The pugnacious lines of this stocky fighter show its strength and ruggedness. The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was first deployed as a long-range escort fighter, protecting the massed fleets of B-17 and B-24 bombers attacking targets in Europe.
As the war progressed, P-47s were increasingly used for ground-attack and by the end of the war they had accounted for 6,000 tanks, 9,000 locomotives, 86,000 rail wagons and 68,000 trucks.
