Republic P-47

     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 fighter. Its engine was a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, a 16-cylinder engine capable of producing upwards of 2,000 horsepower. The cowling for the engine was enlarged to make space for several cooling systems, as well as a turbosupercharger. The aircraft was constructed nearly entirely of metal, with elliptical wings that were slightly swept to the rear. The pilot was given a large, roomy cockpit to keep pilots comfortable during lengthy escort missions. While the early aircraft was nicknamed the "Razorback" due to its closed cockpit, pilot feedback resulted in design being switched to a bubble canopy with much better all around visibility. Altogether, the P-47 was an incredibly heavy aircraft for a single-engine fighter. Without any fuel or ammunition, it weighed 9,900 lbs. While the weight aided the plane in dives, it struggled in most other maneuvers. The P-47 was not agile, though it made up for its lack of agility with incredibly robust construction.

    A common trend in US fighter design, the P-47 was armed with multiple .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns. Where most craft could only accommodate six guns, the P-47 could afford eight, and could theoretically carry a maximum of 3,400 rounds of ammunition at 425 rounds per gun. As a result, the P-47 had a practical fire rate of 100 rounds per second. This firepower proved effective in the anti-aircraft role, but also gave the P-47 immense capability to strafe ground targets. The engine power and airframe also allowed the P-47 to carry up to 2,500 lbs of bombs. While the P-47 performed escort duties commonly in the Pacific Theater, in Europe it was usurped by another fighter, the P-51 Mustang. The P-51 was a lighter, high-performance fighter with a much higher range and climb rate than the P-47. In fact, Republic Aviation specifically designed the P-47N to carry more fuel to increase its range so it could continue operating escort missions in the Pacific. In the European Theater following D-Day, the P-51 was given a majority of the escort missions, while the P-47 was increasingly tasked with more and more ground strike missions. Invariably, it proved itself capable regardless of the mission. While strike missions exposed the aircraft to more enemy fire, the durability of the plane meant pilots typically made it home.

    The P-47 isn't a particularly pretty aircraft, but it trades sleek contours for rugged and practical all-metal construction. I have a picture below I took at the National Museum of the USAF of a P-47 equipped with a pair of 1,000 lb bombs for display. I also attached a video of a Razorback variant of the P-47 starting its engine and taking flight!

Republic P-47 at the National Museum of the USAF