The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is an American

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

. From the first prototype produced in 1941, 15,686 P-47s were produced, the last of which was accepted by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) from Republic Aviation' Evansville, Indiana factory.

Background

While the majority of the earlier versions and war-weary aircraft were quickly scrapped, most of the last production blocks would continue in service with the post-war USAAF and the new USAF. For the next five years, these aircraft would continue as a front-line fighter with the active United States Air Force. It would also serve for over 10 years with a preponderance of the

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

fighter units east of the Mississippi River. The P-47 would also be the foundation stock for rebuilding a majority of the post-war European air forces. Unlike the P-51, this aircraft was easily maintained and more forgiving of pilot mistakes (due to its more robust construction). Like the USAF, these aircraft only started to retire as the second generation jets became readily available. In the early 1950s as the now renamed F-47 was being retired from active USAF service, these aircraft were through various Military Assistance Programs (MAPs) offered to numerous South American countries. For the next 15 years, the F-47 would continue as a front line fighter with these nations. Unlike many of its contemporary World War II fighters, the P-47 was not a sought after aircraft on the postwar civilian marketplace. It did not have the sleek lines needed for an executive aircraft or racing. For the next 22 years, except for two razorback versions, the P-47 would progressively diminish from U.S skies. It was only in 1968 with the retirement of the Peruvian Air Force's P-47s and the successful importation of six aircraft would the population of these aircraft begin to grow. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, more airframes would be returned from numerous South American countries for restoration and display. In the late 1980s, aircraft from Yugoslavia were also rediscovered and imported. The current batches of P-47s to return to the restored are those from long forgotten wartime crash sites.

Survivors

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, Brazil - Air Force AN1200122

Australia

;Under restoration ;;P-47D *42-8066 – Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Wollongong. *42-8310 – Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Wollongong. *42-27608 – Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Wollongong.

Brazil

;On display ;;P-47D *42-26757 – Santa Cruz AFB in Rio de Janeiro. Wartime "A5". Painted as 44-19660 "C5". *42-26760 –

Museu TAM The TAM Museum ( pt, Museu TAM), also known as the Museu Asas de um Sonho (Wings of a Dream Museum), was an aviation museum in the city of São Carlos, within the state of State of São Paulo, Brazil. The museum was located from central São Carl ...

Sao Carlos SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...

. Wartime "B2". Painted as 42-29265 "B5". *44-19663 –

Museu Aeroespacial Museu Aeroespacial is a national aviation museum located in the West Side of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the Administrative Region of Realengo. The place is known as "the Brazilian Aviation cradle".Ogden (2008) Address Av. Marechal Fontenelle, 2000 ...

in Rio de Janeiro. Wartime "A6". Painted as 42-19662 "D5". *45-49151 –

in Rio de Janeiro. Painted as 42-26766 "B4". *45-49485 – Museu do Expedicionário in Curitiba. Painted as 42-46756 "A4". P-47D in display

Chile

;On display ;;P-47D *45-49219 –

Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio The Museo Nacional Aeronáutica y del Espacio (MNAE) is an institution responsible for disseminating the aeronautical heritage in Chile. History It was created on July 13, 1944, as Museo de Aviación, during the government of Juan Antonio R ...

in Santiago de Chile. Painted as FACH N° 750.

Colombia

;On display ;;P-47D *45-49102 – Museo Aeroespacial Colombiano in Bogota.

Croatia

;On display ;;P-47D *13109 (ex-Yugoslav AF) –

Technical Museum, Zagreb The Nikola Tesla Technical Museum ( hr, Tehnički muzej Nikola Tesla) is a technology museum located in Zagreb, Croatia, which collects and showcases scientific and technical appliances used in the countryćs history. It exhibits numerous historic ...

France

;On display ;;P-47D *44-20371 – Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace north of Paris.

Germany

;On display ;;P-47D *42-7924 – Motortechnica Museum.

Italy

;On display ;;P-47D *44-89746 – Italian Air Force Museum in

Bracciano Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake ( Lago di Bracciano or "Sabatino", the eighth largest lake in Italy) and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Cast ...

Mexico

;On display ;;P-47D *44-90205 – Museo de la FAM.

Serbia

;On display ;;P-47D *44-90464 (ex-Yugoslav AF 13056) –

Museum of Aviation, Belgrade The Aeronautical Museum Belgrade, formerly known as the Yugoslav Aeronautical Museum, is a museum located in Surčin, Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Founded in 1957, the museum is located adjacent to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. The current f ...

Turkey

;On display ;;P-47D *44-33712 –

Istanbul Aviation Museum The Istanbul Aviation Museum, a.k.a. Turkish Air Force Museum, ( tr, Havacılık Müzesi or Hava Kuvvetleri Müzesi) is a military-based museum for aviation, owned and operated by the Turkish Air Force. The museum is located in Yeşilköy neighbo ...

United Kingdom

P-47 Thunderbolt 42-25068 2012 (7977124689)

;Airworthy ;;P-47D *45-49192 ''Nellie'' –

Duxford Aerodrome Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the civil parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village. The airfield is owned by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and is the site of the Imperial War Muse ...

in Cambridgeshire. ;On display ;;P-47D *42-26671 – Imperial War Museum Duxford. *45-49295 – Royal Air Force Museum London.

United States

;Airworthy ;;P-47D *42-29150 ''Dottie Mae'' – based at Allied Fighters in

Sun Valley, Idaho Sun Valley is a resort city in the western United States, in Blaine County, Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum in the Wood River valley. The population was 1406 at the 2010 census, down from 1427 in 2000.San Antonio, Texas. *44-90368 ''Hoosier Spirit II'' – based at Evansville Wartime Museum Evansville, Indiana. P47g

*44-90438 ''Wicked Wabbit'' – based at Tennessee Museum of Aviation in Sevierville, Tennessee. *44-90460 ''Hun Hunter XVI'' – based at Tennessee Museum of Aviation in Sevierville, Tennessee. *44-90471 ''Hairless Joe'' – based at Erickson Aircraft Collection in Madras, Oregon. *45-49205 ''Squirt VIII'' – based at Palm Springs Air Museum in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

. *45-49346 (unnamed) – based at Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California. *45-49385 (unnamed) – based at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. *45-49406 ''Tallahassee Lassie'' – based at

Flying Heritage Collection The Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the display and preservation of rare military aircraft, tanks and other military equipment. The plan is for the museum to reopen in 2023. On rotation in t ...

in Everett, Washington. ;;P-47G *42-25068 ''Snafu'' – privately owned in Sacramento, California. *42-25254 ''Spirit of Atlantic City, NJ'' – based at Planes of Fame in Chino, California. ;;YP-47M *42-27385 (unnamed) – based at Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California. ;On display ;;P-47D *42-8205 ''Big Stud/88'' – Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. *42-23278 ''Fiery Ginger IV'' – National Museum of the United States Air Force at

Wright-Patterson AFB Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wri ...

in Dayton, Ohio. *44-32691 (unnamed) – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

in Chantilly, Virginia. *44-32798 (unnamed) – Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill AFB in Utah. *45-49167 ''Five by Five'' – National Museum of the United States Air Force at

in Dayton, Ohio. *45-49181 (unnamed) –

Air Zoo The Air Zoo, founded as the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, is an aviation museum and indoor amusement park next to the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport in Portage, Michigan. The Air Zoo holds many historical and rare aircraft, inc ...

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

. *45-49458 ''Norma'' – New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. It is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. ;;P-47N *44-89320 ''Expected Goose'' – Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin AFB, Florida. *44-89348 (unnamed) – Lackland AFB, Texas. *44-89425 ''Wild Hair'' –

Peterson Air and Space Museum Peterson Air and Space Museum is an aviation museum located at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado focused on the history the of Air Defense Command, Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command. History The museum ...

at Peterson AFB, Colorado. *44-89444 ''Cheek Baby'' – Cradle of Aviation Museum in

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located on Long Island in Nassau County New York. It is the Greater Garden City area's anchor community. The population was 23,272 at the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within ...

. It is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. ;Under restoration or in storage ;;P-47D *42-08130 (unnamed) – for static display at the Pima Air and Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona. *42-27609 (unnamed) - for flightworthiness at the

Dakota Territory Air Museum The Dakota Territory Air Museum is an aviation museum on North Hill in Minot, North Dakota near Minot International Airport. The mission of the Dakota Territory Air Museum is to be a historical aviation resource honoring the men, women and mac ...

in Minot, North Dakota. *44-32814 (unnamed) – in storage at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida, Ex-Venezuelan Air Force aircraft. *44-90447 ''Jacky's Revenge'' –

American Airpower Museum The American Airpower Museum is an aviation museum located on the former site of Republic Aviation at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, New York. It maintains a collection of aviation artifacts and an array of aircraft spanning the many ye ...

in Farmingdale, New York. Crashed into the Hudson River 27 May 2016, pilot killed. Wreckage recovered but will not be restored or put back on display. Registration N1345B was written off. *45-49130 (unnamed) – in storage at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation in Sevierville, Tennessee. ;;P-47N *171 - in storage with unknown owner. Formerly owned by the late Walter Soplata in

Newbury, Ohio Newbury State is an unincorporated community in Geauga County, in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a rural suburb of Cleveland. History A variant name is Newbury. A post office called Newbury has been in operation since 1823. The name Newbury is deri ...

. Currently advertised for sale as a restoration project. *44-89136 ''Lil Meatie's Meat Chopper'' – to flightworthiness by the Commemorative Air Force (Airbase Georgia) at

Atlanta Regional Airport Atlanta Regional Airport , also known as Falcon Field, is a public use airport in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. It is located 25 nautical miles (29 mi, 46 km) southwest of the central business district of Atlanta, in ...

Peachtree City, Georgia Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, Fayette County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 34,364. Peachtree City is located in South Metro Atlanta. P ...

. Heavily damaged after an accident on 21 March 2002 in Albuquerque, NM."FAA Registry: N844WA"
FAA.gov. Retrieved: 15 July 2021.

Venezuela

;On display ;;P-47D *44-32809 –

Aeronautics Museum of Maracay Venezuelan Air Force's Museo Aeronáutico de Maracay (Aeronautics Museum of Maracay) is a historical aviation museum of military and civic aeronautic technology inaugurated on 10 December 1963 and located at the installations of the former Aerop ...

References

Notes

Bibliography

*''United States Air Force Museum Guidebook''. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.

External links

Base de Données: P-47 DatabaseHistory of ex-350th FG / 1° GAvCa Brazilian AF in World War II

Video

No Guts No glory
{{USAF fighters

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...