Thunderbolt, America's fighter (P.47) was operating from British bases, it had a span of 41 ft., length 32 ft., and weighed 13,500lb. Its powerful armament consisted of eight 0.5 in', machine-guns, having a combined rate of fire of 6,400 rounds a minute. A single-seat, low-wing monoplane, it was designed for high altitude performance and was powered by a 2,000 h.p. engine giving a speed of about 400 m,p.h. 1: Thunderbolts in flight. 2: Four guns in each wing give this plane a deadly-punch. 3: The Thunderbolt's nose. 4: Taking off. .
I did hear a bit of a funny line about the Thunderbolt made by RAF Spitfire pilots. Compared with the earlier marks of Spitfire, the RAF pilots reckoned that the Thunderbolt was so big one of the major defence strategies was whenever it was being shot at the pilot could get out of his seat and run about in the fuselage to dodge the bullets. The P47 was initially intended as an escort fighter for the B17 bombers but it's limited range meant that it could only travel to a short distance across the enemy coast. It wasn't until the P51 Mustang arrived that the issue of bomber escort was finally solved. The P47 did make a superb grounds attack platform in the latter months of the war along with the Hawker Tempest of the RAF.
U.S. Thunderbolt, piloted by 2nd Lt, J. Poster, was singled out for attack over France by German fighters. Five 20mm, shells ploughed into the right wing of the aircraft. Its pilot managed to fly the damaged plane to England and crash-land.
Totally agree Brian, the Thunderbolt did a magnificent job during the Normandy battles ... The Germans were terrified of their strafes. :thumb:
