P-47 Thunderbolt Pt. 1 Design and Speed

[@SithLord2066]

I heard that when P-47 pilots became under attack from German fighters, they took evasive manuever by running around inside the big fuselage.

[@JohnGeometresMaximos]

became -> came 😊👍🏻

[@mochiebellina8190]

Hide and seek

[@UkrainianPaulie]

That joke was British in origin.

[@alanmydland5210]

Didn't have to, 8 50s plus bombs was a devastating load. D day plus a few was amazing flying back to the front each day one could smell the front before ya d see it!! Told to me by a 47 driver yrs ago. Dead bodies, horses and donkeys littered the road. 8 50 s were truly devastating to tks on the road. When the overcast cleared a wing of 47s hunted only tiger tanks attacked with bombs guided by a ground attach pilot.

[@nicksambides2628]

lol! The single greatest attribute of this plane is pilot survivability.

[@daniellarge9784]

This channel is simply peerless. It sets the standard for in depth information and analysis based on genuine research in the true scientific meaning of the word. The laconic and smooth delivey of detailed techical information in a manner that is accessible to the average person is a monumental achievement only possible from a foundation of rare expertise, knowledge and experience. Not to mention hard work. Take a bow Greg.

[@terencerucker3244]

Years ago I asked a WW2 veteran what it was like to have flown the P-51 and the P-47 both of which he had flown in combat. He said that the P-51 was like a Ferrari and the P-47 was like a Buick Roadmaster. I asked which one he preferred in combat and he answered "What would you bring to a demolition derby, a Ferrari or a Buick?" Well said.

[@RalphPhilbrook]

The best story and description yet !

[@magnatron7734]

More like flying a cat D9r or a Indy car lol

[@nihilisticadventure]

My father took me out to learn to drive when I was 15 1/2 years. Yup. You guessed it, a Buick Roadmaster. I would buy that car today in a heartbeat, put power steering and power break units on it, with better rims and tires, and I would OWN. THE. ROAD.

[@christianmartin82804]

My great grandfather was a P-51D mustang pilot in WW2 he was stationed in the european theater and unfortunately I never got to meet him he passed away about 15 years before I was born but that still doesn't change the fact that I'm proud of him may he rest in peace

[@spindash64]

Granted, the mustang was a much cheaper plane to build, so if we weren’t talking about an economic powerhouse like the US, it’d be “do you want to fly a Jug with 4 jugs beside you, or a mustang with 9 mustangs beside you?”

[@captainover-tighten6729]

“I hope you are happy with what I’ve presented here, if not, I guess you will have to deal with it” that’s so PERFECT Greg. Thanks for sharing. Listening in the background while I go about my business. One of my favourite channels. Thanks for all you do.

[@alanmydland5210]

Thank you so much

[@mrcat5508]

@@alanmydland5210your welcome very much

[@shaunybonny688]

The idea of crew chiefs adjusting and modding planes back then is just fascinating.

[@erfquake1]

Yes, exactly. I wonder how common it was for company reps to casually drop in & tell the ground crew how to juice the settings beyond the specs.

[@Robert-ff9wf]

I thought the way they shipped them to Europe was genius! I watched a video once that showed the unboxing and full assembly. Incorporating the shipping container into helping with the assembly was so impressive, and it took little time to complete. I always had this fantasy of finding a couple of P47 crates lost to time in an old abandoned warehouse somewhere and being the only one who knew what they really were, then smuggling them back to my house and assembling one, I believe they even came with simple instructions on how to put them together. Nice to dream!

[@pascalchauvet7625]

I think one thing is rarely mentioned. The R-2800 must have been the most reliable aero engine of its era, contributing to the great survivability of the pilot

[@TheBrokenFarmer]

As a shield and a wind maker

[@mattdumbrill8324]

This is a hidden gem of a channel. The detail

[@Kman-nh3un]

I concur, its now my favorite channel as I love this kind of info and Gregs got The Best detail Ive ever come across. Thanks for your efforts, much appreciated!

[@TimH123]

I know right? Utterly absorbing...

[@kennydee8296]

and Greg still manages to fly citizens from here to there as required - good job Greg

[@realdeal3262]

"If you don't like the comparisons, we'll...you just need to deal with it" - Greg 😂. Just love your way of explaining these topics

[@Gearheadgotajob]

Can't figure out why photos and vids can never show the enormous size of these craft. Seeing them in person is the only way to appreciate this. Same with the Avenger.

[@icin4d]

Search for vids of resent airshows where there are different warbirds flying in formation. There's a couple out there where the P-47, Mustang and 109/190 are in formation. It's eye opening how large the 47 is compared to the 109/190.

[@Ebergerud]

One LW pilot who surrendered to a US unit occupying his airfield was allowed to sit in a Jug. He said you could play table tennis inside. I interviewed an Australian groundcrewman who saw his first Jug in late 42 in Townsville - on the way to join 47th FG for a while. He saw one man get out. He was waiting for rest of the crew. Still waiting. Actually depending upon what you're measuring the Hellcat was just as large. I saw a Hellcat and a Wildcat parked together years back at an airshow (Wildcats are not common) and it's striking how small the Wildcat looked. In the adjoining hangar there was a P-39, P-51 and a Jug in a row: the first two looked like toys. Surprising how small the Pony is when you think of the legs. And a 51 was considerably larger than either a FW190 or 109: LW must have recruited midgets.

[@kevinp8212]

Living in Seattle, we have a great air and space muceum...many WW2 aircraft with the Thundebolt being next to the Mustang. Let me tell you the p47 is awesome...especially with the 8 50's many other great planes at this museum including b29, b17, SR71, etc etc...

[@Dave5843-d9m]

@@icin4d Its amazing how big the P47 is but even more stunning just how tiny the BF109/FW190/Spitfire really are.

[@marrioman13]

@@Dave5843-d9m people just forget how old the 109 and spit designs were. The 109 was overcrowded by the G series, being so small

[@rangersmustang]

This will be my 3rd time watching the P-47 series on this channel. Kinda reminds me of rewatching movies and catching details that you didn't get the first or second time. While I love the P-51 due to it's looks and its "hot rod" nature, the P-47 is another one of my favorites because of it's large presence on the battlefield.

[@AJax7886]

45:46 I don't know how many times I have watched and listened to this whole series and not seen the final slide in this presentation. I personally appreciate the little things like this that add just a pinch of fun.

[@kevinkilleen6375]

I agree fully!

[@gustavoheberle6265]

Good job, Greg. I’m a brazilian airline pilot, and very proud of our First Fighter Squadron , called “Senta a Pua” that fought in Italy using P47 D, and had plenty sucess in their missions. I’ve read many articles and books of some of these brazilian fighter pilots from the Brazilian Air Force (F.A.B. ) and they simply loved the P47 , especially its speed and reliability. Cheers !

[@limroger]

Found this article, good stuff. www.12af.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2158918/senta-a-pua-hit-em-hard/

[@victordanielalvescarvalho3353]

@Hoa Tattis the Brazilians was tasked to ground attack, where they were successful

[@victordanielalvescarvalho3353]

@Hoa Tattis it was a deal with the Americans, Brazil was still a emerging power and the military was nowhere near to be ready to war, so the Americans gave them their equipment and taught them how to use them, and in exchange Brazil let them create bases in the north where they could use as a stop point to Africa, and at the same time making sure that the Brazilians would fight for the allies

[@Triple_J.1]

Brazilians always punch above their weight in aviation, combat, and combat sports.

[@left_ventricle]

This literally is what you need from ‘good aviation video’. Plain, simple, objective and factual, yet really interesting. If you don’t get dragged into this video, you are not a true fan of Military Aviation.

[@fredsalfa]

This has been sitting in my to watch list for a long time. Finally got to watch it to the end. My dad flew P47s against the Japanese in WW2. He would have been interested in this.

[@JC-gw3yo]

Gale Halderman, head designer of the Ford Mustang, stated there was over 15 variants of design before the final Ford Mustang hit the market. As Greg diligently points out in this fantastic presentation here, a fantastic product doesn't come easy. It takes a huge amount of work, expertise and diligence. End result... A product that smoked the competition

[@johnnichols9056]

Someone who is detailed and meticulous in their research weighing the data, BRAVO.

[@michaelmcduff2263]

My dad was a P47 pilot. Recently pasted away on 12-22-20. Thank you furnishing such detailed info about my dads plane and what he went through. He didn't talk about the war very much. I understand why.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Wow, he made it a long time. I hope he had a good life, those people did go through a lot.

[@tomhannah3825]

Extremely impressed - you told a great couple of stories, one top pilot modified his plane for speed, you mentioned how they were built and who could do final assemblies, and to top it off, you showed at the end a few struggling into the air from escort carriers! You set the standard for detailed tech talk on ww2 fighters' supercharging and everything else. My hat's off to you, sir! :)

[@cowboybob7093]

*Uncrating and Assembly of the P-47 Thunderbolt Airplane - Presented **_by_** The Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics - Made in Cooperation **_with_** Republic Aviation Corporation - 1943* kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKDUnqZqds2HgKM This might be my favorite KZbin clip.

[@MajorCaliber]

@@cowboybob7093 Not to be a prude but... that is *pure porn* and should be *age restricted* !!... :D

[@RMJTOOLS]

@@cowboybob7093 That is a terrific video. Republic was really clever how they packaged it to aid field assembly.

[@decnet100]

@@cowboybob7093 What a great video, thanks for posting!

[@russelllaureto8132]

This channel is incredible. I've been a auto mechanic, steel fabricator and forged cutting dies. I've always loved history and aviation but never really knew the science of it. After watching this channel, learning about drag,lift, wing design, control surfaces high and low altitude performance ect you almost feel as if you fell through a rift in time with the knowledge acquired from this channel with a little engineering help you can build an airplane. That's pretty cool.

[@ditto1958]

From the sound of it, with your experience I’m sure you could very easily build a plane. Get a good kit and get to it! 😊

[@johnpicton5236]

Thank you for providing videos on this beautiful warplane! My father flew (and loved) the P-47 in Europe during WWII. The P-51 gets all the love.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching, I do appreciate it.

[@kevinchapman635]

The p-47 all types was an amazing aircraft when we needed it. It got many pilots back when other aircraft failed and losses would mount. Lots of respect to all those involved with no matter the situation.

[@panzerkfw]

Greg is documenting history for future generations that will have no idea how to figure all this out.

[@nunyabidniz2868]

Based upon my experience w/ millennials, they just won't care. Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it, or so I'm told... :-\

[@Moxiethe4th]

​@@nunyabidniz2868 Us millennials just don't care, you're absolutely right. I skipped straight to the comments section and have no interest in this video at all.

[@overcastfriday81]

@@Moxiethe4th I'm told generation z wants to be a cut above generation y and avoid the same pitfalls. Time will tell.

[@Veldtian1]

@@Moxiethe4th exceptions are just that, anomalies, like Mexican Republicans.

[@ronaldtartaglia4459]

WastelandRadio douchebag

[@MrArgus11111]

I'm convinced even some hardcore WWII warbird sim makers just took a look at the Jug and thought "nah that has to be slow" and used the slowest versions with the slowest settings so that it would fit the image in their minds of a "slow, clunky but durable, over-armed monster that is easy for super German aces to shoot down"

[@George-bz1fi]

Am an WW2 aviation "student", and these informative, very well done videos are a pleasure to watch, nicely done Greg.

[@TheWeeklyLawReports]

just found your channel, i love historical videos, especially those about aircraft engineering. The levels of depth you go into and the amount of work and research that clearly takes is astounding. The quality of your narration, structure and format of your videos is brilliant. Thank you so much for creating these excellent and highly educational videos!

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

You're welcome, and I'm glad you found my channel.

[@SMichaelDeHart]

@Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles My father (lost him in 06' at 88yo) was a combat veteran who served in the South Pacific campaign on Tinian, Saipan and Iwo Jima. He was a P-47 Thunderbolt flightline mechanic/engineer in the US Army Air Corp. Serving in the 20th AAF, 7th AAC, 414th Fighter/Bomber Grp, 413th F/B Sqdn. The three Squadrons of the 414th (consisting of 2 P-47 sqdns and 1 P-51 sqdn.) were the first on Iwo after the USMC secured the airfields. They provided close air support to the Marines while finishing off the Japanese on the island and ran B-29 Bomber fighter support as they bombed the main Japanese Islands. His unit, the 413th F/B Sqdn, received 2 unit Bronze Stars.

[@williamleadbetter9686]

Wow! These aircraft seem more intricate than a jet in its mechanical & engineering complexities. You have got to admire the engineering all the more since they didn't have computers other than slide & circular.

[@beaches2mountains230]

I love the engineering from this era..just imagine what these guys would have been able to create with today's manufacturing processes and technological prowess. Most people are familiar with the NACA duct but there actual role in design and engineering success was impressive. Thanks for the video!

[@pnzkmpfg8193]

Following you from Italy. Your videos inspired me to choose mechanical engeneering as my future degree. I don't know how such an incredible channel still has so few subscribers. Thank you.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Wow, that's pretty exciting. Mechanical engineering is a great field. Your teachers might make it seem like it's all about solving math problems, but it's not. Imagination is pretty important too. All these WW2 planes really show that. All the designers were using the same math skills, more or less, but came up with very different solutions.

[@pnzkmpfg8193]

@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles Sure it is. You have done a remarkable job with your extremely informative videos. Hope you 'll continue your series about the water and methanol injection sistem for your 124 spider. Thank you for replying.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

I'll do some more dyno action on my 124 tomorrow. It should be pretty exciting.

[@milantrcka121]

@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles Two years ago... the 124 is Fiat 124? Had one back in the 70's. If not, which '124?

[@chrisknoernschild5908]

I swear this the greatest youtube creator of all time

[@PeteSampson-qu7qb]

I haven't watched a second of this series, and Greg might prove me wrong, but my bold assertion is that the USAAF would have won the air war if the P-51 never existed but it would have been questionable,, at best, without the P-47. That assumes the P-38 did its thing. Cheers!

I have to say these pilots had to be well trained to be able to make all these engine adjustments during fierce combat maneuvers. Truly amazing. Thanks for these videos.

[@wadebickel9345]

Earlier P-38's were often shot down when jumped while trying to switch to internal fuel, drop external tanks (difficult to work lever under the seat), switch to full rich, turn on gun heaters, and turn on the gunsight to be ready for combat. I think it was the H model that fixed that, maybe the J.

[@AnthonyTolhurst-dw1nc]

Yeah. Modern cars are getting like that. Except all the controls are going to the screen, when we’re supposed to focus on the roads around us. Don’t know how these great guys did it. All nations

[@GTLandser]

The amount of detail in your videos is *INSANE*, but also, deeply admirable. I am so grateful that you do this amount of research for us! The only thing I would suggest for your channel would be to tie the work done in the 1930s and 1940s to engineering problems today (obviously the physical principles are the same, but I mean, showing just how broad were the shoulders of the giants upon whose shoulders we stand today). For example, we might compare the data collection methods that were available back then, to the methods available today. I don't think a lot of people appreciate how difficult it was to go from the biplane age to the jet age, considering the tools and materials available.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Thank you. I am thinking of doing a video that's a lot like what you suggest.

[@Triple_J.1]

The NACA employed many brilliant researchers. Their methods are often just an ingenious as their discoveries and official suggestions. Using variable density wind tunnels to change q and Reynolds number, then using that pressure in a blow-down system to study supersonic flow. Getting dual use from the same input. And mounting models to test on the wing of a P-51 in a high subsonic dive where the airflow over the wing and model became supersonic. Some of this was done in 1943-46 year range. Not to mention their measurement tools and calibration. They were often accurate within 0.1% by the mid-'30s. Then there is Theodoreson and the inverse airfoil design method that first lead to the P-51 airfoil series. Simply by calculating the pressure around an airfoil they desired, and getting the specific custom shape directly from the math equations. Brilliant Men. (And Women also, who performed said calculations and typed most of the actual reports, and rarely get credit for this monumental effort). True Giants. Only Ludwig Prandtl really did substantially more for Aviation than any individual at the NACA. (Not to discount experimenters and tinkerers such as the Wrights and Bleriot, etc. I'm talking theoretical side).

[@jamisonmaguire4398]

The P47 was always my favorite but I learned something new that some "D" models were tweaked to achieve speeds of 470. Thanks a lot for sharing.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Thanks, I'm here to help, and I hope you watch the rest of the series.

[@jamisonmaguire4398]

@Hoa Tattis LOL

[@kenneth9874]

@@jamisonmaguire4398 well done, jack/ho tattis is definitely a joke

[@0MoTheG]

Watching Greg's videos it is clear that the cooling issue is central. Makes me wonder if a hybrid concept where air-cooling is a backup would have been worth looking into.

[@andyharman3022]

The handwriting was on the wall for high performance air-cooled radials late in the war. Improvements in recip engine performance were only going to come with liquid cooling. P&W probed the limits of air-cooled radial design with the R4360 4-row engine with cylinders of the aft banks being rotated to give them direct airflow with VERY carefully designed and sealed ducts. Curtiss-Wright ran into big cooling problems on their R3350 2-row, which did not have staggered cylinders, and learned their lesson. They took on the concept of liquid cooling for radial engines with the Tornado series of engines. Designed in 14-cylinder modules, it could be built up to 70 cylinders, but the prime configuration was to be 42 cylinders. There was also the Lycoming R7770 4-row, 36-cylinder engine of 5000 HP that was liquid cooled, that was supposed to be the powerplant for the B-36 intercontinental bomber. But the jet age was coming and such wild, monster piston engine concepts were abandoned.

[@jaybee9269]

Those films of P-47’s struggling into the air off escort carriers are reminiscent of the Dootlittle raid B-25’s launching off USS Hornet.

[@danielduesentriebjunior]

I have seen the P47 several times in Duxford and was amazed by its high drag, but nevertheless very successful design.

[@fardiemann]

P-47 is my favourite fighter, I'm gonna love this video!

[@williamyanosko4010]

My dad was a P 47 mechanic over in the Pacific during ww2...he had some interesting stories of his service..

[@Kabayoth]

The P-47N has to be my favorite plane from this era. Rugged, fast, long legs, heavy hitting, and a common sense design for maintenance. Some will cite the Sea Fury or the Bearcat, and I have to agree those hold up very well. But they did not arrive on the scene until late in the game.

[@raywhitehead730]

Right!

[@AdrienGirod]

This video is such a gem.

[@nickbayer7847]

Greg you sound better than the guy that used to narrate "Wings" on the Discovery Channel, great work 👌👌

[@gneisenau89]

Very impressive. And I particularly enjoyed the vignette of the P-47 pilots flying CAP off a carrier. It reminded me of the CAM ships that the British used as a fairly brief stopgap to battle the German submarines. After doing a bit more research I found that there were only a few actual deployments of aircraft catapulted from those ships, maybe nine in total. BTW, my father served briefly on a Commencement Bay class escort carrier called the Kula Gulf. He and his shipmates had a poor opinion of the ship (he'd transferred from a larger carrier at the end of hostilities as I think did many of his shipmates). They nicknamed it the Kula Maru (Maru being Japanese for 'Gulf') because they said had the ship actually seen combat, it would have been of more help to the enemy.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

I enjoyed your comment :)

[@keesjanhoeksema9575]

Decades ago I read a article on one of the P47 aces outfits who customized their personal “Jug’s” into “Superbolts” By the mentioned sanding and waxing to reduce drag (A practice used for recce and racing A.C.) removing the outboard .50’s and installing a prop with huge paddle blades that would enhance the climbing rate so that they could follow and maybe even outclimb the Me109, or escape upward instead of the usual emergency dive the Thunderbolt jockeys used to get out of trouble. In this article from a old US magazine on WWII warbirds, A P47 ace described how amazed he was when he chased a messerschmit in a climb outclimbing the 109 which fell from the top of his climb so the Jug Jockey could shoot it down while hanging from his prop like A heli! I don’t rember the name of the magazine or Ace. Greetings from Amsterdam,

[@helzevec]

The "superbolt" wasn't so much a custom job as it was the name given by pilots for an actual variant put out by Republic - generally around the time of the bubble top p-47 D models. The paddle blade prop was also an official upgrade from Republic and indeed, pilots reported remarkable climb performance improvements with the paddle prop. But, the waxing tactic was indeed a custom job by pilots and mechanics. I believe the pilot you're referring to is either Robert Johnson or Gabby Gabreski, the famous p-47 aces from "Zemke's Wolfpack" (the 56th Fighter Group). They are both on record stating frequently that the p-47 - particularly after the paddle prop upgrade - was a very competitive dog fighter with pretty much anything out there. At higher elevation, this is pretty well accepted by most - even critics of the 47. The p-47 lost favor for escort duties primarily due to lack of range, it's obvious strength for the increasingly important ground attack role late in the war, and because the mustang was simply a logical and available replacement for the escort role. Having said that, by the end of the war, the 56th managed to overcome its range problems - running escort missions to Berlin with p-47's using a combination of upgraded drop tanks and various fuel saving tactics. And interestingly enough, they weren't even flying p-47 N's (the last p-47 variant) - which had a 2,000 mile range with drop tanks. The p-47 N, had it flown in Europe, would have been an excellent escort option. A simplistic view of the air war in Europe often paints Americans having literally no effective fighters for the first half of the war only to be saved by the mustang. I love the mustang as much as anyone else, but this simply doesn't do the 47 justice. By the time the mustang was really in Europe in force (mid to late '44), the Luftwaffe had taken a beating by 47's and 38's. This time was famous for long swaths of time where the Luftwaffe simply didn't show up in fact - because of how many veteran pilots had been killed. And while they did show up quite a bit for the mustangs (who had big kill numbers late in the war) later on, the German pilot quality had deteriorated significantly. So, the mustang took over right at the time when the Luftwaffe was severely weakened. This is not to say the 51's weren't remarkable. Plenty of 51 drivers did amazing things with a great bird. It's just to say that the 47 is kind of an unsung hero of the ETO.

[@toknenengburjegol6430]

Well, reading the book "Thunderbolt" by R.S. Johnson, the ace pilot stated as: 1. Upon arrival on England, they were chided by RAF pilots that when attacked, all they have to do is to undid their harness and hide in the Jug's fuselage. Never did they realize that it was not the Spit, Hurris nor Mustangs but the P-47 with their novice US pilots who is going to slug it out over European skies and push back the Germans to their border. They squared it out with the yellow noses of the JG 11(or 26?) based on Abbeville. The green pilots with their untested mounts against veterans in their proven mounts. A first, the US pilots got the bloody nose. But as they gained experience, they learned how to handle to 109s and 190s of the LW. 2. While on a familiarization flight over England, he encountered a British Spitfire. They engaged in a mock dogfight and he was amazed by the spit's agility, yet managed to outfly it by rolling maneuver. They later went for a climb and the Spit left the Jug behind. 3. Later,when paddle blades were fitted in the Jug, Johnson again found a Spit, and he signalled for a climb. He mentioned that he left the Spit behind as if it was standing still. 4. As for dogfighting, Johnson one day encountered a good LW pilot. The Jerry pilot took the fight into vertical, but the Jug stayed with the 109. The German steepened the climb but as Johnson stated, "with the new paddle blades, the Jug would not let go". Firing and scoring, the desperate German pilot went into a dive. Johnson commented "He was one of the best I've met. But the dive was his mistake. Never they did learn". Needless to say, he bagged the109. 5. As for durability, Jonhson's plane was riddled by cannon and machine gun fire. He was met by no less than German ace Eggon Meyer and was riddled by 7.92bullets from Meyer's 190. Upon landing, counting bullet holes on his mount, he counted 21 20 mm hits, and more than two hundred 7.92s. His count reached a hundred while he was still standing on the same place. 6. As for his skill as a combat pilot, Johnson was trained as a bomber pilot. He failed in his aerial gunnery exercise. Yet, he is the second highest scoring US pilot in ETO with 28 aerial kills. His 5th kill was a 200 kill veteran from Eastern front (He learned this much later, in his interview prior to his passing away in 1998). And here is an interesting note: Johnson got his 25th kill after flying 92 (93?) combat sorties. Hans Joachim Marseille got his 25th after more than 100 sorties while Erich Hartmann got his 25th after about 120 combat sorties. Well done Mr. Greg

[@ArtietheArchon]

@@toknenengburjegol6430 I saw a documentary one time, I think it was Robert S Johnson whose Jug was crippled by enemy fire and caught fire over Europe. The canopy jammed and he could not bail out. In hindsight it may have been the Jug's way of saying "Just hold on and I'll get you home" because he pointed the Jug toward friendly ground and despite horrendous damage the flames went out and it kept flying. Later on an FW-190 came up to greet him. It fell in behind him three times and eventually ran out of ammo riddling the already crippled Jug with holes. The Butcherbird pilot came alongside, shook his head and waved as he flew back to base without any ammo and without a kill. Johnson later landed safely. The pilot who was denied a kill was none other than German ace Egon Mayer

[@P51ride]

@@ArtietheArchon I believe the documentary or short video is called "Not My Time To Die" by mysticpuma who also made a 2 part documentary about the 325th Fighter group. Mysticpuma should be working for Discovery Channel or History Channel, The Checkertails documentary is that good

[@absoluteaficionado515]

If we think you didn't do a good job with your graph, we are told to just deal with it, and if we think our favorite aircraft has been treated unfairly, there is even a complaint form. The cheek of it, I love it!

[@derrinpickett9948]

I grew up in Evansville Indiana where one of the factories which built the P-47 was located. The building latter became a Wirpool refrigerator plant. Couple years ago I picked over a old garage that was about to be demolished. I found a Republic Aviation metal crest that was placed on vehicles as sort of a parking permit so to speak.

[@darrellborland119]

I have seen that whirlpool plant, too, derrin pickett. Nice story.

[@johndilday1846]

My mother, and her mom and dad worked in that plant during the war building P-47's. My mother worked on the radios and my grandparents worked on installing the skins on the frames. They worked 6 days a week for most of the war. I remember seeing pictures they had been given of work in the plant, and other artwork provided by the War Department for morale boosting purposes. My favorite was a picture of how they sighted in the machine guns to converge at a certain point ahead of the aircraft, and to match up with the electric gunsight. It was quite a picture, the tracers from the 8 fifty caliber Browning machine guns all converging on the target, while the empty cartridge cases were all ejected in a stream from the ejection ports on the bottoms of the wings. I can only imagine the deafening sound involved.

[@cafhead]

Ditto. Small world

[@kennedysingh3916]

I thank you for sharing with the rest of the world.I live in Jamaica. In 1947 a P-47N Thunderbolt crashed in Jamaica during an air show at US army air base Vernam Field. My grand aunt was an eye witness and she remembered it as if it happen yesterday.

[@Jon-uo4gf]

You should really be a history professor, this stuff is awesome.

[@Erik-rp1hi]

There is a group of fans for the P-47 at Torrance airport in L.A. county. KTOA. They have a big billboard of the plane at the "East Tees" facing the public street.

[@FerretMasterXX]

Well I just tightened my belts and made sure my six was clear...waiting for the next installment of this fantastic machine from Republic aviation. This is the way to build an air frame that is intended to bring the pilot home in one piece! This video is a beautiful piece of work...keep it up! I recommend this channel to all my friends who have at least a smattering of interest in the world of aviation during the 30's and 40's!

[@christiancruz4533]

This vids make my day. Love to watching them and then climb into my P47D in Sim and know a little more about it.

[@ruudvandereerden7518]

You do a great job in explaining the logic behind the choices in aircraft and engine design, and how they play out in actual combat. I have been reading books and articles on both since the past 40 years, and you still add details and insights that others sources either omit or don't understand. Great job!!!

[@VikingTeddy]

I never really cared for the nitty gritty of aircraft engineering, I always just liked old Warbirds for their cool factor and for the dogfights. Until I found your channel that is. Now I devour everything I can find on engineering, aerodynamics and how the weapons work. You've made a convert and I thank you. If only there were more videos about warbirds, I think I've almost exhausted KZbin.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Thanks. I am glad to hear you like it.

[@shynsly01]

That "WW" designation, and your description, is pretty awesome... I've never heard of that before. I suspect a lot of us modern Veterans could relate? Might be my next tattoo.

[@cranfordsnorkus6558]

Thank gosh for this channel. I had almost given up on finding a aviation channel that spoke about anything I'd be interested in. Usually it's the ol': 'This is a US airplane from WWII, it goes real fast and is great. The propeller works by....' CLICK You speak of the machine and how it came to be. Interesting design evolutions with arcane but RELEVANT details. I don't need to be shown what a propeller does or told what a supercharger does for the three thousandth time. I want to know the design why and hows because such things can't help but be interesting. Thanks Greg. Much appreciated.

[@grndiesel]

Yikes, that's some amazing footage of the carrier launches. Larger WW2 planes have been launched from the flat tops, but this is the first time I've heard of the Thunderbolt doing it. You can see plenty of smoke from the exhaust port as each of them lay on the coal to stay airborne. Crazy.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Thanks David, I thought that footage was well worth including.

[@allenarneson4349]

Thanks for all of your detailed and complete videos of the WW2 aircraft. From my early modeling days in the late '50s and early '60s I just love the WW2 aircraft from all the nations at war. It also helped that my Grandfather worked at Northrup Aviation on the P-61 Black Widow during WW2, and my father after serving in the Korean war worked on the F-89 Scorpion as his first job.

[@ryankc3631]

Actually, the P-47's looked pretty comfortable flying off the little escort carrier. Cool! Excellent series on one of my favorites, The Jug. Thanks!

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Thanks for the compliment. Yes, the 47 didn't quite look as out of place as I would have expected.

[@Chiller01]

Without doubt one of the best, if not the best primarily sourced channels on YT. The conclusions are always well reasoned and the supporting data supplied for everyone to see. Well done!

[@dannynye1731]

In the 90s I talked with a Corsair pilot who flew combat on a Jeep Carrier. So did the Brits

[@michaeltelson9798]

I would like to see a comparison of the Regianne designs against the Seversky/Republic designs. For example the tail and wing designs show a resemblance especially since there were engineers that left Seversky and returned home to Italy and joined Reggiane. This is especially seen with the RE 2000 against the P-35

[@msmeyersmd8]

Here’s a great 4 minute HD video with great sound of a P-47 startup. You can see the usual radial engine startup smoke coming out of the waste gates low on the front cowl and at bottom rear of the fuselage at the turbo. I wouldn’t have known why until I watched your P-47 video. A P-51 taxis by at the very end. A beautiful sounding engine. But I’d pick the P-47 Thunderbolt just for the engine and the great aerodynamic aesthetics. I would need to own a gasoline/oil company, I suspect, to ever afford to fly either of them.

[@billbolton]

Thoroughly enjoyed the content, attention to detail and sources.. The delivery matches the content, no hyperbole, no exaggeration, these are the facts.

[@WatchMysh]

I always need to reserve some time to watch your really long videos. But I gladly do because they are shockingly informative and detailed :D Thanks for this one in particular. I love the P-47.

[@mikeinmelbourne9491]

Hats off to your attention to detail and research. Made the technical aspects of aircraft design very accessible. Not having an engineering background or familiarity with such things, I’ve found your videos have taught me a great deal! Appreciate the selection of illustrations... one of my fav aircraft the Jug is a big, beautiful beast.

[@lancelot1953]

Hi Greg, Happy New Year to you and your family - it is always a pleasure to listen to your informative presentation on our automotive/aeronautical history - your explanations are great and bring me back to my younger days as a Ford Engineering Intern. Peace be with you and keep these classic videos coming, Ciao L

[@cannonfodder4376]

Huh, I never heard of P-47's launching themselves off of carriers and into combat. And that footage certainly proves they can get airborne in that amount of deck space. A fantastically informative video as always though. I always learn something new from your videos and I look forward to more.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

These were land based aircraft so I wonder what the launch catapults were attached to. Amazing stuff.

[@terrywaters6186]

Keep in mind the ship was no doubt heading flank speed into the wind.

[@MajorCaliber]

They were merely being *ferried* by the "jeep" carriers, and weren't launching into combat, but rather launching UNarmed, with minimum fuel, to land on the nearby island on which they would be based. In no way could they *land* on the carrier--they were lifted onto the carriers by crane back in the US.

[@garysayers1502]

----- There were cat- launch bridles available at that time which were compatible with many a/c types... A US development that was widely used in foreign navies after the war, they attached to the upper struts of the forward wheels, then converged like a large triangle on the catapult attach point... France used this launching system aboard its carriers almost exclusively, also the Royal Navy... Google "Super Etendard' and you'll get a look at such a launching bridle somewhere in the video...

[@paulmanson253]

@@garysayers1502 Thanks for that. I have seen photos of those bridles but did not know the attachment. I take it the entire unit was sacrificed as a single use item,dropped at some point just after launch. Any further details on that you can add ? Was always curious about that. Man,that is a powerful lot of bridles each carrier would need and running out would sure make for problems. How many would be carried,do you know ?

[@eviloverlordsean]

This video was totally worth the watch if only for the explanation of the "WW" tail designation... bravo

[@scottl9660]

I love this channel, technical enough that adults can sink their teeth into it without needing a graduate degree to understand it.

[@Gman-109]

P47 D40, M, or N model is what I'd want to have flown in WW2. Very sturdy and strong aircraft that was air cooled (hits to liquid cooled motors like the Merlin could cripple your fighter's motor pretty easily, while that big air cooled motor in the 47 was known to take a lot of damage and not crap out...either way just one less vulnerable system). Also the 8 50 cal armament with lots of ammunition would give great combat persistency, lethality too, particularly vs Japanese aircraft. You could also out dive pretty much anything if you had some altitude, an instant "get out of crap" card you could play if you were at a disadvantage. Great visibility out of the later models without the razorback canopy too. I read a story about Richard Bong in a later model P38 doing mock dogfights with P47M models, and saying it was very close in every case, pretty amazing for such a heavy fighter. Good old Jug.

[@gerrynightingale9045]

Have you seen the photos of a 'Jug' that did a 'nose-dive' into the Hudson River during an airshow a few years ago? (the pilot must've either 'blacked-out' or had a stroke) **That 'Jug' barely had ANY damage at all when it was pulled from the river...except for bent prop-tips, I couldn't see any real structural damage at all! Even the canopy was intact!** I can't think of any airplane EVER that could suffer slamming into water doing at least 200mph on impact and still be in one piece, and wouldn't believe such a thing was even possible! (no wonder so many pilots refused to fly and fight with a different fighter...even if you were 'out-classed' and 'jumped' by more than one fighter, the 'Jug' will still 'get you home' even if shot full of holes and the engine missing entire cylinders blown-away by cannon-fire, and if anyone made the mistake of getting in front of those eight .50's ??? **"It's all over"** )

[@helzevec]

SerHaHa - I believe some of the variants you mentioned actually deleted the outboard guns, reducing the number to 6 but yes, I tend to agree. I'd rather fly the 47. Though it's tough to really say. The 56th fighter group, "Zemke's wolfpack", loved the 47 as a fighter and they had the largest outfit of aces, and fought during the peak of the Luftwaffe. They famously insisted on keeping the 47 and were the only 8th AF outfit left flying the p-47 at the end of the war - the rest having been replaced by the mustang. My inclination is to listen to the wolfpack. Having said that, Zemke himself was on record waxing poetic about the superiority of the mustang - even though many of the aces in the squad disagreed. And there's no shortage of pilots who converted from the 47 to the mustang who said the same thing. Incidentally, Zemke left the 56th to take up a fighter group that converted to mustangs. He ended up a prisoner of war because his mustang broke up in bad weather. The other thing to remember is that the ground duty ended up proving a far deadlier role for fighter pilots. And while yes, the thunderbolt was rugged and better suited to the task, ground attack was pretty much all the 47 was doing from about mid '44 onward. Just by sheer odds alone, this made the life of a 47 driver quite precarious towards the end of the war. But in all fairness, 51's were doing a good amount of ground pounding too. And that's a role that I wouldn't want to do in the "spam can" 51. I think the 47 fell victim to its initial impressions. We were just getting into the war and a lot of first impressions were made. Basically, the bombers were taking murderous losses and the 47's couldn't stay with them. This then set up the perfect narrative that the 51 saved the day. But lost in translation was the fact that the 47 was quickly upgraded and by the end of the war, was competitive (and superior in some respects) with virtually anything flying.

[@gerrynightingale9045]

**Which is 'tougher and more reliable?' A 'plain Jane' Dodge SUV or a Ferrari? Both will 'hit & hold' 100mph but for how long? Which is easier to maintain? Most important...which one is less prone to overheat or simply 'stall-out' in the 'middle of nowhere' when you least expect it?****If I'm in a 'fight to the death' against pilots that have far more experience than me, I want every advantage I can get...and the 'ugly-ass Jug' is just what I need!**(Galland 'begged/shouted/cried' to Hitler "We must have MORE '190's'...all that can be made as quickly as possible, and the new '262' fighters must have priority over any other 'new' weapons...give me those, and I'll 'sweep the skies' of bombers! With 500 '190's' we can destroy the 'Red Army' on the ground...the only way for them to reach Germany will be on foot with rifles...because we'll destroy everything else!)**The 'begging' fell on deaf ears..."You don't understand the politics involved! The 'V' weapons will 'break the will' of England to continue fighting altogether...that program must continue!"**

[@Dave5843-d9m]

It was horses for courses. The P47 guzzled fuel so could never provide long distance escort duties. The P51 had the range and the speed. The additional two 50Cals on the P47 were nice to have but 6 of those things can do huge damage - and a lighter weight aircraft has a better chance of actually hitting a fast moving target.

[@helzevec]

@@Dave5843-d9m David Elliott Eventually, the p-47 was ranging over Berlin. Granted, to achieve that, they had to go through more than a year of experimenting with external tanks and fuel saving tactics, but they got there. Also, the p-47 N variant solved the range problem completely (though it never saw action in Europe). The N variant was literally designed for pacific escort duties where long range was key. The p-51 did have the range advantage out of the box however. Combined with the desperate situation for the bombers over Germany when first introduced, the mustang was the natural choice for escort duty. But, if I had to choose between the p-47 N and the p-51 for escort duties in Europe, on balance, I'd probably go p-47 N.

[@MyName-ez9lv]

Man, the sound in this video is simply outstanding in describing an outstanding aircraft design.

[@Gman-109]

Heh, I had no idea they launched Jugs from escort carriers using that old hydraulic catapult system they had. Learn something new with every video here, great job.

[@Auggies1956]

I think these were in transport, not an operational procedure.

[@emilrydstrm3944]

Yes these were shipped on the carrier deck to island bases in the pacific. They launched from the carriers and landed on the airstrip were they would operate from.

[@intercommerce]

When it comes to technical specs on these aircraft, no one seems to know more than this fellow. No videos I've ever seen are as informative, period. I challenge anyone to watch one of these once, and memorize everything. Can't be done.😮

[@martijn9568]

I wouldn't call the P-36 Hawk obsolete in 1940, but it was definitely not top dog anymore. Nice video on probably the most American fighter out there! Edit: Yes, Focke Wulf 190 video!

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

It depends on what you are fighting. Against Zeros, Oscars, 109s, or Spitfires, it was obsolete, thus taking a P-36 into combat in 1940 wasn't going to go well for you. Of course against the Russians it would have been OK.

[@crgintx]

It could be argued that Curtis got the runaround from the USAAF about making improvements to the Hawk series of fighters. The P-40 soldiered on well into 1944 and proved more than capable of tangling with both the ME-109 and FW-190 in North Africa at low and medium altitudes.

[@paullubliner6221]

A P36 in December of 1941 did get the only Japanese "kill" during the Pearl Harbor attack.

[@adamcrookedsmile]

Finland used P-36s against the Soviets and it performed well for them according to Wikipedia.

[@fredkruse9444]

@@paullubliner6221 George Welch and Ken Taylor totalled six kills with their P40s.

[@oliverburke]

This video is just what I needed. The level of detail needed to explain why the jug was so valuable. Thank you!

[@intrepid2011]

I read an article in Flight Journal Magazine by Corky Meyer. He was one of the head test pilots for Grumman Aviation in WWII. He tested all of the Grumman "Cats" and had flown many other models of WWII airplanes, including the P-47. I have been obsessed by the Thunderbolt since I was in high school. The article was the magazine asking him to rate the best 10 WWII fighters, both allied and axis. He listed 10 airplanes and commented on each as to their qualities as a fighter. I was pleased to see that, at the end of his count-down, he rated the P-47 Thunderbolt as number 1. He said that it had great speed and high altitude performance, was heavily armed (8 fifty caliber machine guns compared to 6 on most fighters), was very rugged and was noted for bringing the pilot home when heavily damaged. The thing he liked most was that when the P-51 took over the bomber escort roll because of their greater range, the Thunderbolt was an excellent attack plane. It was an extremely good strafing and bombing platform. When you add all of that to the tremendous numbers produced, you understand that it was the backbone of the Army Aircorps throughout the war. It may not have been as glamorous as the P-51 or Spitfire, but I found it to be such a wonderful heavy weight fighter. If I had to fight in that war, I would have chosen the P-47.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

I would have chosen the 47 as well. I'll make that case about 2 videos from now. The P-47 has advantages over the others that I have never seen mentioned on youtube or in a book. I will be covering these things.

[@Bluswede]

Its brute strength was well recognized by the public of the day. My dad, who was 26 on Dec 7, 1941, was very fond of stating that the later variants could "chase the devil back into hell in a dive, and still climb like a homesick angel". The Republic-Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II has done a very good job of paying homage to the name, in ground attack/close support...another brute that will fly home "on the cables" and with big parts missing.

[@MajorCaliber]

Steve R: Oh yeah... despite being in the war long before the P-51, only something like 0.7% of "Jug" pilots were lost in combat... more were lost in training, because hey, no 2-seat version, and with that monster engine swinging that massive propeller, the "P-Factor" of torque would be something the T-6 trainers just didn't prepare you for... =:O

[@intrepid2011]

@@MajorCaliber That is true. The torque is incredible. My uncle flew Helldivers in the Pacific and after the war he flew Corsairs for the Naval Reserve. He remembers ground looping one when he applied power too fast and the plane rose up on one gear and rotated before he could shut it down. The R-2800 was a very powerful engine. One of the things that won the war for us.

[@MajorCaliber]

@@intrepid2011 Indeed, the 2800 refers to the CUBIC INCHES of DISPLACEMENT (explains why the turbo is so HUGE!).. Despite the enormous head start both Japan and Germany had on us, USA+Canada just plumb *outproduced* both of them. The legendary R-2800 made a superstar out of every airframe it was mounted to! (Sadly there is no known way to retrofit one to a Cessna 150 Aerobat, LMAO!!)

[@GVBiggs524]

I realize that some of the content is very dry for those people who aren't into the kind of technical depth this guy goes into but he does open some eyes about a great many things not many people know about and explains quite a bit about the technology of the time and how it leaped and bounded so quickly past the "new" designs.

[@RCAvhstape]

The P-47 was probably the best general purpose fighter of the European theater. After the P-51 finally got its act together the P-47 became successful again in the attack role. It was tough and could take a lot of damage. There's a reason the same company's famous heavily armed and armored attack jet, the A-10, is officially named the "Thunderbolt II".

[@marrioman13]

The best all purpose? The tempest would like a word.

[@CncrndCtzn]

@@marrioman13That would be a pretty one sided conversation with the P47 doing most of the talking. The P47 could fly farther, carry more weight, and fly faster at altitude while, most importantly, taking more damage. The tempest didn’t provide high level escort, a huge factor in claiming it to be the best all around fighter.

[@bertdeveau8295]

My mother helped build this aircraft, working at Republication Aviation in Farmingdale, NY.

[@ElwoodPDowd-nz2si]

One of my two favorite WW2 aircraft. Hawker Tempest being the other.

[@dennissmith6783]

its one of mine too, my other one is the FW190

[@davidcolin6519]

You can see how close those P47s weren't that far from wobbling into the drink! Great video, as always. thanks

[@acefox1]

Fantastic video! I’d never heard of or seen footage of P-47s being launched from an escort carrier. AMAZING! I frequently visit Paul Allen’s warbird museum in Everett, WA where they fly P-47D “Tallahassee Lassie” and will mention your video to them.

[@foxhoundmj2056]

that last story and footage of the Thunderbolts on carrier was especially beautiful.

[@kabbey30]

P-47 Jug, and the F8F Bearcat for me. Great planes.

[@cf6282]

Excellent presentation! Beast of an aircraft. Amazing to realize that these aircraft were so quickly developed and even improved! It takes decades nowadays. Not to mention the thousands of planes churned out by the factories in those days. I know present planes are far mor sophisticated. How times have changed.

[@willykaranikolas2391]

Yeah I think a lot of people (particularly *ahem* Brits), like to say that the P-51 was absolute trash before it was fitted with the Rolls Royce Merlin, its good to see you decided to use the P-51A for this comparison. Great video again!

[@jimdanko195]

Greg, when you mentioned the butthurt report near the beginning of the video I had to rewind and listen again because I didn't believe my ears. Later when I reached the end of the video and saw the report form flash up on the screen, I burst out laughing... friggin hilarious!! Funnybusiness aside, your technical explanations and depth of subject-matter knowledge make these videos so interesting. The hidden details, like the WW "war-weary" markings... who knew?! Thank you for the great videos!

[@RandallFlaggNY]

I'd hazard to guess that this video is one of the five most educational I've ever seen on YT. Well done!!

[@JackEnneking]

I have watched that whole assembly video! I have no idea why, but it was riveting.

[@moirakadhan745]

Probably my favorite aircraft of all time. I was really waiting for this video. :D

[@jahmanoog461]

Your passion for aviation is obvious and your research is credible and nicely detailed. Thank you for sharing.

[@jcwoodman5285]

Robert Johnson's book is great for his many combat observations on the p47.

[@brianmaynard7320]

Thunderbolt is a FANTASTIC book...

[@cwnorton]

+Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles I must say these videos are FANTASTIC. I was one of those kids that would rush home after school to record every episode of Discovery Wings back in the day because I couldn't get enough. What I appreciate about your videos is how thorough you are in both content and transparency of resources. I have certainly learned a lot from you despite having already seen miles worth of other documentaries and read countless books/reports. Keep up the good work! p.s. I shared this video on a FB group I follow so hopefully it will bring you some views!

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Thanks cw!

[@mrjon1985]

Great stuff, thanks for putting this info together and presenting it to us. My favorite U.S. fighter by far, doesn't get much love. Thinking about one of these beasts plowing through the air at 30,000 ft, 450 mph, engine just shy of detonation, turbo-supercharger screaming, makes my giblets tingle.

[@jamesthebearbear6563]

If you are in a Val and a P-47 is after you, you're having a really bad day......that made me laugh! Greg, you are the right man for these topics. I look forward to seeing you as a 'colour commentator' in a ww2 airplane doc. You are going to be discovered (if you haven't already been approached). Also..... I cannot wait until you turn your attention to naval vessels and uneash your expertise on Battleships. I do really hope that you one day thouroughly (as is your style) cover the Dreadnaughts. I really like your channel I would like to find a playlist (in order) of your videos. Oh yeah, cheers on not having the annoyance of advertising. Well done, cheers!

[@dennismason3740]

"...perhaps four parts..." - once she's airborne she is landing when she decides.

[@tyrefryingoat7068]

your videos are among the best regarding your subjects. actually cant think of any better. keep up the great work!

[@terrywaters6186]

I flew for years in the online game 'Warbirds' and was always disappointed the P-47 was so terribly under modeled in that game. Especially after meeting Franz Stigler and hearing him say that the P-47 was clearly the best Allied fighter that he flew.

[@roberthenry9319]

This really is a marvelous presentation. It is a work of art, really. Knowledge of the topic, clarity of presentation, seamless flow of thought process and enjoyment by the viewer, all woven beautifully together, most certainly qualify this work as art. Thank you, Greg. I think you could present a video on the relative merits of ceramic superconductivity and make it a joy to watch. Robert H.