In addition to high altitude escort duty, the Thunderbolt was often used in fighter sweeps and in the ground attack role due to its devastating firepower (eight. The P-47’s ruggedness was legendary - in this area it outclassed the P-51. But the war in Europe ended before the –N became available, so all of its war service was in the Pacific. It was not until 1945, with the introduction of the P-47N, which carried an additional 200 gallons in new wing fuel cells, that the Thunderbolt could match the Mustang’s range. For escort duty on deep penetration raids into Germany and beyond, it soon gave way to the cheaper, more fuel-efficient and more lightly armored P-51 Mustang. However, with its huge R-2800 Pratt & Whitney air-cooled 18-cylinder radial engine, the Thunderbolt was a gas-guzzler and initially unable, even with drop tanks, to escort bombers all the way into Germany and back. Nimble despite its massive size, the P-47 was the largest single-engine fighter of WWII and more than a match for Luftwaffe fighters. P-47’s escorted B-17 bombers on raids into Germany starting in August 1943 with the Schweinfurt raid against ball bearing factories. After the bugs were worked out, P-47’s finally entered combat in a fighter sweep over France in April 1943, the first kill against the Luftwaffe occurring on April 15th.Īffectionately nicknamed the “Jug,” the P-47 was well-armed, large, extremely rugged and fast, qualities that made it stand out as a fighter in European skies despite its bumpy beginning. Teething problems, including loss of control in high speed dives and the need to replace the plane’s fabric-covered ailerons with metal ones, led to over half of the Group’s P-47’s being wrecked within a month. The Thunderbolt had an inauspicious debut. Army Air Corps service as the P-47B in June 1942 with the 56th Fighter Group, then stationed at Long Island, New York. After its maiden flight on and further development, it entered U.S. The Republic P-47 was the culmination of the P-35 and P-43 Lancer designs of Alexander Seversky and Alex Kartveli, two Russian aviation designers who emigrated to the U.S. Comments: Re-Issue of 1960’s Hawk kit includes decals for all-Black 332nd Fighter Group – the Tuskegee Airmen optional bubbletop or Razorback canopies accurate lines but poor cockpit detail History
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |