The only high scoring P47 Ace to die was Neel Kearby. That was in the pacific. Some were shot down by ground fire. Some ended up POWs. A lot survived. The longer range of the P51 and lower unit cost contributed to replacement of the P47.
I’m sure the F51 pilots in Korea wished they had P47s for ground attack there.
Zemke was the commander. He became a POW after a P51 he was piloting went down in a storm on a mission. He was then commander of the 479th fighter group. Gabreski went down later strafing a airfield, also becoming a POW.
And this video shows the unboxing and assembly of one in the field using hand tools and a working party. I noticed they weren't using safety wire on the bolts. https://youtu.be/Noqms4AhTJA
Walter Miller, infantry in Italy and later wrote the SF novel 'A Canticle for Leibowitz', hated hated hated P-47's. Fifty calibers and 500 pound bombs convinced him there's no such thing as friendly fire.
This guy is a complete nerd about the P47 and all WW2 aircraft. I love it: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCynGrIaI5vsJQgHJAIp9oSg/featured
ReplyDeleteThe only high scoring P47 Ace to die was Neel Kearby. That was in the pacific. Some were shot down by ground fire. Some ended up POWs. A lot survived.
ReplyDeleteThe longer range of the P51 and lower unit cost contributed to replacement of the P47.
I’m sure the F51 pilots in Korea wished they had P47s for ground attack there.
ReplyDeleteHub Zemki's wolf pack, European theater. Complete badasses!
My bad ,that was Gaby Gabreski.
ReplyDeleteZemke was the commander. He became a POW after a P51 he was piloting went down in a storm on a mission. He was then commander of the 479th fighter group. Gabreski went down later strafing a airfield, also becoming a POW.
DeleteEverything you ever wanted to know about the P-47--
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cradleofaviation.org/history/history/aircraft/p-47_thunderbolt_aviation_darwinism.html
And this video shows the unboxing and assembly of one in the field using hand tools and a working party.
ReplyDeleteI noticed they weren't using safety wire on the bolts.
https://youtu.be/Noqms4AhTJA
Walter Miller, infantry in Italy and later wrote the SF novel 'A Canticle for Leibowitz', hated hated hated P-47's. Fifty calibers and 500 pound bombs convinced him there's no such thing as friendly fire.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget Robert S. Johnson, another P-47 ace. He wrote the definitive book about the P-47 in the European Theater.
ReplyDeleteOnce the P-51 was fully in service, the P-47 performed a lot of the ground attack/combat air support since it was one tough aircraft.
My dad was 19 and was a pilot in the Army Air Corp in 1945. He was in NY City waiting to get on a transport to head to England when the war was over.
ReplyDeleteHe always said he wanted to fly the P-47. Tough as nails!