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The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bomber in the ground-attack role.
XP-47K, s/n 42-8702, the first bubbletop Thunderbolt. A common complaint from P-47 pilots was that the razorback cockpit limited rearward visibility. In response to these complaints, Republic fitted a bubble canopy from a Hawker Typhoon onto a P-47D-5-RE in July 1943. Designated XP-47K, the aircraft's new canopy improved visibility greatly. [16]
On February 27, 1943, Gabreski became part of the 56th Fighter Group, flying the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, assigned to the 61st Fighter Squadron, and quickly became a flight leader. He was immediately resented by many of his fellow pilots, and the fact that he was opinionated and outspoken did little to ease the situation. [ 5 ]
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is an American fighter aircraft. From the first prototype produced in 1941, 15,686 P-47s were produced, the last of which was accepted by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) from Republic Aviation' Evansville, Indiana factory.
New P-51 units of the Ninth would be exchanged for P-47 groups earmarked for the Eighth, and all VIII Fighter Command Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightning groups would eventually be re-equipped with the Mustang. The sole exception to this change was the 56th Fighter Group, which decided to retain its P-47s for the duration.
The purpose of a bubble canopy is to give a pilot a much wider field-of-view than flush, framed "greenhouse" canopies used on early World War II aircraft, such as those seen on early models of the F4U, P-51, the Soviet Yak-1 and earlier, "razorback" P-47 fighters, all with dorsal "turtledecks" integral to their fuselage lines, which left a blind spot behind the pilot that enemy pilots could ...
The following month, it moved to Walterboro Army Air Field, South Carolina, where it began to fly the Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, with which it would be equipped for the rest of World War II. On 14 February 1944, the 510th left its training base for the European Theater of Operations. [3] [5] P-47D Thunderbolt of the 510th Fighter Squadron [f]
English: USAAF fighter ace Francis S. Gabreski in cockpit of his P-47 Thunderbolt. Photograph from July 1944 as shown by the 28 victory markings - Gabreski scored his 28th kill on 5 July and was captured on 20 July.