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#Post#: 12310--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (aka "Jug"
;)
By: vonofterdingen Date: August 24, 2020, 3:16 pm
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height=742]
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The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, or “Jug” as US pilots liked to
call it, is an unusual fighter aircraft. When I think of fighter
planes I think of light weight designs with elegant, sleek
lines: planes like the Bf-109, Supermarine Spitfire, Mitsubishi
Zero, Macchi 202, and so on. I don’t think of a plane that
crewman named after large metal jugs used to transport milk in
the US (I am old enough to remember milk jugs). But when you
look at US aircraft design, and Russian too for that matter, in
this period, the design is no surprise. It is big, rugged,
heavily armed, and protective of its pilot. And it is easy to
maintain by trained US ground crews. If the P-47 had a longer
range, we may never have seen the P-51 Mustang.
From Wikipedia
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was a World War II-era fighter
aircraft produced by the American aerospace company Republic
Aviation from 1941 through 1945. Its primary armament was eight
.50-caliber machine guns, and in the fighter-bomber
ground-attack role it could carry five-inch rockets or a bomb
load of 2,500 pounds (1,133 kg). When fully loaded, the P-47
weighed up to eight tons, making it one of the heaviest fighters
of the war. The P-47 was designed around the powerful Pratt &
Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine, which was also used by two
U.S. Navy/U.S. Marine Corps fighters, the Grumman F6F Hellcat
and the Vought F4U Corsair. The Thunderbolt was effective as a
short-to medium-range escort fighter in high-altitude air-to-air
combat and ground attack in both the European and Pacific
theaters.
The P-47 was one of the main United States Army Air Forces
(USAAF) fighters of World War II, and also served with other
Allied air forces, including those of France, the United
Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. Mexican and Brazilian squadrons
fighting alongside the USAAF also flew the P-47.
The armored cockpit was relatively roomy and comfortable and
the bubble canopy introduced on the P-47D offered good
visibility. A present-day U.S. ground-attack aircraft, the
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, takes its name from the
P-47.
Initial response to the P-47 praised its dive speed and
high-altitude performance while criticizing its turning
performance and rate of climb (particularly at low-to-medium
altitudes). The turbosupercharger in the P-47 gave the
powerplant its maximum power at 27,000 ft (8,230 m) and, in the
thin air above 30,000 ft (9,144 m), the Thunderbolt remained
fast and nimble compared to other aircraft.
The P-47 first saw action with the 4th Fighter Group. The
Group's pilots were mainly drawn from the three British Eagle
Squadrons who had previously flown the British Supermarine
Spitfire Mark V, a much smaller and much more slender aircraft.
At first, they viewed their new fighter with misgivings. It was
huge; the British pilots joked that a Thunderbolt pilot could
defend himself from a Luftwaffe fighter by running around and
hiding in the fuselage. Optimized for high altitude work, the
Thunderbolt had 5 feet (1.5 m) more wingspan, a quarter more
wing area, about four times the fuselage volume, and nearly
twice the weight of a Spitfire V. One Thunderbolt pilot compared
it to flying a bathtub around the sky. When his unit (4th
Fighter Group) was equipped with Thunderbolts, ace Don Blakeslee
said, referring to the P-47's vaunted ability to dive on its
prey, "It ought to be able to dive. It certainly can't climb."
(Blakeslee's early-model P-47C had not been fitted with the new
paddle blade propeller). The 4th Fighter Group's commander hated
the P-47, and his prejudices filtered down to the group's
pilots; the 4th had the fewest kills of any of the first three
P-47 squadrons in Europe.
The U.S. ace Jim Goodson, who had flown Spitfires with the RAF
and flew a P-47 in 1943, at first shared the skepticism of other
pilots for their "seven-ton milk-bottles". But Goodson learned
to appreciate the P-47's potential: "There were many U.S. pilots
who preferred the P-47 to anything else: they do not agree that
the (Fw) 190 held an overall edge against it."
The P-47's initial success in combat was primarily due to
tactics, using rolls (the P-47 had an excellent roll rate) and
energy-saving dive and zoom climbs from high altitude to
outmaneuver German fighters. Both the Bf 109 and Fw 190 could,
like the Spitfire, out-turn and out-climb the early model P-47s
at low-to-medium altitude. Once paddle blade propellers were
added to the P-47 in early 1944, climb performance improved
significantly. The Thunderbolt was the fastest-diving American
aircraft of the war—it could reach speeds of 550 mph (480 kn,
885 km/h)[citation needed]. Some P-47 pilots claimed to have
broken the sound barrier, but later research revealed that
because of the pressure buildup inside the pitot tube at high
speeds, airspeed readings became unpredictably exaggerated. But
German pilots gradually learned to avoid diving away from a
Thunderbolt. Kurt Bühligen, a high-scoring German fighter ace
with 112 victories, recalled:
The P-47 was very heavy, too heavy for some maneuvers. We
would see it coming from behind, and pull up fast and the P-47
couldn't follow and we came around and got on its tail in this
way.
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The arrival of the new Curtiss paddle blade propeller
significantly increased climb rate at lower altitudes and came
as a surprise to German pilots who had resorted to steep climbs
to evade pursuit by the P-47. Other positive attributes
included the P-47's ruggedness; it could sustain a large amount
of damage and still be able to get its pilot back to base.[Note
6] With eight .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, the P-47 carried
more firepower than other single-engined American fighters. P-47
pilots claimed 20 Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters
and four Arado Ar 234 jet bombers in aerial combat.
In the Pacific, Colonel Neel E. Kearby of the Fifth Air Force
claimed 22 Japanese aircraft and was awarded the Medal of Honor
for an action in which he downed six enemy fighters on a single
mission. He was shot down and killed over Wewak in March 1944.
The P-47 proved to be a formidable fighter-bomber due to its
good armament, heavy bomb load and ability to survive enemy
fire. The P-47's survivability was due in part to its radial
piston engine, which unlike comparable liquid-cooled engines,
had a high tolerance for damage. The Thunderbolt's eight .50 in
(12.7 mm) machine guns were capable against lightly armored
targets, although less so than cannon-armed aircraft of the day.
In a ground attack role, the armor-piercing (AP), armor-piercing
incendiary (API), and armor-piercing incendiary tracer (APIT)
ammunition proved useful in penetrating thin-skinned and lightly
armored German vehicles and exploding their fuel tanks, as well
as occasionally damaging some types of enemy armored fighting
vehicles (AFVs).
P-47 pilots frequently carried two 500 lb (227 kg) bombs,
using skip bombing techniques for difficult targets (skipping
bombs into railroad tunnels to destroy hidden enemy trains was a
favorite tactic). The adoption of the triple-tube M10 rocket
launcher with M8 high-explosive 4.5 in (110 mm) rockets (each
with an explosive force similar to a 105 mm artillery
shell)—much as the RAF's Hawker Typhoon gained when first fitted
with its own two quartets of underwing RP-3 rockets for the same
purposes—significantly increased the P-47's ground attack
capability. Late in the war, the P-47 was retrofitted with more
powerful 5 in (130 mm) HVAR rockets.
By the end of 1942, P-47Cs were sent to England for combat
operations. The initial Thunderbolt flyers, 56th Fighter Group,
was sent overseas to join the 8th Air Force. As the P-47
Thunderbolt worked up to operational status, it gained a
nickname: the "Jug" (because its profile was similar to that of
a common milk jug of the time). Two Fighter Groups already
stationed in England began introducing the Jugs in January 1943:
the Spitfire-flying 4th Fighter Group, a unit built around a
core of experienced American pilots who had flown in the RAF
Eagle Squadrons prior to the US entry in the war; and the 78th
Fighter Group, formerly flying P-38 Lightnings.
Beginning in January 1943, Thunderbolt fighters were sent to
the joint Army Air Forces – civilian Millville Airport in
Millville, New Jersey in order to train civilian and military
pilots.
The first P-47 combat mission took place 10 March 1943 when
the 4th FG took their aircraft on a fighter sweep over France.
The mission was a failure due to radio malfunctions. All P-47s
were refitted with British radios, and missions resumed 8 April.
The first P-47 air combat took place 15 April with Major Don
Blakeslee of the 4th FG scoring the Thunderbolt's first air
victory (against a Focke-Wulf Fw 190).
By mid-1943, the Jug was also in service with the 12th Air
Force in Italy[14] and against the Japanese in the Pacific, with
the 348th Fighter Group flying missions out of Port Moresby, New
Guinea. By 1944, the Thunderbolt was in combat with the USAAF in
all its operational theaters except Alaska.
P-47s were operated by several Allied air arms during World
War II. The RAF received 240 razorback P-47Ds which they
designated "Thunderbolt Mark I", and 590 bubbletop P-47D-25s,
designated "Thunderbolt Mark IIs". With no need for another
high-altitude fighter, the RAF adapted their Thunderbolts for
ground attack, a task for which the type was well suited. Once
the Thunderbolts were cleared for use in 1944, they were used
against the Japanese in Burma by 16 RAF squadrons of the South
East Asia Command from India. Operations with army support
(operating as "cab ranks" to be called in when needed), attacks
on enemy airfields and lines of communication, and escort
sorties. They proved devastating in tandem with Spitfires during
the Japanese breakout attempt at the Sittang Bend in the final
months of the war. The Thunderbolts were armed with three 500 lb
(227 kg) bombs or, in some cases, British "60 pound" (27 kg)
RP-3 rocket projectiles. Long range fuel tanks gave five hours
of endurance. Thunderbolts flew escort for RAF Liberators in the
bombing of Rangoon. Thunderbolts remained in RAF service until
October 1946. Post-war RAF Thunderbolts were used in support of
the Dutch attempts to reassert control of Batavia. Those
squadrons not disbanded outright after the war re-equipped with
British-built aircraft such as the Hawker Tempest.
During the Italian campaign, the "1º Grupo de Caça da Força
Aérea Brasileira" (Brazilian Air Force 1st Fighter Squadron)
flew a total of 48 P-47Ds in combat (of a total of 67 received,
19 of which were backup aircraft). This unit flew a total of 445
missions from November 1944 to May 1945 over northern Italy and
Central Europe, with 15 P-47s lost to German flak and five
pilots being killed in action. In the early 1980s, this unit was
awarded the "Presidential Unit Citation" by the American
government in recognition for its achievements in World War II.
From March 1945 to the end of the war in the Pacific—as
Mexico had declared war on the Axis on May 22, 1942—the Mexican
Escuadrón Aéreo de Pelea 201 (201st Fighter Squadron) operated
P-47Ds as part of the U.S. 5th Air Force in the Philippines. In
791 sorties against Japanese forces, the 201st lost no pilots or
aircraft to enemy action.
The French Air Force received 446 P-47Ds from 1943. These
aircraft saw extensive action in France and Germany and again in
the 1950s during the Algerian War of Independence.
After World War II, the Italian Air Force (AMI) received 75
P-47D-25s sent to 5˚ Stormo, and 99 to the 51˚. These
machines were delivered between 1947 and 1950. However, they
were not well liked, as the Italian pilots were used to much
lighter aircraft and found the controls too heavy. Nevertheless,
the stability, payload and high speed were appreciated. Most
importantly, the P-47 served as an excellent transition platform
to heavier jet fighters, including the F-84 Thunderjet, starting
in 1953.
The type was provided to many Latin American air forces some
of which operated it into the 1960s. Small numbers of P-47s were
also provided to China, Iran, Turkey and Yugoslavia.
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In game…
This is my favorite US ground attack plane. I like it in
aerial combat too, but in most P-47 campaigns, including my own,
you will find yourself in the ground attack role because that
was the historical norm. That being said, however, let’s tip our
caps to Gabby Gabreski, the US P-47 ace. But the 8 .50 caliber
machine guns plus bombs or rockets (I personally prefer rockets)
are devastating to tanks and supply columns. And though the
aircraft is large and heavy, the powerful Pratt and Whitney
engine gives it responsive controls and makes it a very stable
gun platform.
#Post#: 12312--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (aka "Jug&
quot;)
By: JG51_Ruski Date: August 24, 2020, 4:14 pm
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Good post Von..when it comes to moving mud the Jug is the tool
to use,,Thanks
#Post#: 12328--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (aka "Jug&
quot;)
By: ben_wh Date: August 25, 2020, 6:50 pm
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von,
Thank you for another great post. An excellent boom-and-zoom
fighter in game, made better by modders', skinners' and mission
builders' effort:
1) There is a great P-47 documentary on Netflix ('Thunderbolt'),
also available here:
here
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da_gbVd6nzM
If this documentary makes you want to fly interdiction missions
over Italy, DHumphrey made an excellent campaign on this topic
here
HTML http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads3&file=details&id=2633<br
/>
2) In-game, please do not miss the great P-47 Pack + Cockpit
add-on combination here
HTML https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,63113.0.html.
This
provides you with access to the high performance late variants
P-47s: P-47M and P-47N, while Poncho's cockpits transform the
P-47 flight experience in-game
3) There are many great skins for the P-47 (e.g. I especially
recommend those from eMeL (Wolf-Pack Collection
HTML http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads2&file=details&id=7032),<br
/>200th_Taro
HTML http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads2&file=details&id=8180,<br
/>sakai
HTML http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads2&file=details&id=7844,<br
/>R0NNC0
HTML http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads2&file=details&id=5017<br
/>and vpmedia
HTML http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads2&file=details&id=8170<br
/>among others)
Cheers,
#Post#: 12331--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (aka "Jug&
quot;)
By: DHumphrey Date: August 25, 2020, 7:05 pm
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Yet another excellent article Von ... very well done !!! :)
Thanks Ben_wh for the plug on my P-47 Campaign. :)
Here's a decent P-47 flick for those interested. :)
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmc1uzJ9-i8
#Post#: 12332--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (aka "Jug&
quot;)
By: robyfongaro Date: August 26, 2020, 8:38 am
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Interesting note: The designer was Alexander Kartveli, an
immigrated Russian (well, he was Georgian, but back then it was
still Soviet Union; Georgia became indipendent only in 1991).
Originally the company started out as the "Seversky Aero
Corporation" as with him there was also Alexander de Seversky,
another immigrated Russian (also from Georgia), which built the
P-35 (that the italians basicaly copied with the Re.2000), but
by 1939, Seversky had left and his company had become the
"Republic Aviation Corporation".
Alexander Kartveli
[img width=933
height=768]
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#Post#: 12339--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (aka "Jug&
quot;)
By: vonofterdingen Date: August 26, 2020, 3:09 pm
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It's amazing to me how many great contributions to US science
and culture have been made by our various immigrant populations.
Kartveli and Seversky are two such contributors. And that is an
absolutely great model of a P-47 in the picture!
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