What is a P-47 Thunderbolt?
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was an American fighter aircraft. From the first prototype produced in 1941, 15,686 P-47s were produced, the last of which was accepted by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) from Republic Aviation ‘ Evansville, Indiana factory.
Who was the pilot of the Silver Lady P-47 Thunderbolt?
P-47D serial 42-26044 “Silver Lady” HV-Z of the 61st Fighter Squadron, 56th FG. Thunderbolt flown by Maj Leslie Smith P-47D Thunderbolt 42-27607 MX-G, pilot 2lt Richard D. Stark 82nd FS, 78th FG Crashed P-47 Thunderbolt QP-N 42-7919 “Lilliput” of the 334th FS, 4th Fighter Group
What happened to the F-47 Thunderbolt after WW2?
Although P-47 production ceased just weeks after Japan’s surrender, Thunderbolts (re-designated as the F-47) continued to serve for years (and in some cases decades) after World War Two.
Was the P-47 originally meant to be a light fighter?
It was originally supposed to be a ‘light’ fighter. Conceived by Georgian-born aircraft designer Alexander Kartveli, the plane that would eventually become the P-47 was originally intended to be a featherweight interceptor.
Why was the P-47B bomber so unpopular?
The P-47B entered USAAF service in November 1942, becoming officially operational with the Eighth Air Force stationed in the UK on April 8, 1943. However, the P-47B’s range was not adequate for escort duties and its maneuverability at low and medium altitude was poor.
How many P-47Ds were made in the US?
Early P-47Ds looked very much similar to the P-47C, but there were 21 variants of this model. 354 P-47Gs were built by Curtiss in Buffalo and 130 P-47Ms were built with a 2,500 hp engine giving a maximum speed of 473 mph (761 km/h). The P-47M version was used for anti V1 Flying Bomb duties.
How many sorties did the Thunderbolt fly in WW2?
The Thunderbolt performed 546,000 combat sorties between March of 1943 and August 1945 and is considered the real forerunner of today’s multirole fighters. The Republic P-47 was the successor of a line of airplanes derived from the Seversky P-35, the XP-41, P-43 Lancer and XP-44 Rocket.