What made the P-47 Thunderbolt special?

“He revolutionized fighter aircraft with the semi-elliptical wing and more powerful engines equipped with turbosuperchargers.” During World War II, the Thunderbolt flew more than half a million missions and dropped 132,000 pounds of bombs. It had an exceptionally low rate of loss—.

What was the most durable plane in WW2?

For instance, there is evidence to suggest that the aircraft often mentioned as the most rugged of World War II—the B-17—was, in fact, stouter than its stablemate, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. “The B-17 had a huge wing,” says archivist Dan Hagedorn of the National Air and Space Museum.

How many planes did the P-47 shoot down?

By the end of the war, the 56th FG was the only 8th Air Force unit still flying the P-47, by preference, instead of the P-51. The unit claimed 677.5 air victories and 311 ground kills, at the cost of 128 aircraft.

What plane got the most kills in WW2?

Undoubtedly the Messerschmitt Bf 109. German fighters (both day and night) were credited with downing 70,000 enemy aircraft during the war, roughly 25,000 in the West and 45,000 in the East.

What was the weight of a P-47 Thunderbolt?

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Its primary armament was eight .50-caliber machine guns and in the fighter-bomber ground-attack role it could carry five-inch rockets or a bomb load of 2,500 pounds (1,103 kg). When fully loaded the P-47 weighed up to eight tons (tonnes) making it one of the heaviest fighters of the war.

What was the difference between the P-51 and P-47?

Designers soon came up with bigger, more rugged machine: The P-47. A prototype Thunderbolt first took to the skies on May 6, 1941. The P-47 was a large target, but solid construction made to be a durable opponent in combat. (Image source: WikiCommons) The P-47 was a big plane. It was three feet wider than the P-51 and four feet longer.

What happened to the F-47 Thunderbolt after WW2?

Although P-47 production ceased just weeks after Japan’s surrender, Thunderbolts (re-designated as the F-47) continued to serve for years (and in some cases decades) after World War Two.

Why did the P-47 have a bubble canopy?

Early models of the P-47 possessed a tall fuselage spine and a “razorback” canopy configuration. This resulted in poor rear visibility and efforts were made to fit variants of the P-47D with “bubble” canopies. This proved successful and the bubble canopy was used on some subsequent models.