Editing Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (section)

===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>