15 Facts About P-47 Thunderbolt

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American aerospace company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945.

When fully loaded, the P-47 Thunderbolt weighed up to 8 tons, making it one of the heaviest fighters of the war.

P-47 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.

P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the main United States Army Air Forces fighters of World War II, and served with other Allied air forces, including those of France, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union.

P-47 Thunderbolt was designed by Alexander Kartveli, a man of Georgian descent.

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Luftwaffe ace Heinz Bar said that the P-47 Thunderbolt "could absorb an astounding amount of lead [from shooting at it] and had to be handled very carefully".

The P-47 Thunderbolt continued serving with the USAAF through 1947, the USAAF Strategic Air Command from 1946 through 1947, the active-duty United States Air Force until 1949, and with the Air National Guard until 1953, receiving the designation F-47 in 1948.

P-47 Thunderbolt found it easy to fly and stable upon take-off and landing, but it showed excessive rolling stability and poor directional stability.

P-47 Thunderbolt first saw action with the 4th Fighter Group, whose pilots were mainly drawn from the three British Eagle Squadrons, who had previously flown the British Spitfire Mark V, a much smaller and much more slender aircraft.

Some P-47 Thunderbolt pilots claimed to have broken the sound barrier in steep dives, but later research revealed that because of the pressure buildup inside the pitot tube at high speeds, airspeed readings became unpredictably exaggerated.

We would see it coming from behind, and pull up fast, and the P-47 Thunderbolt couldn't follow and we came around and got on its tail in this way.

P-47 Thunderbolt pilots claimed 20 Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters and four Arado Ar 234 jet bombers in aerial combat.

P-47 Thunderbolt proved to be a formidable fighter-bomber due to its good armament, heavy bomb load, and ability to survive enemy fire.

The P-47 Thunderbolt's survivability was due in part to its radial piston engine, which unlike comparable liquid-cooled engines, had a high tolerance for damage.

The P-47 Thunderbolt was the subject of an episode of the World's Deadliest Aircraft series broadcast by the Military Channel.