Military Aviation in Brief

        The Supermarine Spitfire was designed for an Air Ministry contract by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works. The first prototype flew on March 5th, 1936, and the first production model entered service in 1938.  The Spitfire served a large role in the 1940 Battle of Britain, and would go on to see extensive development. The Spitfire saw combat in North Africa, over Britain, in the Pacific with the Australians, and in the skies above Russia. The Spitfire accounted for 20,341 of the combat aircraft constructed by Britain during World War II, more than any other in British history.     Mitchell's initial design for the Spitfire was robust, and over time proved immensely adaptable. Initially powered by a V-12 Rolls-Royce Merlin engine capable of producing 1,030 horsepower, late-war variants of the Spitfire were powered by a Rolls-Royce Griffon engine, producing up to 2,340 horsepower. The airframe was slim and lightw...

       Today we'll cover the P-47, a fighter developed for the US Army Air Forces by Republic Aviation. The P-47 first flew on May 6th, 1941, and experienced its first combat sortie nearly two years later in April of 1943.  A continuation on the P-43 Lancer and XP-44 Rocket designs, the P-47 was intended to be a heavy fighter with capabilities for high-altitude escort, but later adapted to the role of fighter-bomber during service in Europe. Officially named the "Thunderbolt," pilots unofficially granted it the nickname of "Jug," either owing to its unflattering appearance or a shortening of the word "Juggernaut." During the war, the P-47 saw service with multiple countries in the Allied powers, including Britain, France, Mexico and Russia. One example was even captured and flown by the Germans for a time! Republic Aviation produced a hefty number of P-47s, weighing in at 15,636 aircraft.     When the P-47 entered service, it was a high-altitude escort...