HISTORY. The P-47 Thunderbolt was the largest, heaviest, single-engine fighter of the war. The P-47 was good at everything, and better than people often give it credit for. It was a good fighter, a good mid-range escort, and amazing at ground attack. While the P-51 is most often considered the best fighter of the war, the P-47 was almost as good at many things, and better at others. All these years later, the consensus between the two planes is split, on which plane should be called “the best.” 15,636 P-47s were manufactured during the war, making it the most-produced American fighter of the war. It was also the most expensive fighter plane produced by the United States. At over $100,000 a copy it was twice as expensive as a P-51 Mustang. The P-47 had eight .50 caliber machine guns, could fly at over 430 mph, and carry more ordnance than many other planes. It was also a beast. Heavily armored and extremely well-constructed, the P-47 could withstand heavy punishment, keep fighting and keep flying. The Thunderbolt was far more durable than the more fragile P-51. The turbo-supercharger engine made it an excellent high-altitude fighter, and it was the fastest American diving plane of the war. Its weakness lay in the weak ability to turn and to climb, however, and pilots had to learn to work around that. What the P-47 lacked in the turn, it made up for in the roll, and other tactics allowing the dive speed and roll capability to outmaneuver German planes.

This model of the P-47 measures 17” wingtip-to-wingtip, 15” head-to-tail and stands 9’ high.

A19141