From different articles and documentaries, it seems that the P-47 is sometimes overshadowed by the "classy" breed of fighters aka P-51, Spitfire, FW, etc. In reality the P-47 could get up to speeds of 470 mph, was built like a tank and could absorb loads of punishment that the Spitfire, Mustang, FW couldn't dream of taking, had 8 .50 cals that were just as capable of dishing out damage at a faster rate of fire than the 20 mm of the European fighter class, and with its weight could dive faster than the others (ironically the P-40 could also dive harder than other contemporary fighters). The other fighters I listed could out-turn the P-47, but I think I'd take the P-47 over the others for overall performance and protection. Would you favor the P-47 for its attributes or go with another option?
If the P-47M and N were German they would be dubbed the ultimate 'Nazi super planes' because of their performance on history channel TV
Yep. Why go faster, higher and further than you have too? EDIT: Decided to issue a preemptive apology for being a wise-** but seems to me the N had it all over the Dora. Humor often falls flat in text instead of having charming old me there in person
for low level attack, sure, I'd take the P47 with the radial...but for aerial fighting, I'd go with the 51 where you would have a better chance of getting the edge on your prey....with the 51 you can control the battle better
Yes, but it was more resistant than the P-51 when forcelanding . Some pilots flying at low altitude and knowing they had no time to bail out chose to land and owed their live to the sturdyness of the craft .
Purely subjective here but the P-47 seems to be overshadowed by the P-51D in much the same way as the Hurricane by the Spitfire. The P-47 was hamstrung by having a more limited range than the later P-51, but it was one of the great combat aircraft of WWII. Many of the top 8th AF aces made very good use of them. And I always liked the 'line shoot' of the RAF pilot who said that the great thing about the P-47 was that if you were shot at - you could always unbuckle and run around the cockpit to avoid being hit....... :mischief:
Right and that was just for a late D. Add about 600 HP, 50 more MPH and 1000 more miles to the range for the N. They cost almost double what a P-51D cost though
The P-47 was surely a monster of a machine. It certainly had enough fire power with eight M2 Browning machine guns and the ability to drop a bomb load of 2,500 pounds made it an exceptional ground attack fighter as well as an escort fighter for bombing missions. It was also powered by the same engine that was used for the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair (Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp).
That's true but I think (hope someone can provide the numbers) that the Jug shot down far more German fighters than the P-51.
Monster - yes. Made me dig into my archive for this shot I took of the Fighter Collection's No Guts No Glory being towed out to the flightline at Duxford in 2006, which I think gives a good perspective.......
In my opinion, the Jug did at least as much to win the air war in Europe as the P-51. IIRC, the Mustang shot down more planes but the Jug, being earlier on the scene, killed more GOOD German pilots. The two younger Galland brothers are good examples. Thus, when the 'Tang came in it was fighting an opponent with much lower piloting skills overall. Therefore, the P-51 could rack up more kills against these mediocre opponents. However, I don't think the D model could make 470mph in level flight and that one was the one that did almost all of the fighting. It's speed was more in the 430 class which put it on a par with the FW190D. The XP47N first flew in September of 44 so I doubt many of them got to the European Theater. Some did go the PTO I believe. If I were to go up against a Jug(D) above 20,000ft. I'd want a TA 152. If the combat was at 15,000ft or lower, then a FW-190D would do well. The one caveat being that I had equal skills as my opponent. Pilot quality made a huge difference in who won.
I've grown fond of the "Jug" over the years, enough that it has nudged out the P-51 as among my favorite fighters of WW2(the Mustang still has my respect, nonetheless), I get that the P-51 has a "sexier" look to it, but the Thunderbolt has that "bad @$$ mo-fo" look that appeals to me more, and it often went down-and-dirty, wreaking havoc on German ground forces during the Battle for Normandy, disrupting their supply and communications; forcing them to limit their movement to during the night, the P-47 and the pilots who flew them played their part admirably.
this interesting thread had me conclude that the late mustangs and spits were the best fighters in ww2 (in an anti fighter context) http://www.ww2f.com/topic/10172-who-can-beat-the-mustang/?fromsearch=1 of course the late p47 were outstanding in both fighter and attack rôles, much like corsairs and even hellcats
