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Published: 2011-08-24 23:47:47 +0000 UTC; Views: 4285; Favourites: 45; Downloads: 0
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Description
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt entered service in 1942. It was one of the largest and most powerful fighters of WW2. The design evolved as the war progressed, and the D-25 was the first to feature the bubble type canopy which had proven itself in other aircraft of the time. The canopy was later retrofitted to some of the earlier aircraft. The Thunderbolt or 'Jug' as it was called, proved itself useful both as a long-range fighter, but also in the ground-attack role, where it's rugged construction was able to absorb a lot of damage from ground fire.The P-47/F-47 served with a number of air forces both during and after WW2, including Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Great Britain, Italy, Turkey, and Yugoslavia.
The P-47 was armed with 8 x 12.7mm machine guns, and could carry bombs, rockets, or fuel tanks under the fuselage or wings.
This example is a P-47D-15 of the 350th Fighter Squadron 1944
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Comments: 4
opiumtraum [2011-08-27 21:47:56 +0000 UTC]
great job....love these aircraft profiles...there was a show a while back (PBS) about a guy who piloted a P-47 during the war...really, a very moving story. Part of it was his relating how in the middle of a strafing mission, his hand became paralyzed (he'd seen too many times what 8X50 cal machine-guns can do to a body). He became a forward air controller. After the war, his wife would know if he'd had nightmares/flashbacks of his combat experience by noticing what hand he held his morning coffee with (the paralysis would return).
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Claveworks In reply to opiumtraum [2011-08-31 00:49:43 +0000 UTC]
Yeah, it's easy to forget what a hellish job it was being a combat pilot... and don't even THINK about WW1...
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opiumtraum In reply to Claveworks [2011-08-31 17:21:52 +0000 UTC]
canvas, wood, no parachute & the fuel tank was usually directly in front of the pilot...
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