THUNDERBOLT

Air Classics, Oct 2004 by O'Leary, Michael

The struggle to extend the P-47's range was reduced by the arrival of the first P7 -47Ds in Britain during April 1943. The first Ds were very similar to the C but many internal modifications had been made by the factory to improve the ducts for the turbosupercharger, simplify the engine controls, add more armor for the pilot and vital systems and many other small detail modifications that would make the Thunderbolt a better fighter. A major step forward came with the P-47D-15 which introduced two underwing pylons that could carry either 1000-lb bombs or additional fuel. However, when this heavily loaded, the ammunition per gun had to be reduced from 425- to 267-rpg and on some aircraft the number of Brownings was reduced to six. The bombing capability was totally opposite to the P-47's original role of stratosphere fighter but, as events would prove, it was to be a capability that would cause considerable damage to the Axis.

With the aircraft now arriving in a steady stream from the two factories (some were lost in U-boat strikes on the supply ships), new fighter groups were created to handle the Thunderbolt - the 352nd, 353rd, 355th, 356th, 358th, 9 39 59th and 361st. Since the Curtiss factory was not producing aircraft as quickly as Republic and since the Curtiss line was beset with a number of serious problems, it appears that most of the Curtiss-built P7 -47Gs were reserved for Stateside training units and none sent to combat zones.

The Thunderbolt quickly began to gain fame as it operated with the fighter groups in Britain. The 56th Fighter Group, in particular, which was led by Col. Hubert "Hub" Zemke quickly headed to the top of the scoreboard. Zemke had built up a good background of Thunderbolt experience with the P-47B when the 56th was Stateside and he was a prime advocate of the big fighter's destructive power. Zemke had compared the P-47C against the captured flyable Luftwaffe fighters which were operated by the British as training aids for combat pilots. Zemke found out that the early Fw 9 19OA was quite a handful but it could be met and defeated on its own ground by the Thunderbolt, if the big fighter was precisely flown to take advantage of the German machine's weaknesses. The much smaller Fw 190 could accelerate faster than the P-47C in all phases of flight but, given some time, the P-47 could usually overhaul the German in a long run. The Fw 190 could out climb the P-47 and initially out dive it, but the P-47C, with its tremendous diving capabilities, could quickly catch the German. The Focke-Wulf was at an advantage in a close-in dogfight, especially if the P-47's speed could be reduced to below 250-mph - giving the agile German fighter a chance to maneuver inside the P-47's turning radius. The cannon-armed German could do great damage to the Thunderbolt's rugged airframe but the Fw 190 was virtually doomed if it took a direct burst of fire from all eight of the .50-cal Brownings.

Zemke concluded that the P-47 would be most effective against the German fighters if the 56th operated above 15,000-ft where the big turbosupercharger would really start pumping extra power to the R-2800 while the German's power scale would begin slightly to drop off. Dogfights were not recommended, so Zemke devised a dive and zoom tactic which was most effective when employed against the Luftwaffe. P-47 pilots were instructed to take advantage of height when engaging the enemy and then dive on the tatget for a firing pass, zoom climbing for altitude after the pass and then setting up for another firing run. This way the Thunderbolt pilot could avoid being drawn into a dogfight where he would be at a disadvantage.