The P-47 Republic Thunderbolt was designed by Alexander Seversky and Alexander Kartveli, two Russian engineers, who came to the USA after the October Revolution, and was manufactured by The Republic Aviation Corporation USA.15,700 planes were produced, starting in March, 1942.

The P-47 parked up indoors.

The P-47 (often referred to as the jug by its pilots because of its shape) was designed around the Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp 2000 horsepower radial engine, which was the most powerful fighter engine in the USA at the time.

P-47 in flight. 

The P-47 engine was also fitted with a powerful turbine super charging unit to get maximum engine torque and with such a powerful combination allowed this plane to out-perform any German fighter even at altitudes of 30,000ft. As a low altitude fighter the plane also did remarkably well, with a good turning circle and fast level flight speed .

 P-47 engine with cowling removed

The actual blueprint for the supercharger unit.

Also the P-47 could mete out a lot of damage to its victims due to its heavy duty firepower. (see specifications below) A burst from its Heavy calibre machine guns would pulverize any enemy plane in its sights. More enemy aircraft were destroyed in aerial combat by the Thunderbolt-equipped Fifty-sixth Fighter Group than any other group in the Eight Air Force. In fact the P-47 shot down over 4000 enemy planes in WWII.

On the down side the P-47 suffered from a poor accelerated rate of climb due to its size, even though it had the worlds most powerful fighter engine, this was made up for however by a fantastic diving ability.

P-47's Cockpit.

It was a friendly plane to fly and was a popular amongst those who flew her. Reliability and robustness were the planes watchwords. It had the ability to receive a lot of damage to the engine, (being air-cooled) and to the air frame and still continue flying. Most fighters of the day were water-cooled and any hits into the cooling system would cripple the average plane.

Below is a testimonial to this planes toughness by WWII fighter ace   R. S. Johnson, who had 27 confirmed kills with the P-47.

One day in late June, 1943, Johnson's Thunderbolt was attacked early in the mission by a Fw 190 and  helplessly subjected to its machine gun fire. Somehow, incredibly, the P-47 absorbed this battering from the German guns and made it back. After the injured Johnson had landed his plane at the Manston emergency strip, he surveyed the damage it had taken, and later described the result in his autobiography; Thunderbolt!:By Robert S Johnson.

" There are twenty-one gaping holes and jagged tears in the metal from exploding 20mm cannon shells. I'm still standing in one place when my count of bullet holes reaches past a hundred; there's no use even trying to add them all. The Thunderbolt is literally a sieve, holes through the wings, fuselage and tail. Every square foot, it seems is covered with holes. 

There are five holes in the propeller. Three 20mm cannon shells burst against the armour plate, a scant inch away from my head. Five cannon shell holes in the right wing; four in the left wing. Two cannon shells blasted away the lower half of my rudder. One shell exploded in the cockpit, next to my left hand; this is the blast that ripped away the flap handle. More holes appeared along the fuselage and in the tail. Behind the cockpit, the metal is twisted and curled; this had jammed the canopy, trapping me inside. The airplane had done her best. Needless to say, she would never fly again. "

Recommended Reading (available from Amazon.co.uk): P-47 Thunderbolt Aces of the Eighth Air Force

Specifications:

Armament..........8 wing mounted .50 calibre Browning machine guns.

     note: This is tremendous firepower for a fighter aircraft.

The P-47s machine guns

Onboard Ammunition..........300 rounds per gun.

Rate of fire..........750 rounds per minute.

Muzzle velocity..........2,850 feet per second

Wing span.........40 feet 9 inches

Length..........36 feet 1 inch

Height.......... 14 feet 2 inches

Engine..........18 cylinder Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp R-2800

Maximum speed..........Model C, 419 mph.     Model D, 436 mph

Cruise speed..........Model C & D around 275- 285 mph.

Maximum operating Ceiling..........Model C & D, 40,000- 41,000 feet.

Fuel tank maximum capacity.....Model C, 305 Gallons.     Model D, 370 Gallons

Horsepower..........Model C, 2,300hp.     Model D, 2,600hp

On my next page you can read about a brave pilot and his P-47 that crashed in 1944.