that is held each year! Just a few miles North of Bakersfield, Calif. Two years ago they had a silver P-47 Thunderbolt start its engine and it sounded like 32 Harley Davidson motorcycles starting up!! It was the greatest sound! I sat down at this table with all these Germans speaking German, and I offered to buy all of them a beer! YA,YA, YA!!! IS ALL THEY SAID, so I bought them all a beer, then after an hour this blonde lady wearing pink shorts gets up from the table and walks me over to an AT-6. She is smiling as she straps me in the back seat, and she asks me if I want to join the Luftwaffe!! And I smiled, so she gets in the front seat and starts up the engine, and we taxi out!Down the runway we go at full throttle and climb up to 8,000 feet. Then she did a loop and a hammerhead!! IT WAS THE WILDEST RIDE IN MY LIFE!
An hour later we came back and landed, and she smiled and said I was now a Luftwaffe pilot! "How can you tell??" I asked. She said that I qualified because I didn't throw up my beer, NO GERMAN PILOT THROWS UP BEER!! Later I found out her name, it was ANNA KREISLING!!


NYPD Frank Gifford, 24.10.2010 09:32

My father flew the P-47 Thunderbolt in World War II and he said that in 1945 they had a briefing about an all Female Fighter Squadron being formed by Hitler and Goering. The best LADY pilots were going to fly jets and try to shoot down the American Bombers! He said they showed some slides of the ME-262 Jet and pictures of some of the top German Women Pilots! HANNAH REICH, and ANNA KREISLING, when her picture was shown all the guys started howling and whistling because she looked like a Hollywood Pin Up Girl!!! Everyone felt sorry for the Germans because they were so desperate they were sending up Lady Pilots!
Three weeks ago at the Regency Hotel Bill Clinton was in an elevator talking with Anna Kreisling. In comes Barbra Streisand and demands to know who she is. Bill tried to introduce ANNA, but Streisand tried to sucker punch her and missed and Anna knocked her out with a right cross and broke her nose! Bill had to carry Streisand into her room and Anna put some ice on her nose! I tell you my Grandfather would have paid $20,000 dollars to see that fight!!!


Mike Towner, e-mail, 22.10.2010 02:20

Ron, interesting thing about Kyushu.. when I was a kid, we were stationed at Itazuke and Brady AFB near Fukuoka.. he mentioned more than once about strafing and bombing the very bases where we were living.. Fascinating how things work out sometimes.


Mike Towner, e-mail, 21.10.2010 21:05

My dad was with the 318th FG 19th Sq from Saipan to Ie Shima. He flew both the P-47D and later the P-47N.. Loved that plane. He flew until retirement in 1972 flying the F-100D.. He said the only plane he liked more then the 'N' was the F-86.


George Stein, e-mail, 13.10.2010 16:19

I knew many of the guys in Zemke's Wolf Pack. They are all gone now with the passing of Bud Mahurin. They were all like the P-47, tough, brazen, smart and first-rate. Hub Zemke was the personification of the Thunderbolt.


Ron, e-mail, 29.08.2010 07:29

44 P-47Ns got into a running battle with some aggresive Ki 84 interceptors when escorting B-29s bombers over Yawata, Kyushu on Aug. 8, 1945.
4 fighters were lost on each side. The Ki 84 had the best wing cannon 20 or 30-mm. The Ho-5 was fastest 20-mm in the world: 850 rpm each! And the Ho-105: 450 rpm! (about as fast as a 20-mm on a Zero but these are 30-mm!)
Escort P-47Ns based at le Shima had the new M3 Browning .50s with a rate of 1200 rounds per minute each. x8!
On Aug. 14, Capt. Douglas Currey also of the 318th Group, damaged a Kawasaki Ki 61 Tony when he spotted a lone Nakajima Frank east of Osaka. His new guns shredded the Ki 84 of Warrant Officer Kenji Fujimoto who was fatally wounded on. Next day Japan surrendered. Often this has been mistakenly reported as a Ki 43 Oscar as the last victim of the air war over Japan, bounced by a P-47. I stand corrected if I repeated the same mistaken report.


Aaron, e-mail, 18.08.2010 19:19

As far as I know (at this time) offically the P-47M was the fastest prop-driven US fighter to actually enter combat. Documented pilot reports state the P-47M was pushed to 500mph from time to time. This would have been way up high. and above 28,000ft is where this plane really shined. However, up to around 21,000ft the F4U-4 was 15-25mph faster. That is where the Corsair really shined. The both used the R-2800 with different supercharger setups. The R-2800 was a beautifly rugged and dependable engine.


Aaron, e-mail, 18.08.2010 18:58

Peteh,
The P-47M used the R-2800-57 w/CH5 turbo. like the P-47N. The only difference was the bugs weren't all worked out in the M. I read one article that suggested the R-2800-14W was also used....Possibly. The R-2800-57 was refered to as the C series by republic and they did over boost one of these for 7.5 hrs. at 3600hp. without a single failure of any kind. The engine was completely used up but not a single component failure. I read another article that claimed 250hrs.....WoW, if true. The author further claims the performance was reportedly the following:
470-480mph/28,500ft. 20,000ft/5.7min. at military power (2100hp) and 20,000ft./4.75min.in WEP(2800hp@2800rpm). I personally have not read any official documents to support these figures. The military powered climb time seems highly unlikely and the war emergency time seems on the optomistic side to me.


Aaron, e-mail, 17.08.2010 19:00

INER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM, Army Air Forces Material Center, Office of The Commanding General. This was sent by Col. George.E.Price:haw, TSBPR Ext. 2-9105 at Wright Field,
Dayton, Ohio on 6 October 1944. It was sent to: The Chief, Engeineering and Procurement. It is a memorandum containing the results of a comparison of performance testing of the P-47D, M and N. The following contains some of the results for the P-47M at war emergency power (2800hp):
367mph/SL. 401mph/10,000ft. 436mph/20,000ft. 473mph/30,000ft. CLIMB: 3960fpm/SL. 3740fpm/10,000ft. 3300fpm/20,000ft. 2180fpm/32,000ft. Combat Radius:400mls.
Combat Weight: 13,262lbs.
The following is for the P-47N at combat power(2800hp).
359mph/SL. 392mph/10,000ft. 423mph./20,000ft. 457(467in actual test the memorandum had a misprint)mph/32,000ft.
CLIMB: 3580fpm/SL. 3500fpm/10,000ft. 3150fpm/20,000ft. 1840fpm/32,000ft. Combat Radius:1310mls. Combat Weight: 15,790lbs. The engine was the R-2800-57 with a CH5 turbo.
The P-47D-30 at war emergency (2600hp):
345mph/SL. 383mpn/10,000ft. 417mph/20,000ft. 443mph/29,000ft. CLIMB: 3180fpm/SL. 2920fpm/10,000ft. 2470fpm/20,000ft. 1100fpm/32,000ft. Combat Radius:600mls. Combat Weight: 12,731lbs. The engine was: R-2800-59.


Ron, e-mail, 04.05.2010 16:58

Initial climb for the P-47N was a pedestrian 2770 fpm.


Ron, e-mail, 04.05.2010 01:24

4.2 minutes to 15,000' for the M,
4.6 for the N.
Those are the boosted times.
(I had to correct my former post where I was comparing the M's 4.2 to the unboosted N)


Ron, e-mail, 04.05.2010 01:14

467 mph was for the P-47N boosted to 2800 hp.
But climb rate dropped from the P-47M of 3500 fpm.
Now a climb to 15,000' took about 2 minutes longer.


Ron, e-mail, 04.05.2010 01:01

473 mph was the level speed @ 32,000' for the P-47M but had engine troubles. Radius was only 400 miles.
457 mph for the P-47N. Slower but a more refined engine. Radius was 1,310 miles. It reportedly armed with the faster M3 .50s with a 1200 r/m rate each!
Unlike other super fighters, the P-47N saw combat in significant numbers.


Tony, e-mail, 11.04.2010 08:28

P-51 was a great plane. more like a swimsuit model. sexy, High-maintenance. the p-38 was brawney, stout...a well-trained boxer. The p-47 was a street-fighter. It literally slugged it out with some of the best planes in history and usually come out on top. tough as boot-leather. and it could give it or take it. like a timex, it could take a licking and keep on ticking.
I dont think ANY particular fighter was the best of WW2...one must put them into perspective to begin to see how each one was effective. Like any other machine, it can only be as good as its operator. Those men were amazing and we happened to give them the right equipment to prove it to us. thanks guys!


Lt. Tom Easterling, e-mail, 22.01.2010 23:22

You can bet your life on the P-47 which I have done many times. A sample is my last mission with the 358th. Group, 365th. Squadron. I flew 50 miles with a burning engine,
4 feet of my left wing cut off, a hole you could put a barrel thru on my right wing, Tail surfaces damaged, Instrument panel gone, and holes to numerous to count. I had two broken legs, broken back, head injuries, Gun shot in left knee, and other injuries. Now I am 86 years old and still living thanks to GOD, and the ruggedness of the p-47.
READ MY BOOK "TICKET TO HELL" by R. Frank Harwood....


Archie Maltbie, e-mail, 14.01.2010 03:18

I flew the P-47 Thunderbolt in the 365th (Hellhawk) Ftr. Grp.in the ETO and I know without doubt that I owe my life to the JUG. We could never have done the low level tree top attacks we did against heavy flak concentrations and survived in any other WWII fighter. She was damned good against the Me-109 and FW-190 when we could get them to fight.


peteh, e-mail, 10.12.2009 21:02

Actually, they didn't put an R4360 in the P-47. The highest rated model was the P-47M, which had a P&W R2800-56, which was a high-output version of the great R2800. This engine was test run for 24 hours straight at a rating of 3000 HP. It ate itself up, but never quit running. The P-47M was flown over Europe late in the war, by the 56th Fighter Group. It could touch 500 MPH in level flight, with enough boost cranked in.


Ronald, e-mail, 25.09.2009 06:57

P-47C had a mach .73 (556 mph) terminal dive and a .69 (525 mph) red-line.
P-47D had a mach .72 (550 mph) red-line dive speed if memory serves.
P-47N dove to mach .83 (632 mph)!
It could pullout better than most too.
The P-47D rolled 91 d/s @ 300 mph.
What was it's circle time? Maybe 27 seconds to turn. Up high enough it could turn with the Luftwaffe.
If you own high altitude, you can trump anything below and come back up, especially with 8 guns!
I say leave the low level ground support to other radial powered fighters like the F4U, La-7 and Fw 190 or N1K and Ki 100 that can compete better there than on top. By all means keep the inline powered fighters above the flak. Especially the high altitude champs like the Mustang, Spitfire and Bf 109 or Ki 61-II and even the Yak-3, -9U.
The P-47 was so great not because it was the best but because it could do everything very well if it needed to, in large numbers at the right time and place. It proved itself worth the extra money it took to buy and gas up.
How many fighters could put out a more dense pattern of fire and also take a punch better?
It was all-American hp muscle that made the rest possible.


Bryant, e-mail, 24.09.2009 02:23

With the P&W R-4360 retrofit the P-47 could outrun anything else in the air. My dad was the test block foreman on the first R-4360 built for Pratt & Whitney. They had to reinforce the test cell mount structure to hold it. Tried it in the Navy Corsair but it flipped over on counter torque, killing the pilot and ruining the aircraft. Don't think they ever put another one in a Corsair,. The P-47 handled the torque problem. Don't know how many made it to Europe or if it ever saw combat. Would like to hear from anyone who was assigned to a P-47 unit which had the R-4360s installed.


Steve, e-mail, 14.09.2009 20:56

I find it puzzling that the P-47 wasn't used in Korea. It would have been a better close support aircraft than either the P-51 (less vulnerable to ground fire) or the F-80 and -84 (slower). Had the experience of 1944-45 been forgotten that quickly?


Chris Clark, e-mail, 08.08.2009 20:32

Round engines rock!!! P-47 is the best.

Has anyone have info on P-47 in the Ohio ANG?


dav, e-mail, 10.07.2009 12:20

actuellement a hermanville sur mer je recherche un avion de republic aviation co a partir de son numero de serie, retrouver sur des débris appartenant a un P-47 detruit certainnement le 6 juin 1944.Comment faire?


Leo Rudnicki, e-mail, 19.06.2009 23:46

Because????? It didn't win any wars or even help to win any wars or get flown by any notable aces to numerous individual victory tallies. Explain in the FW entry. Don't besmirch the Jug.


Otto Bufonto, e-mail, 19.06.2009 22:09

Sorry guys, Best prop fighter in WW II was Ta 152


Ronald, e-mail, 19.06.2009 09:36

The 3 view is a late war P-47M or N. I read that the last kill in the U.S. war against Japan was an Oscar shot down by a P-47N. How symbolic! The heaviest single engine fighter vs the lightest. 8 guns vs 2. High-power firing passes vs ninja reflexes. A most fitting contrast to end the war with.


leo rudnicki, e-mail, 06.05.2009 17:19

According to Winkle Brown, the choice of high altitude escort fighter was achieved by critical Mach number in a dive. I've only read "Thuderbolt" 3 times.


Joseph Koss, e-mail, 30.04.2009 08:44

The P-47 is my favorite aircraft, and I've read Robert Johnson's "Thunderbolt" over a dozen times. From all I've read, the P-47 and the P-51 were roughly comparable in overall ability--each had some advantages over the other. The Mustang could out-turn the Jug, but the Jug could out-roll the Mustang. The 51 was slightly faster, and had slightly better range, but didn't have quite the firepower or anywhere near the ability of the Jug to absorb battle damage and still get home. What ultimately tipped the scales for the Mustang was cost--the Mustang cost half the price of the Jug to build. Other than that, I still think that the Jug was the better bird for both air to air and air to ground combat.


leo rudnicki, e-mail, 07.04.2009 23:40

Sorry, can't wait 1000 years. Air to air, only the P51 went all the way. Better gas mileage. The P47N carried it's own fuel truck on a shackle but was too late for Europe, and it's Pratt&Whitney was a tougher tune-up. Air to Mud, the Jug had competition from the Corsair which did not even have to be recalled for Korea, but even had anew AU1 model just for Air to Mud. In the Jug's favor, Bob Johnson's encounter with German lead is a classic story of Tough, especially the 20mm hole just behind his head, that jammed the canopy. And the P47J, 504mph. Just popped in my head, can anyone tell me the real reason no American operational a/c used a prop spinner? The XP42 gained enough airspeed from a good spinner/nacelle design for a 10% rise in max airspeed, 340mph from a P36. Maintenance hassle? 10% aispeed is worth a hassle,isn't it?..Oh, and I do like the Turbo sound but the P38 had a neat sound too. Too many contenders.


Tom, e-mail, 01.03.2009 08:04

As for the P-47 or P-51 being the best: Come back in a thousand yers and I suspect the debate will still be lively.
The P-47 was phased out of active service with the regular USAAF by the end of '46 when the decision was made keep the P-51 until jets could fill all fighter needs.
There were P-47s in Air National Guard squadrons until '55. I believe Puerto Rico Air National Guard kept them longest. The P-47 did not fight in Korea or Vietnam. Many of the old fighter drivers flying P-51s in Korea felt the Mustang was too tender for close support work. There are stories of letters to Washington stating the P-47 would have been much better and cited the F4U Corsair as proof of the matter.


Greatest pilot that ever lived, e-mail, 03.01.2009 21:31

I'm looking to see if the P-47 did some service in the Vietnam war. It seems I remember seeing that somewhere along witht the T33 and the Skyraider. The serivablity rate alone makes it the greatest of WWII in my book.


gene cody, 17.07.08, e-mail, 17.07.2008 18:37

Best prop fighter aircraft ever made--the Cadillac flying machine with range and fire-power. With drop tanks you became a VLR [very long range] pilot.


KWerner, 23.06.2008 23:46

Robert S. Johnson 27 kills and Gabby Gabreski 28 kills - both T'Bolt Aces in the European theater.
My favorite story is the one where a 47' came back from a strafing mission with a chunk of telephone pole in the leading edge of it's wing...


David Schill, e-mail, 13.06.2008 21:04

You can visit the Millville Army Air Field Museum, Millville, NJ, home of the P-47 as well as home of the P-47 Advocates. Our next airshow is Sept. 20 & 21, 2008 and will be an all-warbird show including at least one P-47. CAN DO! Dave Schill, Vietnam 1970-71 (Seabees)


CASTLE22R, e-mail, 13.06.2008 16:44

A tough and rugged piece of mechinery.Pardon my spelling.


Ted B., 26.05.2008 22:02

You gotta love the Jug! Best fighter of the War and powered by the best engine.....the Pratt and Whitney R-2800!


lloyd c. keaton, e-mail, 09.05.2008 19:34

lloyd keaton, 05.09,2008 It is no coincidence that at least the top aces of the European theater flew the P-47. They flew against the best the germans had and against the best aircraft


gene, 12.04.2008 21:18

best prop. fighter made, should have been used in koran war, mustangs were lost in very high numbers to aa fire


Bob, 08.04.2008 20:44

Agreed Warren! With water injection, super charger, and the big bomber prop, the Jug would out perform anything including the Mustang. It could withstand a lot of damage and still return home too!


warren foote, 03.04.2008 03:48

The greatest fighter of ww-II




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