Thematic Photographic 79: "Elsewhere" v.4.0 - Here Come Da Jug

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"Republic Aircraft P-47 Thunderbolt"
Winston Salem, NC - September 2009 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Written Inc.

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I saw this copy of the Republic Aircraft P-47 Thunderbolt when I was "Elsewhere" at the Winston Salem Air Show last September, but that pales in comparison to the "Elsewheres" that this plane has been. Used in the European Theater during World War II, the "Jug" (one of its nicknames) was the biggest, heaviest and most expensive fighter ever built that was powered by a single reciprocating engine (that being a turbosupercharged Pratt & Whitney 18-cylinder engine capable of 2000 horsepower). Despite its initial bad reviews, the P-47 flew nearly 750,000 missions in Europe, claiming 3852 air-to-air victories. But it was in a close air support ground attack mission profile that the "Flying Bathub" truly excelled. Mounting four M2 Browning .50 caliber machine guns per wing and firing armor piercing slugs, the Thunderbolt with its all-metal construction was a superb weapon against enemy armor. And like its descendant the A-10 Thunderbolt II, it could sustain considerable damage and still return home. From "Elsewhere".

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