Carf-Models P-47 Thunderbolt Instruction Manual

CARF-Models P-47
P-47 Thunderbolt
History
Long before "super-sizing" became synonymous with American culture, Republic Aircraft
unveiled the P-47 Thunderbolt. An Alexander Kartvelli design, the P-47 was the largest single
seat fighter aircraft of WWII. With eight .50 caliber machine guns and provisions for bombs,
rockets and drop tanks, fully loaded, the Thunderbolt could weigh as much as 8 tons!
Although the obvious lineage to previous Kartvelli designs, the P-35 and P-43, is apparent, the
P-47 was a completely new and much larger aircraft built to accommodate the most powerful
piston engine at the time, the Pratt and Whitney R-2800 radial. In typical Kartvelli fashion, form
followed function as the engine's turbo-supercharger was buried in the belly of the beast, thus,
creating its characteristic profile.
It is said the Thunderbolt was nicknamed "the Jug" by the British who considered the shape of
the fuselage as similar to the glass milk "jugs" of the time; or because upon first glance, someone
declared the ungainly fighter to be a "Juggernaut!" Whatever the origins, the name "Jug" is used
to this day in reference to the P-47.
First deployed as a long-range escort fighter, the P-47 really came into its own when it
transitioned to ground attack, amassing an incredible obituary of axis vehicles: In addition to
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Instruction Manual
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