Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the most important American fighters of the Second World War. Its large size and sturdy construction have earned it the nickname Jug, short for The Juggernaut. The P-47 excelled in fire support missions helping the ground troops, which quickly became its main role. Because of The Jugs importance in the ground war, it never competed with the other American fighter, the P-51 Mustang as air superiority King.

A total of 15,660 Thunderbolts were produced, making it one of the most produced aircraft of all time. While it was overshadowed somewhat by the North American P-51 Mustang in the role of fighter, many American pilots obtained their success on this machine, such as Francis S. Gabreski with 31 confirmed victories, Captain Robert S. Johnson with 28, and Colonel H. Zemke with 20. Even in the Pacific , where fighting low level against the agile Japanese fighters did not favor the P-47, it remained a competitive fighter against the Zero.   Colonel Neel Kearby proved that by bringing down 24 Japanese planes before his death in March 1944 over Wewak .

The P-47 Thunderbolt  was powered by the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp which boasted  2000 h , supercharged by a turbocharger, and was armed with eight 50 caliber machine guns.

 

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