P-47 Thunderbolt

The Republican ' P-47 Thunder Bolt ' was one of the main U.S. fighters in World War 2



Development
The P-47 origins lie in a requirement for a lightweight fighter powered by an Allison V-1710 V12 engine. the Republic designers turned down this original design requirement and built the XP-47B. This plane was built around the Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18 cylinder Radial engine rated at 2000hp. Weighing in at 13,000lb loaded, it became the heaviest single engine fighter of World War 2. First flown on May 6th 1941, the P-47 demonstrated great speed at altitude and an order for 773 were placed. production began in the second half of 1942 and the first groups were deployed to Great Britain in January 1943.

Service
The P-47B saw its first combat mission in April of 1943, escorting B-17's on raid into Germany and France, and also conducted fighter sweeps. It was during these operations that highlighted the P-47B's faults such as poor climb rate, and low altitude performance. At higher altitudes the P-47 was much faster, flying at speeds up to 433mph and much more maneuverable. The Thunderbolt also demonstrated that it could take considerable damage and still be able to fly home. The P-47C was introduced with a couple of changes meant to address these problems, such as a longer fuselage to improve handling and a more powerful engine, rated at 2,300hp. These Thunderbolts were also able to fit a drop tank under the fuselage, increasing its range to where it could almost escort the bombers all the way to their targets. The C begin operations with the Eighth Air Force in July of 1943.

The D
The P-47D improved the P-47 considerably and accounted for 12,000 of the 15,000 Thunderbolts produced. Early P-47's didn't look much different from the C's but had an even more powerful engine, rated at 2,500hp. The wings were strengthened, being able to carry each a 1,000 pound bomb or a large drop tank. The D-25 version introduced the bubble canopy, greatly increasing the pilots view. While almost completely supplanted in the Eighth Air Force by the P-51 Mustang, the Thunderbolt equipped the Ninth Air Force in large numbers. The 9th dealt with the tactical missions of ground attack and fighter sweeps, something the P-47 excelled at. Greatly helping the men on the ground with close air support, the P-47 became the scourge of the Wehrmacht, forcing the Germans to only move tanks and supplies at night. Many Thunderbolts also served in the Mediterranean, Pacific and the CBI.

Uses in Call of Duty Series.

 * In Call of Duty: United Offense , The last two American missions involve the P-47 covering the player and helping the destruction of the remainder of the German platoon on the last mission.

Aircraft of World War 2, Stewart Wilson,1998, Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, ISBN 1 875671 35 8