Fastest Piston Engine Fighter Ever; The Republic XP-47J Superbolt
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- čas přidán 14. 02. 2023
- The P-47 certainly made it's mark, but it isn't so well remembered that one example was the fastest piston engine fighter ever built - the XP-47J.
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You simply cannot say enough about the impact of the P&W R2800 on the air war of WW II. It, along with the RR Merlin, was a game changer. The R2800 allowed airframe designers to think big, to design robust aircraft that could haul serious weaponry to the fight with the durability to get home. Aircraft like the P-47 were simply not possible without it.
You from Miami?
Douglas A26, Martin B26, F4U, F6F, F7F, F8F and the pertinant Brit aircraft.
But that Merlin with the 2 different sized supercharger impellers driven off of one shaft was a compact stroke of genius that made 2 stage supercharging more pilot freindly than ever and allowed a smaller airframe that was cheaper to manufacture, relatively maneuverable, and solid proven tech throughout.
I'd still take my chances though in a P47N if I were then and had the choice.
@@icewaterslim7260 The cheapness came from conscious design. Up until then a run of 200 was considered large. The Mustang was deliberately designed to be mass produced. That was one of the prime factors in selecting it as the primary escort fighter of the AAF.
But, yes, the Jug is the way to go, although I have a crush on the Lightning. The later L models were incredible.
Any radial, really. The US Navy went all radial in the 20s. Same for USAAF bombers. Eventually the last generation fighters were all radial as well. There were a few exceptions such as the Spit, but Britain couldn't afford the disruption converting to a new design. The Fw 190 and the Ta 152. All the later British designs were radial, such as the Fury. The USAAF stayed with the Mustang, but as has been pointed out, it enjoyed a massive advantage in cost of manufacture. I cite the P-61 Black Widow in evidence. Big, fast, and maneuverable.
@@Caseytify And if the "L" variants had been retrofitted with state of the art
paddle props they would've been even better. Lockheed had it's hands full just producing for their orders before the jet age cancelled them. The USAAF didn't find the necessity of the expense of replacing counter rotating props, left and right gearboxes and the pitch mechanisms or taking badly needed aircraft out of operation which they were already predominant in. P47s,and F4Us were complex machines and expensive and the P 38 with it's twin turbos, inter-coolers and counter-rotating props were even more-so.
..
Grumman also designed the F6F Hellcat for mass production and an example was that only the leading edge and front rivets were flush but the rest were not. It was half the price or less of the F4U or P47. They went a different direction with the F8F Bearcat but the Hellcat was the rugged bang for the dollar bargain of the lot..
One of my high school teachers had been a P-47 pilot in WWII. He used to end class early some days and tell us stories about his experiences in the war. When he went to Europe and was given his plane, he could tell something wasn't quite right about it, but neither he nor his ground crew could figure out what. On the way back from a mission, his formation was jump by German planes, so they decided to push the throttles and get out of there. He fell behind because the issue with his plane was that the water/methanol injection system wasn't working, so he was down on power. Unfortunately, he was shot down, and spent the rest of the war as a POW. He felt the P-47 was the greatest fighter in the war. A bit of a bias, I'm sure, but maybe not too far from the truth.
What did he say about being a POW there and starving due to allied carpet bombing? Must have been rough AF.
He may not have had enough altitude to dive for speed....But the methonol water would not have made THAT much difference...I know the M model was way fast, but had alot of teething problems. ...Too much time gone to know for sure . AndI believe that pilots were still bieng taught bad tactics, like pulling a loop in front of more agile fighters....??
THE leading American Ace in the European Theatre, in WW2, flew a P47! (Gabby Gabresky) . so your teacher has a point.
I agree with him, the P-47 was the main reason the Luftwaffe was largely bled dry by D-Day
@raywhitehead730 before Gabby was Captain Robert S. Johnson who wrote the book "Thunderbolt Pilot" he got sent stateside once he had 26 kills because they were afraid of him getting lost.
The huge size of the Jug is clearly demonstrated with the picture with the ground crew doing something with the wheels. I knew the 47 was big, but that picture looked like the crew was doing something on a bomber's wheel! It must have been one hell of a plane to fly.
Reminds me of what the RAAF pilots said when they first saw it: "When you get attacked the pilot can run around in the fuselage and hide" 😂
In this clip you can see him fly with a fw190 and p51d. You'll see the size difference. czcams.com/video/uxL8xgaNmjc/video.html
The only other plane I’ve seen that just blew me away by how big it really is was the AD-1, that thing is a monster, and the P-47 isn’t much smaller
@@SkinPeeleR The 'Bolt looks, ummm, pleasantly plump compared to the others.🤪
Another point to illustrate the huge size: Look at the cowling of the XP-47J. It's a tight fit around the R-2800. Then look at a Fw190A. It also has a tightly fitting cowling and the BMW engine is slightly smaller in diameter than the R-2800. The cowling still looks huge on the Fw190, while the XP-47J's cowling looks rather small.
My father was a P47 fighter pilot during WWII...he retired in 1969 from the Air Force.
God bless your dad. 🙂
@@mudnducs
He did bless him...lived to 84...thanks.
Respect to your father.
@@Lee-rq1ek unfortunate what he fought for is being dismantled here.
@@dontworrybout2664
I'm glad he doesn't have to witness it.
A monster engine & turbocharger with a plane attached - the Thunderbolt design philosophy was always awesome.
Well, I can honestly tell you from personal knowledge that the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was loved and respected by the crews and pilots.
My late father, Staff Sergeant Robert E DeHart was a Combat Veteran Flightline Engineer and Mechanic in the US Army Air Force in the South Pacific Campaign on Guam, Tinian, Saipan and Iwo Jima in the 20TH USAAF, 7TH Army Air Corp, 414th Fighter/Bomber Group, 413th F/B Squadron.
I've still got dad's photos taken on the islands and airfields (including dead Japanese). Also have some of his old kit and most of uniform.
He called it the Milk Jug or Jughead.
Respect to your father.
My Dad was a "leg" in WW2, we went to an air show put on by the CAS, and this gave my Dad a load of remembrances. He explained that the "Jug's" engine sound was of deliverance more than once for it came down and delivered Hellfire and kicked the shit out of whoever was before it. The look on my Dad's face is hard to describe.
He had walked across France, liberated camps, and got to shake hands with the Russians before it was over.
Respect to your father.
Did he also shoot down the first Me262….while blindfolded?
@@gomertube you trying to be funny?
@@gomertube Really? That contributes to the conversation in what ways?
@@sisleymichael Stolen valor is rampant on these WWII channels. Push the OP to present evidence of his claims before you swallow them whole.
Love That Jug 😎👍
Just a beast. Overbuilt, overgunned, and tough to kill--my kind of, well, anything.
When I was a young lad around 6 or 7 y.o., my dad got me a sweet, die cast P-47 Thunderbolt replica. It was silver colored with US Army Air Corps decals that made it look very much like the ones seen at the beginning of the your video. I believe the painted trim around the engine behind the prop had a black and white checkered pattern (?). It had a domed canopy (with a pilot inside), folding wings, removable armament, a drop tank, a spinning propeller and retractable landing gear with rubber wheels (the tiny tail wheel was also rubber!). It was a heavy toy/replica! My dad bought it on base when he was still in the Marines. He always found neat stuff like that at the PX that we couldn't find off base! Up until then, I favored the P-40 with the Flying Tigers decals, the P-51, and the F-4U Corsair with the MARINES decals on the sides. That P-47 replica became my new WWII favorite. Good memories from my youth. Thanks for posting this informative video, Ed!
wow, that is a collector item
Proud to say that P47 manufacturer Republic Aircraft had it’s start and HQ on Long Island NY. A small airport still remains that started as an airstrip to fly the P 47s off from production to their final destinations. If you are in the area, consider visiting the Airpower Museum at the airport. It has numerous old warplanes and great exhibits. There’s also the larger Cradle of Aviation museum not far away that is amazing. Many aircraft there as well.
Good to hear. Thank you.
Ta for the heads up Mate, have a look at Peter Jackson's Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in Blenhiem NZ. It will blow your mind.
Wow I may have to do that
Yes, but the real nest of the Jug was Evansville, Indiana, same town that built many of the amphibious assault ships used in the invasion of europe
The Jug was a magnificent brute ~ although I remember reading in the Ginger Lacey book Fighter Pilot about when Lacey had to help RAF pilots who were converting from their Hurricanes (Max takeoff weight 8,710lb) onto Thunderbolts (max takeoff weight 17,500lb).
Upon first being introduced to their massive new mounts, some of the RAF boys reckoned that the only way they could foresee being able to take evasive action in the Jug was to undo their straps and run around in the cockpit.
The Jug was quite nimble at high altitude for which it was originally intended. Those big wings help in thin air.
That was quite a change for those RAF pilots from the Hurricane to the Thunderbolt, like going from a compact car to a pickup truck, both very capable, but also very different?!
that's effn hilarious.
every pilot who had to depend on it loved it.
Gregg says it could hang with anything in a dog fight.
In steady slow speed sustained turns it turned tighter than Spitfires, the Spit turning better only past 300 mph. At low speeds the P-47 matched the German types in left turns, but mostly the Razorback as the Bubbletop was inferior in handling. High altitude handling was nothing special except for fast dives. See my channel for further details.
The P47 M deployed to England near the end of the war had two problems: the fuel manifold gasket, ( fuel carburetor diaphragm) and the pistons had got rust in shipment to England. Both were fixed in about 2 and half months.
Also, the magnetos were not properly sealed. The spark developed by the magnetos will jump the path of least resistance. Normally the path of least resistance for the spark to jump is the spark plug gaps to ignite the fuel in the cylinders. However, the magneto breaker points are the gap of least resistance for the spark to jump when the cylinders are pressurized by the turbocharger. Thus, the magnetos of high-altitude reciprocating engines also have to be pressurized by the turbocharger so the spark plug gaps in the cylinders remain the path of least resistance. Since the magnetos on the P-47Ms were not properly sealed, high pressure in the magnetos leaked out to the low air pressure at high altitude and the spark jumped the breaker point gaps instead of the spark plug gaps causing engine misfiring at high altitude.
The 56th Fighter Group flew its last mission on December 25, 1944. The 56th FG eventually received replacement magnetos for its P-47M engines in March 1945. We will never know what the final score of the 56th FG would have been if it had not sat the last few months of WWII.
@@oscargrouch7962 what are you talking about? The 56th flew missions into April 1945. Where did you get that the stopped combat operations in December of '44? The P-47M shot down several planes in the hands of the 56th, including, iirc, 7 Me 262s. Not quite sure how many Arado Ar 234s were shot down by M models, but all together the P-47 shot down 20 262s and 4 234s.
Fascinating prototype! Might've been pursued if the war required a high altitude interceptor. Going to 30,000 ft in six minutes is very impressive. That capability wasn't needed at all so best to drop the project, but still a great bit of aviation history to learn!
@Yulis The 152 made 472mph max at 44-45K feet, with a ceiling of 48K feet. *But there were no bombers up there.* B-17s & B-24s were operating at heights of 30-35K feet max. The Superbolt made its 505mph top speed flight at around 34.5K feet---which means it was capable of keeping up with the 152s *at or slightly above the altitude of the bombers.* Which is all that is needed. Yes, the 152 could ultimately out-climb it (Superbolt ceiling was 45K.)...but no fighter performs well at its maximum ceiling, so once again, not relevant.
As for the shredding part--6x 50cal HMGs had proven capable of destroying all but the most heavily-armored Luftwaffe fighters (special versions of the 190A, as well as the 190F). It's quite probable that for a cutting-edge special fighter like the Superbolt, they would arm it with the T36/later M2A1 prototype HMG, which fired at aprox. 1000rpm (700-800rpm was standard for the M2 Browning). The long, slim wings of the 152H would prove quite vulnerable to damage.
So, yes, quite "touchable." 😏
@Yulis This "conversation" is beginning to remind me why you don't wressle with a pig: you get dirtied up...and the pig likes it.
INTRODUCING THE NEW P47X SUPERULTRAMEGABOLT!!
Wow Ed you never fail to amaze with the unusual and obscure aircraft variants.Can't wait to see what you come up with next!
Always enjoy your videos and the effort you invest in making them. Thanks
All of this talk of super fighters of World War II brings to mind the Ta 152 series. Excellent and entertaining video as usual! Thank you!!
This talk of super props reminds me of the Do 335.
@@warpartyattheoutpost4987 more than the 152H, which was in essence a glorified motor-glider 😅
Much awaited, much appreciated excellent information and insights as always.
Loads of great comments Ed. Many with personnal accounts from those that flew these beasts handed down throught the generations . Thanks Ed.
Always loved the P-47D, while all the kids were all about the Spitfire & P-51 I built models of the P-47 and Hurricane. My dad was a fighter pilot 1957-1977 and I was able to get great framed pictures of these aircraft for my bedroom walls.
Sweet! Initially I also preferred the 'Stang. But the more I learned about the 47, the more it grew on me. I also liked the different interpretations in various online games.
Thank you for another informative and entertaining video. I learned more about the P-47 aircraft that I did not know before.
Happy to oblige :)
One of my favorite fighters of all time. Thanks. 👍
great content..and it is exciting that there are so many quality channels that cover war, war machines..the great generations that served and the historical significances ..it appears that war, war never changes..thx Ed..
Good stuff as always, Ed. 🤘
Another ripper dipper episode Mr Nash. Thanks Ed.
Great content. And a great admirer of your voluntary service for others...
A great interesting video about the Thunderbolt.Have a good one Mr.Ed.
Good stuff! Thanks for this vid!!!
There is an excellent aviation artist on Quora called Pete Feigel, I think.
He is old enough and skilled enough at his artwork, to have interviewed many a WW2 pilot. He claims that the P47M fighters in a squadron were hot-rodded by ground crews and could just break 500mph. Cool video on one of the best fighters of WW2.
I have read alot about this, and folks just cannot accept that the Jugernaut could out perf the P51... Media and pilot bias caused alot of misiformation. Folks believe the Mustang was the best at everything , as that is said all the time.
This is true, It was the 56th Fighter Group,Zemke's Wolfpack. The aircraft were also painted in individual colour schemes overall and were used as air superiority fighters that hunted independent of the regular escort formations during missions. Also the 56 were the highest scoring fighter group in Europe and flew the Jug from formation till the end of the war.
@Aqua Fyre Americans knew about compressibility before WW2. Its just-- what do you do about it? And how do you keep service pilots in the heat of battle from getting into it.
I saw a documentary with Eric Winkle Brown. The English were asked to help sort the compressibility problem. The ascertained that German aircraft could go to a higher Mach number and recover. The problems were resolved and the English got thanks for their help.
Yes, they had an adjustable wastegate, and when the higher octane avgas arrived, the really smart crew chiefs could tune the power up. Something that afaik, the mechanically supercharged a/c of the time (every other fighter, practically), could not do. This made the Bolt unique in that respect. I don't think they did the same with the P-38, they were more concerned with range in the Pacific and tuned for efficiency.
My father shot one P-47 in Italy down. He was a good Machinegun gunner! Greetings from Linz Austria 🇦🇹😎👍💪🐺 Europe!
Another great video! Keep them coming!
Actually there was a production order for 100 Republic P-72 Ultrabolts. In its production format, the Republic P-72 Ultrabolt was to have a top speed of 540 mph! This would have no doubt made it the fastest piston-powered fighter plane of WWII and of all time, if only it had gone into production. General Electric was in the process of developing a new two stage, two speed centrifugal blower supercharger unit specifically for the production models that was almost 5 feet in diameter in size to be fitted aft of the cockpit, which was coupled to its Pratt & Whitney 28 cylinder R-4360 Wasp Major engine by means of fluid couplings and a long shaft that ran underneath the cockpit. Its Aero Products conta-rotating propeller measured 13 1/2 feet in diameter. There was a cooling fan located behind the propeller spinner. It was intended to use the planes as V-1 Buzz Bomb interceptors because of the plane's remarkable ability to rapidly accelerate to 490 mph at 25,000 feet. Because the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star jet fighter arrived in the U.K. in 1944 for evaluation and the Army realizing its performance had already made the P-72's performance obsolete, the production order for 100 P-72's was cancelled. The Army felt the money could be much better spent on long ranging bomber escort fighters, which led to the development of the Republic P-47N long range fighter, which saw service in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Another very long range escort fighter being developed during this time was the North American P-82 Twin Mustang very long range escort fighter, but it unfortunately arrived too late to see any action during WWII. The second Republic XP-72 prototype did have a top speed of 504 mph, however, there were no flights over 500 mph because the project engineers didn't want the Pratt & Whitney R-4360-13 experimental engine to catch fire so it only flew a top speed of 490 mph. As it turned out, the second XP-72 prototype's experimental engine did catch on fire at 25,000 feet. The test pilot put the airplane in a dive which extinguished the flames. Flying dead stick with monster contra rotating propellers spinning up front, the plane made a spectacular belly landing at an Army Air Base in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The second XP-72 prototype was never repaired and it was donated to the Boy Scouts of America where it was used as a static trainer for the Air Scouts. No one seems to know what ever happened to it after that.
Bearing in mind the cruising altitude of the V1 was between 2-3,000 feet the aircraft speed at 25,000 feet is totally irrelevant!
Not necessarily true. From 25,000 feet, it could dive down onto a V--1 Buzz Bomb at nearly 600 mph and catch it easily at 2,000 to 3,000 feet, then climb back up very quickly after dispatching the V-1. The XP-72 and the P-72 production models had and were to have respectively compressibility recovery flaps to help slow the aircraft in a dive to prevent it from diving into the ground due to compressibility.
The USAAF/USAF made a big mistake not keeping the P-47N around in large enough numbers. It would have wreaked absolute havoc as a ground attack aircraft during the Korean War, it could have taken some significant ground fire while continuing to operate, and its long range would have allowed for greater loiter time, as well. Roads not traveled and all that, though.
@@kirkmooneyham Yes, I completely agree with you. The P-47N's ability to loiter for extended periods of time and its whithering firepower would have made it a deadly ground attack plane in Korea. Its tank busting ability was already legendary. The USAF screwed up retiring it when they did. The Republic F-84 Thunderjet certainly could not absorb near the damage a Thunderbolt could, yet someone in the military hierarchy must have thought the Thunderbolt was a dinosaur and that jets were the wave of the future.
And I remember reading that the P-72 abandoned the turbocharger of the P-47 and replaced by that external supercharger was that the 28 cylinder Wasp Major at war emergency power, a single turbocharger large enough to handle the sheer volume of exhaust gas generated didn't exist. The B-50 (which was a improved B-29) which used that Wasp Major engine had to have 2 external turbochargers units per engine.
Just subscribed. Great history to discover. Thank you!
Wow somebody giving respect to the Thunderbolt! That is a nice change of pace. With this video you earned my subscription. Thanks Ed!!👍
You need to go to the Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles channel -- he has very detailed 6 or 7 chapter series on the P-47. Probably close to 6 hours of video.
@@tjh44961 I have watched most of that series and it is very, very good. But you have to admit in most videos the only time the Thunderbolt is mentioned is to point out it's short comings and how the Mustang fixed all that was wrong with the air war in Europe. Don't get me wrong the Mustang was a great aircraft but it's shortcomings are often ignored.
@@timbrake3404 It was said by "Jug" pilots that "If you want to get a girl, fly a P-51 but if you want to get home alive fly a P-47". All of the top 10 Jug aces survived the war. What other fighter can you say that about?
I saw a P-47 N model, yes an N model fighting alongside the good ones in Guatemala, 1954. A real beauty of a beauty. Unforgettable. After the badies ran to seek exile in foreign embassies and the goodies became victorious, I went to look at it on the ground. It was just as beautiful. We named it SULFATO
This Channel is just superlative ! Awesome content and narration ! Kick ass commentary Ed Nash ! (that's a positive thing Ed, from us here in America )
Kick Ass means you rock, are awesome, or otherwise are making us twinge with your latest winge !
Thanks, I needed this.
More than welcome ;)
New sub and you're boss my mate, love your narration especially on 1.25x and you hit the spot with your research too. Best wishes.
Superbolt? Ultrabolt? Never heard of them ... 'till now! Great channel!
When I was a kid growing up in the 60s in Florida there was an FBO at the Vero Beach airport where my dad kept his plane. In the hanger was a P-47 that was undergoing restoration. I spent a lot of time walking around and under this monster of a fighter. One day my dad piled me into the car and we drove out to the airport and the plane was sitting on the tarmac. I remember when they started it, I could feel the thrum of the exhaust in my chest. After a bit the pilot taxied it out and took off. He was given permission and flew back around and did a high speed pass over the runway and then just zoomed up into the clouds and was gone. My dad said the plane was going to Texas to become part of the CAF.... Amazing airplane.
Another excellent post, Ed, I’d never heard of this aeroplane.
Wow! So many iterations of this plane.
Love all your videos, especially the one with the Mk46/47 seafire. We can melt down rocks and shape them into some so beautiful...and lethal🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
excellent presentation
Bravo Ed!
Fine point about the XP-72 Ultrabolt: The 28 cylinder Pratt&Whitney R-4360's front and rear power-section mounting faces were identical. That allowed the planned pusher-propeller system for the B-36 Bomber to be implemented easily. It would also allow for P-38 style Left and Right Hand turning engines if desired.
The XP-72 was NOT turbosupercharged. Instead a giant auxiliary supercharger was mounted in the aft fuselage and it was driven by a shaft and variable speed coupling off the 4360's sturdy rear mounting face. It didn't have the big long titanium exhaust pipes running from engine to turbo. Instead the engine got shorty "ejector" stacks that made a small amount of thrust and helped pull cooling air through the engine cowling.
Small but interesting difference, I think.
Where the exhaust pipes on the P-47 titanium?
@@danraymond1253 They were a mix of Inconel, Titanium Nimonic 80 and stainless steel from all 18 (BIG!) exhaust ports to the turbo inlet. That shit all glowed red hot at econo cruise and bright yellow at maximum except takeoff (METO power). Interesting they cooled down to dull red when the water injection was in use.
The first flying American ramjet prototypes were small scale versions of what would eventually power Talos missiles. The initial five were made out of P-47 titanium turbo inlet pipes by the Marquardt Aircraft Company in '47-'48.
@@patrickshaw8595 I didn't know they were anything too special. Thanks for the info!
Nice one, Ed. I never knew about this one. But the idea that they could put *anything* into service in 1944 without drop tanks was fantasy. And this also illustrates how quickly things were moving towards jets (I think the F-84 was already on the drawing boards by then.)
Agreed. Notable that the pics of the P-47M all seem to have tanks.
The P 80 was in service in Italy in 1945.
Ed you should do a video on Drop Tank development. Most people dont realise that these things were made out of a type of cardboard/paper mix! great video!
Great vid!
thanks for this knowledge.. i had no Idea
My absolute favorite airplane. Love at first sight. No idea why but this airplane started my love of all WW2 aircraft. The P-47 always seems to be overlooked. She was huge and more times that not got her pilots home.
Good Video/Info.
I feel like the XP-72 needs it's own video next, it was such an interesting and amazing aircraft and while Greg's Automobiles and Airplanes did a WONDERFUL job on it it was in the middle of a 1h lecture style video on "SuperProps" in general that I think many wouldn't be able to handle.
Ahhh the XP72, a P47 that grew up snorting lines of protein powder laced with cocaine, what's not to love
Fantastic airplane! Great and informative video.
Fascinating stuff!
the P47 is my favorite aircraft of all time! thank you for this vid! earned a new sub here!
Hopefully you'll enjoy the video I am working on currently then :)
Good job. Thanks
Fans of the Jug should check out Greg's airplanes deep dive on the aircraft👍🏻👍🏻
NOTE: The XP-47J was lightened by about 450kg, not 300! Thanks to @enstamud for pointing that out.
I'm a big Corsair fan, but I'm really digging the re-look at WW2 history and people finally giving the P-47 its long-overdue credit
Nice. Insane performance.
There were quite a few aircraft which had basically the same top speed because the limiting factor was the propeller. The Hawker Sea Fury was a contender.
The point is the Hawker Sea Fury came into service two years AFTER the war.
@@joostprins3381 point is heading not limited to WW2 fighters, so late war and post war aircraft count the XP47 was a prototype not a production model.
Well Done Sir.
The XP-47J was first flown on November 26, 1943, and on August 4, 1944, it became the first piston-engined fighter to exceed 500 mph, with a speed of 504 mph, making it the fastest Thunderbolt variant.
love the video
Love it thanks
A theme as the war went on - lighten, simplify and increase power to increase climb rate and manoeuvrability: as per the Sea Fury from the Tempest and the Bearcat from(ish) the Wildcat.
Outstanding video essay on the experimental Jugs!! As an aviation history buff, I'm a big fan of the P-47 and all of its versions. My favorite still being the first "Razorback" B models that entered the European theater. Outstanding pilots like Johnson, Gabresky, and Zemke flew them against the Luftwaffe at their prime. The whole fuselage of the P-47 is like one big lung for that R2800 to breath. The turbo charger and intercooler are actually mounted behind the pilot. You see the intercooler exit vents on the sides. I've never seen a turbo charger that big in my life. At the Palm Springs Air Museum they have a Jug's fuselage ducting out for display complete with turbo, intercooler, waste gates, and return ducting.. Amazing engineering in that plane.
A few years ago at Fairchild AFB I met a retired USAF BG
He flew both the P 47 and P 51 in combat
His view, except for range the 47 was the superior AC
In Dec. 43 the P 47 was capable of the the escort radius as the P 51.
@@wilsonwhite6387
It is/was my understanding when the P 51 hit Europe it became the escort choice over the P 47.?
@@mikemarthaller8789 It was a politico choice.
@@wilsonwhite6387
History is often two totally different WARS from foxholes side by side
And YES, Most history, wars, has and is based on political, Economic, Religious factors.
Followed up by "History is written, or now "Interneted" by victors or fraudsters.
As a youngster. 1940's I was assigned a paper on "Custers last stand" I began to question historys accuracy after finding 5 different versions in my school library.
I again mention the RETIRED BG who had flown both in combat
He preferred the P 47 and did comment on "Fuel" ??
Prototype Jog? Super cool🤩👍
Had contra rotating prop tech been perfected fast enough, the P47J may have flown a bit faster than it did. What a marvelous aircraft and the lower cowl with the modified nose made for a very good looking aircraft.
The German Dornier DO-335 never saw combat... but in April of 1945 an "Arrow" out ran a flight of Hawker Tempests (top speed, 432 mph)... pilots of the Tempests said it was impossible to catch the Dornier.
DO-335 top speed... 474mph.
If you are interested in the P47 . Lots of details in the P47 series by Greg's Airplanes
Great video!
This is the best thing I ever saw.
Excellent.
The P47 is a beautiful plane and one of my all-time favorites.
Never EVER beautiful but a great fighter. P47 was like your fat wife...she did everything so you loved her anyhow.
Great write up , I remember the first time I learned of this combat aircraft , jaw hit the floor , this aircraft sums up everything that the Allies represented during WWII. Violence of action , overwhelming combat power , complete and resolute dedication to Victory . Bottom line , We came with the shit , just as good as They gave , meant nothing , We did our worst . When the Forces of Good are just , Evil will Never Prevail .
I was litteraly stopped next to the old Republic Evansville plant 25 minutes ago on St. George Rd. That cuts across the old fitting out/retrofit yard waiting at the light to turn on to highway 41. 🤣
P47 was the beginning of NASCAR. Or rather where the crew chiefs who got drafted out of the moonshining got aircraft training and were introduced to the turbo-supercharger. They already knew timing advance vs octane. If you flew a P47 and the home folks sent you a can of Simonize and you had a crew chief from Charlotte NC or Rocky Mount VA you had the fastest bucket of bolts in the air. Many believable tales from pilots who clocked 500+ in level flight. Mostly because the crew chiefs advanced the ignition timing and wired waste gate shut. Can't recall if it was P&W or Farmington, stuck a prop on a R2800, stuck it on a test stand, and ran it at 3500HP for 10 days. Yes they wanted to see how long it would run before it blew up. New plugs and an oil change every 10 hours, at the end it never broke, it was totally worn out. Added that to say, and living where there are still moonshiners.....I believe the 500mph tales. PS Waxed wings added 20kts to P51. PPS If anyone has worked on something that flew at Reno (RIP), I always guesstimated R2800 hp as hp= rpms.
lets go people, need this channel to have like 800k subs so we can work Ed to death with a billion vidoes! Love this channel
Hornet this and 334 that plus that spitispitfire! Holy they are all damn fast! Gotta love the Hornet though..
Great history 👍
the D0 335 series were very fast too there arent enough records left after WWII but the standard Do.335's were able to get to 474 Mph which is similar to Sea Fury and P-47-M. I assume there were versions of the Do.335 that topped 500 mph but who knows what happened to these and they were certainly not "front line" aircraft with just a handful built
We sadly lost our last living p47 after it crashed into the Hudson River a few years ago. That was the last republic Fairchild built P47 on Long Island. Used to watch that plane perform all the time come Memorial Day.
Some of the P47 squadrons decided to improve the performance of a percentage of there fighters.
Reducing the armament to just four guns and removing much of the armour, they were, I believe unofficially called Superbolts.
They were used in combat, mainly to confuse the Luftwaffe FW190 pilots.
Don't remember the book mentioned any kills.
I always believed the XP-72 and Supermarine Spitful was faster; and the Hawker Tempest VI was no slouch either. Then there also is the Do-335.
Even japans Ki-83 heavy fighter did pretty well in speed.
F4U-4 Corsair during the pacific also pretty fast.
..Then, there was also the XP-38K Lightning, and the XP-63H Turbo-Compound Kingcobra..what might have been...
It would be interesting to see projects like the Supermarine P.391 and Hawker P.1030 get the Ed Nash treatment. I don't know how much information is out there though, since they never got off the drawing board.
That's always the problem. If I can find enough info and pics, even of concepts, I happily cover an aircraft. But if all that exists are a couple of sketches, doesnt seem worth it.
Now that’s a fast Jug. It never fails to amaze me when I go for a while without seeing the Jug on a documentary or in a picture. That thing is so big. It doesn’t get the credit it deserves compared with the Mustang and Spitfire. Now that’s from a novice perspective. I realise how important the P-47 was for the Allies now but when I first started studying WW2 as an addiction… I mean hobby oops I didn’t appreciate it enough. I thought it was fat and as RAF pilots supposedly said “was big enough the pilot could dodge bullets moving around the fuselage” something like that. Now I know if it hadn’t been around especially in early 1944 before D-day a lot of Luftwaffe planes would have been around to cause problems (over 500 kills in just early 44 I think). Anyway thanks for another informative video.
Could you please do a video on the P-47N?
It's = it is. The possessive of it is its. No apostrophe. Ever.
Thanks. No one seems to care about grammar or spelling anymore.
TY🙏🙏
Later, the Republic introduced a turbojet fighter related to the P-47 lineage called Thunderjet. At first they try replace the piston engine with turbojet inside the P-47 fuselage, but the prototype didn't reach the subsonic speed, so they ended up altering the the aerodynamics which would become Thunderjet. The ultimate evolution of the Thunderjet was the F-105 Thunderchief which is capable of reaching Mach 2.0 in a level flight.
Another excellent video Ed.
I always thought the Hawker Sea Fury was the fastest single engine prop aircraft built? Could be wrong though?
The Fury and the hornet and spitful/spitfire 25 were extremely fast . These and the thunderbolt/superbly did not fight in the war. Many Furys ,and Hornets were built and served actively for years . The P47 M and N were in production and were very fast .
That title goes to the P51 Mustang " Voodoo" @ 531.5 MPH.
I remember a famous test pilot saying that both the P38 & the P47 had compressibility issues in high altitude dives, limiting their speed to Mach 0.7. This limited their ability to combat the BF109 & FW190 that didn’t have compressibility issues till Mach 0.75. This was finally resolved with the Merlin engined Mustang that didn’t have this issue till it hit Mach 0.78. Hence the postwar decision to limit the P47 to Air National Guard, while the Mustang was kept by the airforce, & thus was used in Korea..
Many people believe the Bell X-1 was the first manned aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in 1947. It was not. A P-47 with a Republic test pilot was the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in 1942. Observers on the ground heard the sonic boom.
1. The Bell X-1 exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. The P-47 exceeded the speed of sound in a near-vertical dive from high altitude.
2. Chuck Yeager deliberately exceeded the speed of sound in the X-1. The Republic test pilot unintentionally exceeded the speed of sound in a P-47 because compressibility froze the controls so he was not able to recover until denser air slowed the P-47 at low altitude.
3. The Bell X-1 Chuck Yeager exceeded the speed of sound in flew subsequent flights. The P-47 the test pilot exceed the speed of sound in was permanently grounded with wrinkled skin, elongated rivet holes, and other structural damage.
The Bell X-1 was the first manned aircraft to exceed the speed of sound IN LEVEL FLIGHT but a P-47 was the first manned aircraft to exceed the speed of sound.
@@oscargrouch7962 It must've been a specially modified P47. Because in this video, the famous naval & Farnborough test pilot, Eric Winkle Brown (flew some 500 different planes & over 2000 carrier landings) is adamant that the P47 (& the P38) met the wall in high altitude dives at 0.7 Mach due to compressibility issues, there-by losing control; & was personally thanked by Doolittle, for working this problem out. & gave that as one of the main reasons the Merlin Mustang took over escort duties:-
czcams.com/video/32_BliefkGw/video.html
@@mickvonbornemann3824 Read my comment again. I mentioned compressibility in my comment.
It was a stock P-47. The reason it exceeded the speed of sound was because compressibility would not allow the test pilot to recover from the near vertical dive until it slowed from drag in the denser air at low altitude. It was too fast for the test pilot to bail out and he barely recovered from the dive before impacting the ground. Heck, that test pilot may have been the test pilot who learned that P-47s reached compressibility at Mach 0.82.
@@oscargrouch7962 Hey sorry, I must've been reading too fast or reading in auto pilot mode without thinking. You make a good point though. A planes compressibility limit doesn't mean it can't break that limit, it just means the pilot loses the ability to maneuver the control surfaces till the plane hopefully slows down. Good point.
Here You have that Eric Wrinkle Brown was completely wrong, and why : czcams.com/video/7jeV3wuML2s/video.html
Good stuff mate
A question for you: why does the P-47M get so much more attention than the N series? The N was arguably more significant (certainly more of them were built) and was more capable, with greater range & more powerful loadout. Its speed was a couple of mph slower, but the difference was within manufacturing tolerance of the M.
given that the aircraft could not repeat its speed over 485mph, and the fact the engine failed after only 10hrs due to apparently being pushed beyond its limits to break 500mph, the 505mph speed does NOT COUNT.
What a beast
Republic: "So how big and powerful do you want the P-47 to be?"
USAAF: "Yes."
the Jug nickname came from its similarity to the silhouette of a milk jug on its side; backhanded endearments being common to military vehicles. the Brits misunderstood it to be an abbreviation of the Juggernaut, but that's understandable given that the plane had proven to be the very definition.
505 mph. Shucks, my grandmother lived 225 miles from me. In this plane I could have flown there, had lunch and fly back home in an hour.