Republic Thunderbolt

Fighter · Republic Aviation · United States

Republic Thunderbolt
ⓘ licence & creditTim Felce / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P47_Thunderbolt_-_Chino_2014_(cropped).jpg
Typical crew1
Engines1 × Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp
First flight1941
Number built15,636

Photographs

P-47D "Thunderbolts" of the 359th Fighter Group at East Wretham Airfield, England. Foreground is Serial 42-8596 "Marryin' Sam" of the 368th Fighter Squadron.
ⓘ licence & creditassumed USAAF / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:359th_Fighter_Group_P-47_Thunderbolts.jpgView source & full licence →
P-47 Thunderbolts (LJ-B, serial number 42-8381, "War Weary") nicknamed "Little One" and (LJ-D, serial number 42-7896, "War Weary") and RAF AT-6 Texans at East Wretham, home of the 359th Fighter Group. Assoicated caption:' P-47 "Little One" LJ-P 28381 dark green w/ white cowl band, tow target ship that TP Smith flew up to 39,500 ft.'
ⓘ licence & creditUnknown authorUnknown author / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:359th_Fighter_Group_-_P-47_Thunderbolts.jpgView source & full licence →
Republic P-47D-28-RE Thunderbolt Serial 44-20244 of the 367th Fighter Squadron, 358th Fighter Group, based at RAF High Halden, England.
ⓘ licence & creditassumed USAAF / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:358fg-p47-hhalden.jpgView source & full licence →
Sergeant Elwin D. Phillips, Lieutenant Sidney Hewitt, Staff Sergeant Michael Yahawk, and a colleague of the 361st Fighter Squadron, 356th Fighter Group stand with Hewitt's P-47 Thunderbolt (QI-F, serial number 42-74702) nicknamed "Clarkie" at Goxhill. Handwritten caption on reverse: '"CLARIE" [sic] 361st Fighter Squadron, Pilot: Sid Hewitt. Standing (L-R) Sgt Elwin D Phillips (arm/ aut C/C) Pilot: lt Sidney Hewitt S/Sgt Michael Yahawk- eng (Crew Chief).'
ⓘ licence & creditUnited States Army Air Forces / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:356th_Fighter_Group_-_P-47_Thunderbolt_42-74702_at_RAF_Goxhill.jpgView source & full licence →
P-47 of the 355th Fighter Group (World War II)
ⓘ licence & creditUnited States Army Air Force / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:355fg-p47-wwii.jpgView source & full licence →
P-47 of the 353d Fighter Group
ⓘ licence & creditUnited States Army Air Force / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:353dfg-p-47-thunderbolt.jpgView source & full licence →
Republic P-47D-2-RA Thunderbolt Serial 42-22548 "Gigs-Up" of the 486th Fighter Squadron, 352d Fighter Group, at RAF Bodney, England.
ⓘ licence & creditassumed USAAF / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:352fg-p47.jpgView source & full licence →
P-47D of the 353d Fighter Group/351st Fighter Squadron on a train strafing mission
ⓘ licence & creditUnited States Air Force / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:351stFS-P-47-1943.pngView source & full licence →
345th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter Group, 12th Air Force.
ⓘ licence & creditUnited States Army Air Forces / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:345th_Fighter_Squadron_-_P-47_Thunderbolts.jpgView source & full licence →
P-47 of the 325th Fighter Group
ⓘ licence & creditUnited States Army Air Force / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:325fightergroup-p-47-1943.jpgView source & full licence →
P-47 Thunderbolts from the 318th Fighter Group taking off from East Field on Saipan, Marianas Islands in October 1944. Lead ship: "Big Squaw" Republic-Evansville P-47D-20-RA Thunderbolt s/n 43-25327 19th FS, 318th FG, 7th AF Assigned to Capt. J. Voss
ⓘ licence & creditUnited States Army Air Forces / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:318th_Fighter_Group_P-47_Thunderbolts_East_Field_Saipan_1944.jpgView source & full licence →
P-47 Thunderbolts of the 1st Air Commando Group, 10th Air Force, taking off. Republic P-47D-23-RA Thunderbolt 42-228152 in foreground.
ⓘ licence & creditUnited States Army Air Forces / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1st_Air_Commando_Group_-_P-47_Thunderbolts.jpgView source & full licence →
1DA9DE4 UL.jpg
ⓘ licence & creditemailer / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1DA9DE4_UL.jpgView source & full licence →
128th Fighter Squadron Republic P-47N-25-RE Thunderbolt 44-89403 Marietta GA May 1946. This aircraft was part of the last production block of P-47s at Republic Aircraft, Farmingdale, New York
ⓘ licence & creditUnited States Air Force / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:128th_Fighter_Squadron_P-47_Thunderbolt_Marietta_GA_May_1946.jpgView source & full licence →
104th Fighter Squadron - P-47 Thunderbolts 1947
ⓘ licence & creditUnited States National Guard / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:104th_Fighter_Squadron_-_P-47_Thunderbolts_1947.jpgView source & full licence →
The pilot climbs in to the cockpit of his Republic Thunderbolt Mk.II of No. 30 Squadron, Royal Air Force before taking off from Jumchar for a sortie over Burma. The fighter wears the special South East Asia Command striping round the nose and tail surfaces, which served as a friendly identification marking.
ⓘ licence & creditRoyal Navy official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thunderbolt_II_30_Sqn_RAF_at_Jumchar_1945.jpgView source & full licence →

About

The Republic Thunderbolt was the largest and heaviest single-engined fighter of the war, and in RAF hands it was a Far Eastern weapon. Britain received some 830 of these massive Pratt & Whitney-engined fighters — the RAF was the type’s second-largest operator — and sent them all to South East Asia Command for the campaign in Burma.

From 1944 sixteen RAF squadrons flew Thunderbolts against the Japanese, where the type’s ruggedness, heavy eight-gun armament, bomb load and long range made it an ideal ground-attack aircraft to replace the Hawker Hurricane in the theatre. Operating in “cab rank” patrols directed by ground controllers, RAF Thunderbolts struck Japanese troops, transport and supply lines in close support of the advancing Fourteenth Army. Early “razorback” aircraft served as the Thunderbolt I and later bubble-canopy machines as the Thunderbolt II.

Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including Republic P-47D Thunderbolt II — RAF Museum and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt in RAF Service — historyofwar.org. The text is original and has been written from factual source material; no source text has been copied unless specifically quoted and attributed.