#P47Thunderbolt #P47 #Thunderbolt #492ndFighterSquadron #Madhatters

An interesting article here about flying this particular Thunderbolt: http://vintageaviationecho.com/p47t...

This Republic P47D Thunderbolt bears the colours and markings of a machine, nicknamed 'Nellie B', that served with the 492nd Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Group, United States 9th Air Force in the UK and Europe during 1944, during DDay on the 6th of June 1944 and up until the liberation and end of WW2 in Europe on 8th May 1945. The code F4 on the side of the Thunderbolt was assigned to the 492nd Fighter Squadron and 'J' is the machines letter code within the squadron.
The present day 492nd Fighter Squadron currently operate F15 Strike Eagles from RAF Lakenheath, UK. Since 1953, when they were based at Chaumont, France after reactivation, the 492nd Fighter Squadron has been nicknamed 'Madhatters', after their adopted tradition of wearing hats significant to their base of operations. When based in France they adopted the French 'Beret', in Turkey the 'Fez' and currently in England they have adopted Bowler Hats and the callsign 'Bolars'.

The aircraft itself is now owned and operated by Fighter Aviation Engineering Ltd at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford airfield. This film was shot on 5th June 2019 during the 'Daks over Duxford' event and the Thunderbolt was being flown by Paul Bonhomme.

At the end of 1942, P47’s were sent to England for combat operations. The initial Thunderbolt flyers, 56th Fighter Group, were sent overseas to join the 8th Air Force.

As the P47 Thunderbolt worked up to operational status, it gained a nickname: the “Jug” (because its profile was similar to that of a common milk jug of the time).

Early P47s produced had a “razorback” canopy configuration with a tall fuselage spine behind the pilot, which resulted in poor visibility to the rear. The British also had this problem with their fighter aircraft, and had devised the bulged “Malcolm hood” canopy for the Spitfire as an initial solution. This type of canopy was fitted in the field to many North American P51 Mustangs, and to a handful of P47Ds. However, the British then came up with a much better solution, devising an allround vision “bubble canopy” for the Hawker Typhoon. USAAF officials liked the bubble canopy, and quickly adapted it to American fighters, including the P51 and the Thunderbolt.

The largest and heaviest singleseater pistonengined fighter in history, (it weighs in at seven tons and is heavier than even a Bristol Blenheim or a Bristol Beaufighter) and the most numerous American fighter ever produced, the P47 was a hugely successful high altitude escort and a formidable ground attack aircraft. The 15,000+ Thunderbolts produced and used in World War II, saw service in every theatre of operations except Alaska. By the end of 1944 it equipped 31 USAAF groups and served with many other Allied Air Forces, including the RAF who took 830 machines.

492 FS were equipped with P47’s in early 1944, flying their first combat missions in the type in April 1944. The squadron moved into Europe after assisting with the Normandy invasions with bombing and ground attack.

The P47 could take almost as much damage as it could hand out, quickly establishing a reputation for allowing pilots to walk away from all but the most horrendous crashes and absorbing extraordinary amounts of battle damage. It was phased out of American service soon after the end of the war and was dropped from the US inventory in 1953, but was absorbed into many lesser Air Forces around the world, last seeing combat service in the Guatemalan Revolution of 1953.

The P47’s adoption in Latin America led, eventually, to its survival in relatively large numbers, being openly stored in a number of areas, allowing recovery of both airframes and associated spares. To produce a Jug in 1945 would have cost $85,000 – a sum which today wouldn’t even get you a major overhaul.

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