P-47 Thunderbolt | The Mighty Aircraft That Helped Win WWII Nicknamed "The Jug"
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- The Republic P 47 Thunderbolt is 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 5-inch rockets or a bomb load of 2,500 lb (1,100 kg). When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to 8 tons, making it one of the heaviest fighters of the war.
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 designed around the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18-cylinder radial engine, which also powered two U.S. Navy/U.S. Marine Corps fighters, the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair. An advanced turbosupercharger system ensured the aircraft's eventual dominance at high altitudes, while also influencing its size and design.
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. Nicknamed the "Jug" owing to its appearance if stood on its nose, the P-47 was noted for its firepower, as well as its ability to resist battle damage and remain airworthy. A present-day U.S. ground-attack aircraft, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, takes its name from the P-47.
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: "Jug" (because its profile was similar to that of a common milk jug of the time). Two fighter groups (FGs) 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.
P-47 pilot Lt Col Francis S. "Gabby" Gabreski, 56th Fighter Group, the leading ace of the 8th Air Force
Beginning in January 1943, Thunderbolt fighters were sent to the joint Army Air Forces - civilian Millville Airport in Millville, New Jersey, 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).
General characteristics
* Crew: 1
* Length: 36 ft 1.75 in (11.0173 m)
* Wingspan: 40 ft 9+5⁄16 in (12.429 m)
* Height: 14 ft 8+1⁄16 in (4.472 m)
* Airfoil: Seversky S-3
* Empty weight: 10,000 lb (4,536 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 17,500 lb (7,938 kg)
* Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 2,000 hp (1,500 kW)
* Propellers: 4-bladed Curtiss Electric C542S constant-speed propeller, 13 ft 0 in (3.96 m) diameter
Performance
* Maximum speed: 426 mph (686 km/h, 370 kn) at 30,000 ft (9,100 m)
* Range: 1,030 mi (1,660 km, 900 nmi)
* Service ceiling: 42,000 ft (13,000 m)
Armament
* Eight .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns (3400 rounds)
* Up to 2,500 lb (1,100 kg) of bombs
* Ten 5 in (127 mm) HVAR unguided rockets
#p47 #thunderboi #aircraft
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Excellent video! Very well done, as usual @Dronescapes! Thanks!
THERE IS,THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE THAN LAY ONE'S LIFE DOWN FOR THEIR FELLOW BROTHER/SISTER
I’m just 😊
By far the best, most comprehensive video of P47 and variants ! Excellent!
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I wouldn't be here today if were not for the P-47. My father who by the way just turned 101 flew with the 365th fighter group aka The Hell Hawks. He flew over 100 missions including the Battle of the Bulge. On one particular mission over the Ruhr valley in Germany my father was shot thru the canopy in the head and continued to fight. His P-47 suffered extensive damage and as he say's made it back with wholes in the wings that you could crawl thru. My fathers name is Sir Edward J Lopez and has a book out documenting some of his battles and life. It's called "Flight of a Hell Hawk".
Awesome 👍 what a great insight to a truly amazing man ❤
My dad was in the Navy during Korea, and they were using FG-1D Corsair's built by Goodyear.
My Dad told me he saw some P-47's at NASJRB Willow Grove around 1950 and he said they were real beast's, could carry a payload to rival a b-25 and were very impressive.
May God bless your dad, and I hope he has more birthdays to come!
My dad flew one for a while in the Pacific and loved his jug. He said when they fixed the propeller problem and it then "climbed like a scalded cat". He taught me to fly and I got to watch him and a couple of buddies fly one at one of his buddies tiny airport. I was 5 and don't remember but still have the pictures. Miss the ole fart. He's hopefully flying something
Bless him Dave
My dad was a P-47 Crew Chief. I’m sure that your dad’s still flying and my dad is maintaining the plane.
@@jacktattis yal they won the war with their aircraft. Wow who cares at the rate of climb. My dad cared about that so he could get at the Japanese and the plane then allowed it better chances at catching them asleep
When the fight was above 30,000 ft, & every one else is suffering sluggish performance, the P-47 was in it's element.
To put it mildly, your father was a badass and a hero
the badassery of the greatest generation can not be overestimated
And they didn’t think it was badassery, they felt it was their job. The greatest generation
God bless Ganny Gabby
American ingenuity coupled with the heroic service of these pilots!
Eight .50 cal. machine guns, tough airframe and near-bulletproof cockpit - awesome plane!!!
Agree. I love the fact that the t-bolt. was like a guy who strolls into a bar just looking for a fight. It was a brawler that was tougher than nails.
@16rumpole he strolled into a party not giving afk who's party it was
From what I've seen, the quality that Gabreski had over others was marksmanship. He was a great shooter.
I'm a 57 yr old Aussie who grew up watching "Combat" & " Baa Baa Black Sheep" but I'm a bookworm and read loads about these 'JUGS'. They captivated me from a young age and rightly so. They are a great aircraft that had only one problem - they love fuel. With that problem covered they can, and did, do anything !!
It certainly was a very good plane just for its ability to withstand damage. My plane of choice would always be the Mosquito. Both very good planes in their fields
Excellent videos, photos, guests, and narration; succinct, to the point, and with short important guest comments. No time wasted watching, all info, including realistic comments about the P-47. I worked for Fairchild, and we were so proud of the P-47 Thunderbolt and A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog, another example of the importance of coming back alive), the avionics in the F-16, and parts of the Space Shuttles. Thank you.
Outstanding career and achievement,what an amazing man and a life to match.We need more like him both on the ground and in the air.He had a good innings but still gone too soon like many.
Superb documentary. P-47's my favorite since I read the Landmark book "Great American Fighter Pilots Of World War Two" by Robert D. Loomis, back in the 60's.
at threequrters of a million sorties, most air to air and ground kills the jug was the real workhorse of the war, never recieved it's due praise......................
@@guaporeturns9472 first production cost for the p47 at 83k and p51 at 51k is a reasonable compairson, production costs for the mustang did drop with numbers produced and i would think operational costs were less but without hard numbers 3 to 1 i would question...................boo-boos within the 8th airforce alowing 10 man bomber crews flying unescorted early was no help for the jugs image, scapegoats and politcking is a harssh reality............
I read that all 10 top p47 aces survived the war. This cannot be said of other fighters. Ground attack was more dangerous than air, and they started awarding kills fir ground kills
@@jacktattis what is with the clickbait about the spitfire, find a video about the unmatched acomplishments of the spit and drop comments there...
@@jacktattis Spitfires had 66 months in the war and the P-47 had 24 months in the war, 2.75 times longer. So the Spitfires should at least have 2.75x the victories as the P-47 right?
@@jacktattis As an Australian, you should be kissing American butts because we were the major player in the Pacific Theater that drove the Japanese away from your country and back to Japan. As to the Western Allies in Europe, the US was also the major player there too (something like 2/3rds of all the divisions on the Western Front were American). Maybe that's why you're always putting down American stuff, you feel resentment that we had to save your butts and you owe a debt of gratitude to us. The UK was a nice staging area/unsinkable aircraft carrier for the US, but if it came down to it, the US could have taken Germany on by itself, not saying it would have been easy, but we had the resources/manpower/spirit to do it.
Other than the Battle of Britain (where the RAF enjoyed a defensive fight over home turf), the RAF was not doing anything decisive to defeat the Luftwaffe in 1940, 1941, or 1942 and in fact, often took more losses than they inflicted upon the Germans in some lopsided cross-channel fights or taking heavy losses over Dieppe/Dunkirk.
My all time favorite aircraft. An absolute beauty!
The P 47 had flexible, sliding duct work to take red hot exhaust gases back to run the super charger then dump it off the plane. This ment that it's pilot had all that metal below him to act as extra armor. This along with it's Pratt and Wittney R 2800 radial engine made it a very difficult plane to shoot down.
continually evolving and improving and maybe the best close air support plane. a good fighter plane and would keep you alive and get you home. underrated because planes can be replaced, pilots not so much. no other plane could take such HUGE damage and get you back to base
why do you think that the warthog is officially named the Thunderbolt II. It is the spiritual successor to the p 47; loud incredibly tough. God I love this plane
The praises given to the P47 were well deserved, but its engine which was really a big part of its success, was essentially the same as on the F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair. Until a couple of years ago, my favourite WWII fighter was the P51 Mustang, but Greg's Airplanes 8 part series on the Thunderbolt changed my mind.
The highest accolade the P-47 Thunderbolt could receive as a ground attack platform, is that the the A-10 Warthog aka the Thunderbolt 2 is named after it. Both have their roots with Republic Aviation.
In NC there was a couple with a small sailboat in the marina where I worked 30 years ago. "Lady Ruth" was his aircraft. I remember him showing me pictures of it.
I love the Thunderbolt, I have mad respect for the men who flew it and the folks that built it. I have the hobby of flying RC planes. I had one I flew for a few years, I hit a tree and flew it again. It was tough like the original. I just placed an order foe a new one and cannot wait to fly her again. I know it is not "real" but it is my tribute to these men who did it fpr real
❤
and the new one flies sweet@@crgbarros
The P-47 was a beast once 150 octane AV gas became widely available.
Interesting. Where'd you come across that nugget of info?
I just went by the old Republic P-47 factory building in my hometown of Evansville, Indiana today!😊 the first plane out of that plant was named Hoosier Spirit!
It went from a milk jug to a juggernaut. The most devastating ground attack fighter of WW2 it blow up a bridge and smoke a 190-109. And the bubble canopy version with the paddle props it was the best. The N was best the M the fastest piston fighter to fly in WW2 .
My father told that when on prisoner duty, the German soldiers all spoke of the one American plane they feared the most - the "Tun dra bolt"
Good! My grandfather flew one of these during the war, had 11 confirmed kills.
I always loved the p-47 they held the front until the 51 and 38 relieved them of escort….then they came into their own. Bomber, ground support and just flying high and ambushing the enemy….look at it this way no other aircraft retired them. Ha! So versatile
Excellent video! Very well done, as usual @Dronescapes!
Glad you enjoyed it
I read Bob Johnson's book as a kid and have loved the P-47 ever since.
Terrific film, and a nice bit of history documented.
I really like the interviews and stories from some of the pilots who flew these planes in combat.
Many of these men achieved great things in their lives.
Quentin Aanenson is my local legend that flew these bad boys. There’s a small airport in Laverne, MN named after him. Also he did the PBS documentary “a fighter pilots story” it’s definitely worth checking out.
Thank for the reference to the "Kansas Tornado" flown by Captain Howard Curran who like Gabby was a POW in Germany at the end of WW2 and like Gabby end up in South Korea as an F-86 pilot. I had the great pleasure to be a neighbor of Capt Curran in Tacoma, Wa and was amazed at his exploits a a fighter pilot. His compliments of the P 47 gave me a new respect for the P 47.
I have affection for certain planes: The Swordfish. The Thunderbolt. The Hurricane. There are narratives with every bird
Great american engineers built the best planes to fight enemy!
Thank you so much for this.
Excellent A/P, it did the job it was designed to do, Excellent video, thank you for sharing, JV
The jump between the Jug and the Sabre must have been remarkable. And then the F111... What a pilot!
Very informative and worth watching.
Man, the F4U Corsair is my fave warbird, but the P-47 T-Bolt is def a close second. What a beast.
The P47 was like so many other weapons developed in ww2. So far advanced for the times. Think about it a fighter capable of maintaining 400 mph + at 40,000 + ft. The fire power it carried and durability made a perfect bomber escort or interceptor and it could hold it's own in a dog fight if used right. I marvel at the ships of ww2. I never realised just how incredibly advanced they were with radar, aiming systems and communications. I mean mankind went from basically wooden ships to steel behemoths with advanced weapons and awe inspiring firepower in the blink of an eye. The Japanese were the first to realize aircraft carriers were the ultimate warship and changed naval warfare forever.
There are just those certain planes that everyone is fond of. The P-47 is one of those planes. I have never flown a but wanted to back when I was twelve years old. The thunderbolt was a powerful plane and most of the pilots that flew them loved them. They brought their pilots back most of the time. They weren’t the best looking planes but they remind me of a similar plane the A-10. Also a well liked plane by its pilots. I would watch the documentary’s and see the mechanics and ground crew riding on the wings of the planes I wondered what they were doing now I know.
I have a calendar photo somewhere of all the guys carrying belts of .50 caliber BMG to reload the eight Brownings. I have often wondered what would have happened if the P-47 had a longer range. Perhaps the Mustang would have been the footnote in history.
There was a trade off, toughness or range, they had to pick one. The P51 was fast and had range but didn't have a sliver of the P 47's toughness.
When they came out with the paddle prop, which BTW is still made and used on airboats, it made the jug complete
The P-47 with suitable drop tanks could match and surpass the range of the Mustangs. The 'N' variant was used in the Pacific to escort B-29s. The problem with the P-47 was that it was expensive!
@@davep7296 The P47 could not surpass the P51B/C/D/K range until the P47N came out. The P47N achieved that range by having an enormous fuel supply all around the fuselage and in the wings, which would have made the P47N even more vulnerable to cannon hits than even the liquid cooled engine of the P51B/C/D/K.
The jug did NOT have a range problem,it had staff officer problems,they refused drop tanks early in the war in Europe. The officers in the pacific had their own tanks made. Reference Gregs airplanes and autos,8 hrs worth on UT
Thanks for the gentle pace.
Dr. Muller hit the nail on the head talking about Saving Private Ryan. That scene was the only weak scene in the movie. Steven Spielberg loves P51s the way Tarantino loves feet.
"That scene was the only weak scene in the movie"
Particularly because there were precisely zero Tiger tanks in the American sector in Normandy. All three Tiger battalions were facing the British and Canadians around Caen, not 100km to the northwest facing the Americans in the Cotentin Peninsula.
Those should have been razorback P-47's instead if P-51's at the end of "Saving Private Ryan". That ruined the movie for me. Also that "Ryan guy" going from young to old , Steven Spielberg stole that from "12 o'clock high" a TV series in the past.
Hello dear admin. Even though I don't know English, I watch your videos with pleasure because I am a history buff. You have subtitle options in many languages, could you please add Turkish language to these. Thank you very much in advance...
Done 👍
I don't care what others say, the P-47 was the best fighter of WW2!!!!
Nah. Spitfire was.
F6F Hellcat pilots might disagree with that.
@@jacktattis
Yep. The Spitfire was great at the start of the war, and great at the end of the war. Greatest fighter on any side in WW2
It might be more accurate to say the P47 was the best USAAF of WWII, to which I think a lot of people would agree. Cheers.
Yes it was
The P-47 Thunderbolt was designed by Alexander Kartveli, a man of Georgian descent. It was to replace the Seversky P-35 developed earlier by Seversky. Also the truth is that Seversky was not Russian but Polish by his ethnic origin. They both - Kartveli and him were originaly from Georgia (Rebuplic) which from 1917-1921 wasn't part of the Russian Empire .They fled from their homeland, Tbilisi, Georgia, in 1921 to escape the Bolsheviks. Thus, no russians took part in developing the US aviation of any kind.
One of my favorite bubble top canopy fighters of WW2.
My favorite fighter plane of WW2. I've always loved the P47 from first sight, and never understood why people disliked it. I guess when you get a bulletproof 2000hp air colled radial with a huge 4 bladed prop, solid airframe loaded with fuel, guns, and ammo ...you need something to complain about. Well its big, and it looks like a milk jug... aaaand the canopy looked better as a Razorback... I guess.
This aircraft looks like an engine nacelle with wings and a tail on it.
That narrator is the stone cold best. No idea who he is, but he is legend.
How could you hate such a beautiful, tough, big plane?!
I'm a "Jug" man through and through.
Sometimes size matters.
Very interesting to learn of this aircraft from this video. You hear the names of aircraft from the day. I am aware of the P-47.
But only just. I am Canadian and always interested such a video as this.
From my perspective on this aircraft?
It may have been the perfect tool for what it brought to battle. Brute force brought to the air.
Built like bulls of the air, they were rough, tough and could land a punch when required.
Gabby was a true gunfighter!!!!
My Favorite WW2 aircraft, second is the Do-335 and there is a single Do-335 at the national air and space Museum near the National Marine Museum Manassas US Civil War Battlefield, third is the P-39 Airacobra and its successor the Kingcobra and with its deadly ness and faster speed then German fighters at the altitude they fought at over Russia
The P47, destroyed more trains and transport convoys along with flaming Luftwaffe tails its crazy. Had 8 .50 caliber
Good job well done 👍
Powerful plane one of the best
Great double feature! 👍 😃
It's a pity, that out of +15, 500 Thunderbolts built, not many are in flyable condition. Growing up, built 2 P-47D models. Aside from F4U & SBD, Jug became my favorite model
I think that way with so much WWII equipment. Tons of the stuff that did make it back home was still scrapped. The stuff that did make it's way to civilians via cheap surplus, lots of it wasn't treated well. Just like anything from back then though, no one knew it would be worth many many times what they originally paid for it 80 years later. Besides aircraft, halftracks are the other thing i really hate the loss of.
これぞ米国ならではの傑作戦闘爆撃機
A beast of a plane. An RAF pilot wryly remarked "I suppose our bombers could hide behind it".
"Helped win the war"... absolutely! Too many videos would have you believe that a given weapon "won the war". NO weapon did that. Countless people, now almost all dead, did that. The Jug was a huge, tough brute built to tangle with the best and take punishment that would down nearly all of its opponents. It would have been a far better choice for ground support in Korea than the Mustang.
American industry and logistics “won” that war. Anyone who believes otherwise is deluding themselves. A p47 pilot survives his mission commitment in spite of damage done to his aircraft and gets to go home to be a training instructor for the next wave of pilots, teaching them pertinent info that saves their lives every bit as much as the airframe itself. The gas, spare parts, and ammunition gets where it’s going more times than it doesn’t thanks to a better logistics train than the enemy. Meanwhile, the enemy is fielding and its best until they are KIA and can hardly keep their planes in the air due to shortages across the board. The P47 was a death Nell for the Luftwaffe.
@@AdmiralYeti8042 Still true. While deployed to the Middle East, we were given massive latitude for spares. At the end, I remember being gobsmacked as logistics personel rolled in, rolled up their sleeves, and quietly sorted out our crimes. Up until then, I had no particular respect for supply folks. That changed big time.
I am wondering about the men riding on the wing of the aircraft while it is moving around the airfield. My guess is that when on the ground the pilot can't see directly in front of his aircraft, so the man on the wing is there as an extra set of eyes to help him steer safely.
No sh*t.
@@MacFinn-wp2vn No need for that. I was asking a sincere question, hoping someone would know for certain. I don't recall seeing a ground crew member riding on the wing of any other WW2 aircraft. If my guess is correct, it means the design of the plane left it with a blind spot for the pilot while it was being taxied around an airfield. Was this a design flaw or an accepted trade off? How many ground accidents happened before they added the man on the wing?
@@dongilleo9743 saw a photo of a taxying P47 with a crewman laying on the wing ,pointing the way to go.
@@dongilleo9743 It was obviously accepted and not a flaw or they wouldn't have built many thousands of these aircraft. Poor forward visibility was common to single engine fighters, some worse than others. The F4U Corsair was no better, and it had to land on a boat.
The man riding on the wing was the crew chief, his job at that point was not only to help the pilot steer the aircraft on those narrow improvised airstrips while taxiing but also to monitor the aircraft for any possible flaws or mechanical problems like an uneven running engine etc etc.
Flying those aircraft from that era was a dangerous occupation not only because of the enemy but also from mishaps, a full ⅓rd of all the 8th Air Force deaths in Europe were due to accidents, so something like an engine conking out during take off on those short improvised airstrips while it was loaded with bombs and fuel could be disastrous, those crew chiefs needed to keep checking those things out right up to where he'd jump down off the wing right before it'd take off.
O Brasil vou na segunda guerra na Itália com os P_47 e os pilotos relataram da capacidade de absorção de impactos... teve um piloto que na sua retomada de altura após um bombardeio bateu com sua asa em uma chaminé perdeu quase todas a asa mas, conseguiu retornar pra base e pousou normalmente seu avião!!.
P47 is my favorite plane. If I had fought in the Second World War, as I would not be a skilled pilot, I would prefer a plane that would bring me back.
A D model brought my dad home for 52 missions during war2 as he called it. He kicked to hunt trains 7 confirmed
Bless him
the Sherman was the best tank in WW2 because of the P 47
The Sherman was not the best tank in WW2. There wasn't any best tank of WW2. Different nations had different needs.
@@jacktattisMost of them are gone now but ask any WWII tanker or infantryman. CAS…
@@jacktattis And saved many many more ground pounders in the process. Same with outdated Stukas on the eastern front where pilots would get the Stuka shot out from under them in the morning and they would be flying sorties again that afternoon. DCAS motto: "So that other's may live".
Fw 152 ta ist besser
I love this channel.
Outstanding!
My great uncle Thomas Thrasher flew a p47d named Christine on many missions with the 27th fighter group. He was shot down and KIA.
It sounds like the B17 of the Fighters in that they both could withstand a lot of damage yet still manage to compete it’s mission and return home
Над Европой американцы сбили 14 тысяч немецких самолетов. Из них 12 тысяч сбил P-47 Thunderbolt. Причем, это он сбивал только немецкие истребители, причем за один год всего-то.
The best kill ratio of any ww2 fighter the mighty jug
8, 50 cal. Who who woo woo woo woo wooooooooooooo. Hell yea
My favorite always, sure so many good ones ,but she's a rough and tough pistol packing mama to deal with!
The "Timex" fighter...Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'
how could anybody hate them they were the right Aircraft for the time, When the Allies were outnumbered the P47 was the kind of plane you wanted?
When it came time to name the Fairchild A-10 ground attack jet, the most heavily armed ground attack jet ever created, they named it the Thunderbolt II in honor of the Juggernaut P-47 Thunderbolt.
No pilots of P-51s can have the top aces of WW2. They don't even come close.
True, this were reserved for ME-109, FW-190, Spitfire, Yak, Lag.
@@jacktattis Pattle was fortunate he was allowed to gain his initial combat experiences and victories against the less skilled and more poorly equipped Italians for several months before having to face the Luftwaffe. Looks like the vast majority of his victories were bombers or obsolete Italian fighters with a few 109s thrown in.
The inexperienced P-47 pilots got thrown in the deep end of the pool fighting against the veteran Luftwaffe units right off the bat. P-47s occasionally got to shoot down transports or bombers and infrequently some twin engine destroyers, but the fast majority of their opposition was the capable FW-190s and BF-109s.
@@jacktattis In Pattle's first aerial combat in August 4, 1940 against the Italians he was shot down himself after shooting down a ground attacker and an Italian Biplane fighter. He didn't fight against Germans until April 1941 in Greece...so that's 8 months gaining experience fighting against the less capable Italians. He didn't even last 1 month fighting against the Germans before a Bf-110 shot him down, although admittedly, he racked up quite a few victories in that month (eight Bf109s, three Do17s, three Bf110s, six Ju88s, one He111 ).
It's more impressive if a pilot's victories consist of non-obsolete and dangerous enemy fighters piloted by experienced opponents, instead of most of the victories being obsolete fighters/bombers/transports/recon being piloted by novices. The P-47s got baptised into the air war in 1943 by flying against very experienced Luftwaffe 109 and 190 opposition while doing offensive missions over enemy territory with sophisticated radar/ground control arrayed against the Allies in Western Europe.
I met a Jug Pilot who was busted after going from Jug, to Mustang and then who said "I'll not fly again unless I'm in a Jug!" An old commander Promoted then transferred him and he served until the end of the War.
Ace video mate.
Wow, they didn't think Gabreski could cut it as a general back then. Makes you wonder. As for our current Air Force generals, I have seen some of them testify before Congress concerning what they believe is essential and observed those who have been elevated to the highest ranks, and still, I wonder. However, most of all, I fear.
No mention of the P47s important role in Italy and it would be nice to mention it's modern namesake the Fairchild-Republic A10 Thunderbolt.
I still don't understand why they didn't just use the Corsairs they already had. It was tough, fast and was a superb fighter and ground attack aircraft unparalleled.
Not taking anything away from the P47. It was also great.
From Iowa.....................John
because P47 was better as a high altitude fighter, and after D-day it was already too late to use Corsare
Points of order: June 1940 was NOT ‘a year and a half’ before the start of the war. Also, USAAF policy for some time was not to use drop tanks…when that changed, not long before the arrival of the P51, the P47 had the range.
excellent
Thanks!
Give me a Jug instead of a Mustang.
The Mustang was hailed as the savior of the European bombing campaign, but thousands of lives could have been saved if the "Bomber Mafia" hadn't refused to use the Thunderbolt with the available drop tanks. Sure, the Jug drank fuel, but so did every other combat aircraft; the P-51 needed drop tanks, too! As for the Mustang having a miracle "laminar flow' wing, that was a myth - no mass-produced airfoil was ever clean enough to achieve laminar flow.
100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The jug was the real deal. Warthog's grizzled grandad.
I think the P47 (like the Grumman Wildcat & Hellcat) inspired a great deal of pilot confidence...Perhaps rather than comparing it to the P51 (racehorse vs plough horse) it might be fitting to use Kurt Tank's imagery when he described the purpose of the FW190 vs BF109 as cavalry horse vs racehorse....Great power, strength and endurance....
I cant believe the other name was Thunderbolt.
My Father was a crew chief on this airplane with the 8th stationed in England..
His airplane had a Batman insignia on the nose.
Bless him
The p51 was a sword, the p47 was a club
Pratt &Whitney = Dependab!e Engines.
Cudos, I salute him.
What kind of Delbert would hate this aircraft?
The p 47 was the greatest ground attack aircraft in WW2 that America had however if I had to fight the luftwaffe at high altitude I would have preferred to be a p 51 pilot just because you could dogfight and maneuver more in the mustang
Totaly FALSE!!! AT altitude the jug (20,000 and higher where most dogfights happened) ran rings aroun the 51. The turbo supercharger made full horsepower to 30,000 feet,It just out horsepowered the 51!!!!!
@@scottinohio701 The Mustang’s supercharger did the same thing at those altitudes , there are plenty of P-47 pilots that have stated that the Jug was simply to big of an airplane to dogfight with the Me 109 and Focke Wolf fighters the Germans had , their top tactics they used were diving from altitude and the zoom and boom tactics that hellcat pilots used in the pacific theater against another smaller nimbler plane the Japanese zero
@@larryconnerjr1835 I see that you are an internet expert on the P-47!! Go to Gregs airplnes and autos on YT and learn the real facts!! My father flew 104 missions with the 358th FG from Oct 43 to Oct 44!! 7 of the top ten American aces ,including the top 2 flew jugs!!! They had 90% of their kills against the top German aces before the 51 was even in theater!! When 51s entered almost all the jugs were put in the 9th air force and relegated to ground attack duty with very little chance at aerial fights. In the meantime 51s were killing the german replacement pilots with very little flight time. 51s could NOT maintain full horsepower up to 30,000 ft. QUIT peerpetuating MYTHS!!!!!!!!!
@@scottinohio701 I’ve flown both the P-51 and the P-47 in my dreams and in those dreams the Mustang was the better dogfighter 🙂 but if you have a relative that actually flew the Jug did he tell you about how the plane handled against the top German fighter planes and if so I would love to hear what your relative said about his experiences in the P-47
@@larryconnerjr1835 It was my father. I will forgive you for your dreams. LOL
The P-47 Thunderbolt was designed by Alexander Kartveli
@20:20 Wrong, the P-47 was NOT the heaviest "fighter" The P-61 was a fighter and it weighed WAY more than a P-47. What he meant was, the P-47 was the heaviest SINGLE ENGINE, single seat fighter.
Must Read: THUNDERBOLT: MEMOIRS OF A WW2 FIGHTER PILOT, by Marvin Bledsoe !
The British ordered P-47 with equipment for three drop tanks. Republic fitted the kit to every plane they built. All the Eighth Airforce had to do was use them. Pure petulance kept the tanks back in USA.
When the P-51D arrived, the US bomber generals had no excuse but to use tanks in P-51 AND P-47. UK had used drop tanks from the outset.
100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!