Editing Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (section)

==Operational history==

===US service===
[[File:P-47b.jpg|thumb|P-47B-RE 41-5905 assigned to the 56th FG at Teterboro Airport: Note the windows behind the cockpit and the sliding canopy, an indication that this was an early-production P-47B]]

By the end of 1942, P-47Cs were sent to England for combat operations. The initial Thunderbolt flyers, [[56th Fighter Group]], were sent overseas to join the [[Eighth Air Force|8th Air Force]]. As the P-47 worked up to operational status, it gained a nickname: "Jug" (because its profile was similar to that of a common milk jug of the time).{{#tag:ref|Historians argue that the nickname "Jug" was short for "Juggernaut" when aviators began using the longer word as an alternate nickname.<ref>Graff 2007, p. 53.</ref> Another nickname that was used for the Thunderbolt was "T-bolt".<ref>Air Force Association 1998, p. 110.</ref>|group=Note}} Two fighter groups <!-- (FGs) --> already stationed in England began introducing the Jugs in January 1943 - the [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]]-flying [[4th Fighter Group]], a unit built around a core of experienced American pilots who had flown in the RAF [[Eagle Squadron]]s prior to the US entry in the war; and the [[78th Fighter Group]], formerly flying [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning|P-38 Lightning]]s.

[[File:Francis Gabreski color photo in pilot suit.jpg|thumb|P-47 pilot Lt Col [[Francis S. Gabreski|Francis S. "Gabby" Gabreski]], [[56th Fighter Group]], leading ace of the [[8th Air Force]]]]
Beginning in January 1943, Thunderbolt fighters were sent to the joint Army Air Forces – civilian [[Millville Airport]] in [[Millville, New Jersey]], to train civilian and military pilots.

The first P-47 combat mission took place 10 March 1943 when the 4th FG took their aircraft on a fighter sweep over France. The mission was a failure due to radio malfunctions. All P-47s were refitted with British radios, and missions resumed 8 April. The first P-47 air combat took place 15 April with Major [[Don Blakeslee]] of the 4th FG scoring the Thunderbolt's first air victory (against a [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]]).

By mid-1943, the Jug was also in service with the [[12th Air Force]] in [[Italy]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bernstein |first1=Jonathan |title=P-47 Thunderbolt Units of the Twelfth Air Force |date=2012 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |location=[[Botley, Oxfordshire]] |isbn=9781849086721 |page=8 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T-K6CwAAQBAJ&q=Republic+P-47+Thunderbolt&pg=PA2 |access-date=February 10, 2019 |language=en |chapter=1}}</ref> and against the Japanese in the Pacific, with the [[348th Fighter Group]] flying missions out of [[Port Moresby]], New Guinea. By 1944, the Thunderbolt was in combat with the USAAF in all its operational theaters except Alaska.

[[File:P-47 gun harmonization 1945 page 35.jpg|thumb|One of several [[gun harmonization|gun-harmonization]] schemes used on the P-47: This one converged the eight guns into a point at about {{convert|1100|ft|m|abbr=on}} out front.]]

''Luftwaffe'' ace [[Heinrich Bär|Heinz Bär]] said that the P-47 "could absorb an astounding amount of lead [from shooting at it] and had to be handled very carefully".<ref name="rymaszewski199407">{{Cite magazine
 |last=Rymaszewski
 |first=Michael
 |date=July 1994
 |title=Playing Your Aces
 |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=120
 |magazine=Computer Gaming World
 |pages=101–105
 |access-date=2017-11-16
 |archive-date=2019-10-02
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002210239/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=120
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref> Although the [[North American P-51 Mustang]] replaced the P-47 in the long-range escort role in Europe, the Thunderbolt still ended the war with an aerial kill ratio of 4.6:1<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.si.edu/object/republic-p-47d-30-ra-thunderbolt%3Anasm_A19600306000#:~:text=Thunderbolts%20were%20lost%20at%20the,air%2Dto%2Dair%20combat. | title=Republic P-47D-30-RA Thunderbolt }}</ref> in over 746,000 sorties of all types, at the cost of 3,499 P-47s to all causes in combat.<ref>[http://www.museumofflight.org/Collection/Aircraft.asp?RecordKey=0D778AE9-8768-421A-A133-68393123B13A "Republic P-47D Thunderbolt".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070324052854/http://www.museumofflight.org/Collection/Aircraft.asp?RecordKey=0D778AE9-8768-421A-A133-68393123B13A |date=2007-03-24 }} Museum of Flight. Retrieved: 12 July 2006.</ref> 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 677-1/2 air victories and 311 ground kills, at the cost of 128 aircraft.<ref>[http://usaaf.com/8thaf/fighter/56fg.HTM "8th Air Force 56th FG."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060612043838/http://www.usaaf.com/8thaf/fighter/56fg.HTM |date=2006-06-12 }} ''U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II,'' 18 June 2004. Retrieved: 14 July 2006.</ref> [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Francis S. Gabreski]] scored 28 victories,<ref>[http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebios/88bios/gabres88.htm "Francis S. 'Gabby' Gabreski".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080523101516/http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebios/88bios/gabres88.htm |date=2008-05-23 }} USAF Air University, Maxwell-Gunter AFB, 17 April 2006. Retrieved: 14 July 2006.</ref> [[Captain (OF-2)|Captain]] [[Robert S. Johnson]] scored 27 aerial victories (with one unconfirmed probable kill leading to some giving his tally as 28),<ref>Rose, Scott. [http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/URG/johnson.html "Robert S. Johnson".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060922134028/http://warbirdsresourcegroup.org/URG/johnson.html |date=2006-09-22 }} Warbirds Resource Group, 11 June 2006. Retrieved: 14 July 2006.</ref> and 56th FG Commanding Officer [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] [[Hubert Zemke]] scored 17.75 kills.{{#tag:ref|Zemke flew a P-38 for three of his kills.<ref>[http://www.acepilots.com/usaaf_zemke.html "Col. Hubert 'Hub' Zemke."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917053527/http://acepilots.com/usaaf_zemke.html |date=2010-09-17 }} Acepilots.com, 29 July 2003. Retrieved: 14 July 2006.</ref>|group=Note}} Despite being the sole remaining P-47 group in the 8th Air Force, the 56th FG remained its top-scoring group in aerial victories throughout the war.

With increases in fuel capacity as the type was refined, the range of escort missions over Europe steadily increased until the P-47 was able to accompany bombers in raids all the way into Germany. On the way back from the raids, pilots shot up ground targets of opportunity, and also used belly shackles to carry bombs on short-range missions, which led to the realization that the P-47 could perform a dual function on escort missions as a [[fighter-bomber]]. Even with its complicated turbosupercharger system, its sturdy airframe and tough radial engine could absorb significant damage and still return home.

The P-47 gradually became the USAAF's primary fighter-bomber; by late 1943, early versions of the P-47D carried {{convert|500|lb|kg|abbr=on}} bombs underneath their bellies, midproduction versions of the P-47D could carry {{convert|1000|lb|kg|abbr=on}} bombs and [[M8 (rocket)|M8 4.5&nbsp;in (115&nbsp;mm)]] rockets under their wings or from the last version of the P-47D in 1944, {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}} [[High Velocity Aircraft Rocket]]s (HVARs, also known as "Holy Moses"). From D-Day until VE day, Thunderbolt pilots claimed to have destroyed 86,000 [[railroad car]]s, 9,000 [[locomotive]]s, 6,000 [[Armoured fighting vehicle|armored fighting vehicles]], and 68,000 trucks.<ref name="trucks">[https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/republic-p-47d-30-ra-thunderbolt "Republic P-47D-30-RA Thunderbolt (Long Description)."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220094211/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/republic-p-47d-30-ra-thunderbolt |date=2017-02-20 }} ''Smithsonian [[National Air and Space Museum]]''. Retrieved: 19 February 2017.</ref> During [[Operation Cobra]], in the vicinity of [[Roncey]], on 29 July, early in the US break out, the 405th Fighter Group hit a German column trapped between Roncey and St-Denis-le-Vetu by elements of the US 2nd and 3rd Armoured Divisions. The group attacked this column from 3.10pm to 9.40pm. Ground investigations found 66 tanks, 204 vehicles and 11 guns destroyed in this attack. .<ref>{{Cite web|title=405th Fighter Group (USAAF)|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/USAAF/405th_Fighter_Group.html|access-date=2022-02-07|website=www.historyofwar.org}}</ref>

===Medal of Honor recipients===
[[File:Kearby-Plane.jpg|thumb|Medal of Honor recipient Col. Neel E. Kearby, in the cockpit of his P-47 Thunderbolt]]
Two P-47 pilots received the [[Medal of Honor]] during World War II:
*USAAF Col. [[Neel E. Kearby]] of the [[348th Fighter Group]] was awarded the Medal of Honor for his action during a fighter sweep over the Japanese base at [[Wewak]], New Guinea on 11 October 1943, flying P-47D, serial number {{USAF serial|42|75908}} nicknamed "Fiery Ginger III". Encountering 40 Japanese planes, Kearby led his flight of four P-47s and in the ensuing combat, he shot down six Japanese planes. After the mission, Kearby would score a total of 22 aerial victores before he was shot down and killed over [[Wewak]] in 5 March 1944.<ref>[https://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/PopTopics/MOH-bios/Kearby.html "Colonel Neel Earnest Kearby".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041017100029/https://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/PopTopics/MOH-bios/Kearby.html |date=2004-10-17 }} Air Force History, Air Force Historical Studies Office, 20 January 2004. Retrieved: 14 July 2006.</ref>

*USAAF 1st Lt. [[Raymond L. Knight]] of the [[346th Fighter Squadron]] of the [[350th Fighter Group]] was posthmously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during missions over northern [[Po Valley]], Italy on 24 and 25 April 1945, flying P-47D, serial number {{USAF serial|42|26785}} nicknamed "OH  JOHNNIE".<ref>{{cite book |page=201 |last=|first=|date=1984 |title=American Aviation Historical Society Journal |publisher= |isbn=}}</ref> On 24 April, he repeatedly volunteered to lead attacks on enemy air bases and exposed his P-47 to intense hostile fire in low-altitude reconnaissance and strafing missions. During a mission on the following day, his P-47 was badly damaged by anti-aircraft fire. Knowing that his unit was short on aircraft, he decided against parachuting to safety and instead attempted to fly his P-47 back to his home airbase, but crashed in the [[Apennine Mountains]] and was killed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/639610/knight-1st-lt-raymond-l-knight/ |title=1st Lt. Raymond L Knight|newspaper=Air Force Historical Support Division |access-date=2025-04-02}}</ref>

===Postwar service===
With the end of World War II, orders for 5,934 were cancelled.<ref>Berliner 2011, p. 20.</ref> Redesignated as F-47 in 1947, the aircraft served with the USAAF through 1947, the USAAF [[Strategic Air Command]] from 1946 through 1947, the active-duty [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) until 1949, and with the [[Air National Guard]] (ANG) until 1953. F-47s served as spotters for rescue aircraft such as the [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|OA-10 Catalina]] and [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|Boeing B-17H]]. In 1950, F-47 Thunderbolts were used to suppress the [[declaration of independence]] in [[Puerto Rico]] by nationalists during the [[Jayuya Uprising]].

The F-47 was not deployed to Korea for the [[Korean War]]. The USAF and ANG had more North American F-51 (P-51) Mustangs, and used them, mainly in the close air-support role. Since the Mustang was more vulnerable to being shot down—many were lost to antiaircraft fire— some suggested the more durable Thunderbolt should have been sent to Korea in the Mustang's place.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Rowland |first=Michael D. |date=September 22, 2003 |title=Why the U.S. Air Force did not use the F-47 Thunderbolt in the Korean War |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Why+the+U.S.+Air+Force+did+not+use+the+F-47+Thunderbolt+in+the+Korean...-a0108551525 |journal=Air Power History |publisher=Air Force Historical Foundation |via=The Free Library}}</ref>

The Cuban Air Force took delivery of 29 ex-USAF airframes and spares{{When|date=March 2025}}. By the late 1950s, the F-47 was considered long obsolete as a fighter, but was well suited for [[counter-insurgency]] tasks.<ref name=":0" />

Due to continued postwar service with U.S. military and foreign operators, some Thunderbolts have survived, and a few are still flying. 

===P-47 in Allied service===
[[File:Republic P- 47D Thunderbolt ExCC.jpg|thumb|[[Royal Air Force]] Republic Thunderbolt Mark I]]
[[File:Avimage18a large.jpg|thumb|Lt. Jorge Paranhos Taborda, Brazilian P-47 pilot during World War II]]
[[File: A Brazilian fighter plane damaged by German flak WWII.jpg |thumb| After destroying a German tank, the P-47 piloted by Brazilian Lieutenant Raymundo Canário hit a factory chimney losing the wing tip, but the aircraft remained airworthy and managed to return to base, demonstrating the robustness of the P-47.]]
[[File:GAC P-47s of Brazil.jpg|thumb|Brazilian P-47s in World War II carried the ''Senta a Pua!'' squadron badge, along with the [[Brazilian Air Force#mediaviewer/File:Brazilian Air Force WW2 roundel.svg|national insignia of Brazil]] painted over the USAAF's [[United States military aircraft national insignia#American entry into World War II|
star and bar]].]]
[[File:P-47D Thunderbolt 01097628 058 USAF.jpg|thumb|P-47D "Kathie" with a {{cvt|75|USgal|impgal l|0}} drop tank buzzed the airfield at [[RAF Bodney|Bodney]], England.]]

P-47s were operated by several Allied air arms during World War II. The RAF received 240 razorback P-47Ds, which they designated Thunderbolt Mark I, and 590 bubbletop P-47D-25s, designated Thunderbolt Mark IIs. With no need for another high-altitude fighter, the RAF adapted their Thunderbolts for ground attack, a task for which the type was well suited. Once the Thunderbolts were cleared for use in 1944, they were used against the Japanese in [[Burma]] by 16 RAF squadrons of the [[South East Asia Command]] from [[India]]. Operations with army support (operating as "[[Close air support|cab ranks]]" to be called in when needed), attacks on enemy airfields and lines of communication, and escort sorties. They proved devastating in tandem with Spitfires during the Japanese [[Battle of the Sittang Bend|breakout attempt at the Sittang Bend]] in the final months of the war. The Thunderbolts were armed with three {{convert|500|lb|kg|abbr=on}} bombs or, in some cases, British "{{convert|60|lb|kg|abbr=on}}" [[RP-3]] rocket projectiles. Long-range fuel tanks<ref>{{citation |journal=Flight |date=7 December 1944 |title=RAF Thunderbolts |page=600 (photo caption) |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1944/1944%20-%202502.html |access-date=14 March 2013 |archive-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201220003/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1944/1944%20-%202502.html |url-status=live }}</ref> gave five hours of endurance. Thunderbolts flew escort for RAF Liberators in the bombing of Rangoon. Thunderbolts remained in RAF service until October 1946. Postwar RAF Thunderbolts were used in support of the Dutch attempts to reassert control of [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]]. Those squadrons not disbanded outright after the war re-equipped with British-built aircraft such as the [[Hawker Tempest]].<ref>{{citation |publisher=RAF Museum |url=http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/collections/republic-p-47d-thunderbolt-ii |title=Republic P-47D Thunderbolt II |access-date=2013-03-14 |archive-date=2012-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003002821/http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/collections/republic-p-47d-thunderbolt-ii/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian campaign]], the [[1st Fighter Aviation Group|"1º Grupo de Caça da Força Aérea Brasileira" (Brazilian Air Force 1st Fighter Squadron)]] flew a total of 48 P-47Ds in combat (of a total of 67 received, 19 of which were backup aircraft). This unit flew a total of 445 missions from November 1944 to May 1945 over northern Italy and Central Europe, with 15 P-47s lost to German [[flak]] and five pilots being killed in action.<ref name="Dias de Cunha">{{cite web |last1=Dias de Cunha |first1=Rudnei |title=Republic P-47 Thunderbolt |url=http://www.rudnei.cunha.nom.br/FAB/en/p-47.html |website=www.rudnei.cunha.nom.br |access-date=23 February 2019 |archive-date=23 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223184843/http://www.rudnei.cunha.nom.br/FAB/en/p-47.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the early 1980s, this unit was awarded the "[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]]" by the American government in recognition for its achievements in World War II.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sentapua.com.br/Ing/Citacao.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041210213143/http://www.sentapua.com.br/Ing/Citacao.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 December 2004|title=Sinopse e Créditos|date=10 December 2004|accessdate=28 September 2018}}</ref>

From March 1945 to the end of the war in the Pacific—as Mexico had declared war on the Axis on May 22, 1942—the Mexican [[Aztec Eagles|Escuadrón Aéreo de Pelea 201]] ([[Escuadrón 201|201st Fighter Squadron]]) operated P-47Ds as part of the U.S. 5th Air Force in the [[Philippines]]. In 791 sorties against Japanese forces, the 201st lost no pilots or aircraft to enemy action.<ref>Velasco, E. Alfonso, Jr. [http://ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2002/12/stuff_eng_velasco_p47.htm "Aztec Eagle – P-47D of the Mexican Expeditionary Air Force".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050904232640/http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2002/12/stuff_eng_velasco_p47.htm |date=2005-09-04 }} IPMS Stockholm, 9 January 2006. Retrieved: 14 July 2006.</ref>

The [[Free French Air Forces]] received 446 P-47Ds from 1943. These aircraft saw extensive action in France and Germany and again in the 1950s during the [[Algerian War of Independence]].

After World War II, the Italian Air Force (AMI) received 75 P-47D-25s sent to 5˚ ''Stormo'', and 99 to the 51˚. These machines were delivered between 1947 and 1950. However, they were not well liked, as the Italian pilots were used to much lighter aircraft and found the controls too heavy. Nevertheless, the stability, payload, and high speed were appreciated. Most importantly, the P-47 served as an excellent transition platform to heavier jet fighters, including the [[F-84 Thunderjet]], starting in 1953.<ref>Sgarlato 2005.</ref>

The type was provided to many Latin American air forces, some of which operated it into the 1960s. Small numbers of P-47s were also provided to China, [[Iran]], [[Turkey]], and [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]].

===In Soviet service===
In mid-1943, the Soviet high command showed an interest in the P-47B. Three P-47D-10-REs were ferried to the [[Soviet Air Forces]] (VVS) via Alaska in March 1944. Two of them were tested in April–May 1944. Test pilot Aleksey N. Grinchik noted the spacious cockpit with good ventilation and a good all-around view. He found it easy to fly and stable upon take-off and landing, but it showed excessive rolling stability and poor directional stability. Soviet engineers disassembled the third aircraft to examine its construction. They appreciated the high production standards and rational design well-suited to mass production, and the high reliability of the hard-hitting Browning machine guns. With its high service ceiling, the P-47 was superior to fighters operating on the Eastern front, yielding a higher speed above {{convert|30000|ft}}. The [[Yakovlev Yak-9]], [[Lavochkin La-5]]FN, [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]]G, and [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]]A outperformed the early model P-47 at low and medium altitude, where the P-47 had poor acceleration and performed aerobatics rather reluctantly.

In mid-1944, 200 P-47D-22-REs and P-47D-27-REs<ref>Hardesty 1991, p. 253.</ref> were ferried to the USSR via Iraq and Iran. Many were sent to training units. Less than half reached operational units, and they were rarely used in combat.<ref name="Gordon 449">Gordon 2008, p. 449.</ref> The fighters were assigned to high-altitude air defense over major cities in rear areas.

Unlike their Western counterparts, the VVS made little use of the P-47 as a ground-attack aircraft, depending, instead, on their own widely produced—with 36,183 examples built during the war—special-purpose, armored [[ground-attack aircraft]], the [[Ilyushin Il-2]]. At the end of the war, Soviet units held 188 P-47s.<ref name="Gordon 449"/>

===In German service===
The ''Luftwaffe'' operated at least one captured P-47. In poor weather on 7 November 1943, while flying a P-47D-2-RA on a bomber escort mission, 2nd Lt. [[William E. Roach]] of [[358th Fighter Squadron]], [[355th Fighter Wing|355th Fighter Group]] made an emergency landing on a German airfield. Roach was imprisoned at [[Stalag Luft I]]. The Thunderbolt was given German markings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal13/12201-12300/gal12272-P-47-Heeps/00.shtm|title = 1/72 Revell P-47 Thunderbolt by Robert R. Heeps}}</ref>

===In Chinese/Taiwanese service===
After World War II, the [[Chinese Nationalist]] Air Force received 102 P-47Ds used during the [[Chinese Civil War]]. The [[Chinese Communist]]s captured five P-47Ds from the Chinese Nationalist forces. In 1948, the Chinese Nationalists employed 70 P-47Ds and 42 P-47Ns brought to [[Taiwan]] in 1952. P-47s were used extensively in aerial clashes over the [[Taiwan Strait]] between Nationalist and Communist aircraft.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Merriam |first1=Ray |title=World War 2 in Review: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt |date=2017 |publisher=Merriam Press |location=New York |isbn=9781365884856 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qgbKDgAAQBAJ&q=p-47+taiwan+china&pg=PT15 |access-date=23 February 2019}}</ref>