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United States' Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter^1,2,3,4

Republic XP-47B Thunderbolt prototype:	Republic P-47 Thunderbolt:	Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter:	Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter, cockpit:
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt:

Design

The Republic P-47 was designed by Alexander Kartveli.^1,3 He drew the basic design on the back of an envelope at a meeting in 1940.¹ Republic designated it the AP-10.⁴ The design was supposed to meet a requirement for a light weight fighter.⁴

Early models were nicknamed "Razorbacks" or "Jugs" by the pilots.^1,4 The P-47 was three times the weight of early Spitfires.¹ The P-47 was also nearly twice the weight of a Mustang.⁴ A fully loaded P-47N was heavier than a Dornier Do 17 bomber.¹

Engine

The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine was the most powerful engine in a single engine fighter in World War II.¹ With turbo charger it could deliver 2,535 HP.¹ The P-47s turbo charger was located in the rear fuselage.² On August 5, 1944 a specially prepared P-47 Thunderbolt achieved a World War II speed record of 504 mph / 811 kph.¹

Propeller

The propeller was a massive 12' / 3.71 m across.¹

Cockpit

Eventually the P-47 had a bubble canopy which greatly enhanced visibility for the pilot.¹

Prototype

The XP-47B first flew on May 6, 1941.^1,2,3,4

The XP-47J first flew in November 1943.⁴

The XP-47N first flew in September 1944.⁴

Production

By May 1941 orders for 773 P-47s had been placed.⁴

Production was cancelled at the end of the war with 5,934 orders still on the books.⁴

XP-47B: 1⁴
XP-47J: 1⁴
P-47B: 171^2,3,4
P-47C: 602⁴
P-47D: 12,602^2,3,4
P-47G: 354⁴
P-47M: 130⁴
P-47N: 1,816^2,3,4
Total: 15,675^2,3, 15,683⁴

Variants

XP-47: Prototype.⁴ Had Allison V-1710 V 12 engine.⁴
XP-47A: Weight of 6,400 lb / 2,903 kg.⁴
XP-47B: Prototype.¹ Used a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp turbo charged engine (2,000 HP).^2,3,4
XP-47E: Prototype.⁴ Converted from P-47B.⁴ Had pressurized cockpit.⁴
XP-47F: Prototype.⁴ Converted from P-47B.⁴ Had laminar flow wings.⁴
XP-47G: Prototype.⁴ Two seat trainer.⁴
XP-47H: Prototype.⁴ Had Chrysler XIV-2220 V 16 engine (2,300 HP).⁴
XP-47J: Prototype.¹ Had fan cooled, water injected, Pratt & Whitney R-2800-57C engine (war emergency 2,800 HP).⁴ Was able to do 505 mph / 813 kph in level flight.⁴
XP-47L: Prototype.⁴ Internal fuel increased.⁴
XP-47N: Prototype of the P-47N.⁴
YP-47M: Prototype.⁴ Three converted P-47Ds.⁴ Had Pratt & Whitney R-2800-57C engine installed.⁴ Was supposed to combat German V-1 rockets.⁴
P-47B / Thunderbolt Mk I: Speed of 429 mph / 691 kph.^2,3
P-47C: Longer fuselage.^2,3 Had under fuselage drop tank.^2,3
P-47D / Thunderbolt Mk II: Water injection booster.^2,3 Rear fuselage was cut down and the canopy was bubble shapped.^2,3
P-47G: Identical to P-47D, but produced by Curtiss-Wright.⁴
P-47M: Was designed to take down the V-1 rockets.¹ Had better turbo charger.^2,3 Could fly 473 mph / 762 kph.^2,3 Entered service in late 1944.²
P-47N: Long range version.^1,3 Wings were increased in size and blunt tipped.^2,3 It was to escort B-29s.²

Usage

Between March 1943 and August 1945 the P-47s flew over 500,000 / 546,000⁴ combat sorties.¹ The loss per sortie was under 0.7%.⁴

The P-47 was used by the Americans, Brazilians, British, French, Mexicans, and Russians.¹

Many pilots thought the P-47Bs were not maneuverable and didn't climb well.^3,4 They did however, like that it could survive heavy damage.^3,4

First Units in England

The 56th and 78th Fighter Groups took their P-47s to England in January 1943.^2,3,4 They first escorted B-17s on April 8, 1943.²

Burma

There were 16 Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons in Burma equipped with the P-47.³

After World War II

Many Central and South American countries used the P-47s after World War II.⁴

Sources:

Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, General Editor Chris Bishop, 1998
Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998