Mission Thunderbolt

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (nicknamed the "Jug") is a monoplane fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Republic Aviation. Designed around the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18-cylinder radial engine and produced from 1941 through to 1945, it became the foremost American fighter-bomber in the ground-attack role during World War II. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to eight tons, making it one of the heaviest fighters of the conflict. It is the namesake of a later U.S. ground-attack aircraft, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. The origins of the P-47 can be traced back to the late 1930s and the work of Alexander Kartveli, who sought to develop a replacement for the Seversky P-35. The resulting AP-10 fighter design attracted the backing of the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), which designated it XP-47. Subsequent revisions to keep pace with contemporary fighters of other nations led to the XP-47B, a prototype of which was ordered in September 1940 and performed its maiden flight on 6 May 1941. The P-47 was noted for its firepower; its primary armament was eight .50-caliber machine guns, and it could carry 5-inch rockets or a bomb load of 2,500 lb (1,100 kg). It was also noted for its ability to remain airworthy with battle damage. The P-47's R-2800 engine, which also powered the U.S. Navy/U.S. Marine Corps Grumman F6F Hellcat and Vought F4U Corsair, used a turbocharger, which ensured the aircraft's eventual dominance at high altitudes, while also influencing its size and design. The armored cockpit was relatively roomy and comfortable, while the sliding bubble canopy introduced on the P-47D offered good visibility. In December 1941, the first production P-47 was delivered to the recently created United States Army Air Forces (USAAF); roughly one year later, P-47Cs were sent to England for combat operations under the 8th Air Force. It found success in the both European and Pacific theaters as an escort fighter, well-suited to high-altitude air-to-air combat. The P-47 was able to accompany Allied bombers all the way into Germany and perform their own attacks against ground targets of opportunity on the return journey. When operated in tandem with Supermarine Spitfires, they proved devastating against Japanese forces during the Battle of the Sittang Bend. Two P-47 pilots, Neel E. Kearby and Raymond L. Knight, received the Medal of Honor. By the end of the conflict, the P-47 had become one of the USAAF's primary fighter-bombers; between D-Day and VE day alone, P-47 pilots claimed to have destroyed roughly 86,000 railroad cars, 9,000 locomotives, 6,000 armored fighting vehicles, and 68,000 trucks. In addition to the USAAF, the P-47 also served with the air forces of France, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, and with Allied Mexican and Brazilian squadrons. While production of the type was terminated shortly after the end of WWII, the P-47 continued to be widely operated into