Perhaps the most significant fighter aircraft of World War II, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was the largest and most powerful single-engine fighter of the war, and with over fifteen thousand P-47s built, its production numbers topped any other American fighter. P-47 Thunderbolt at War traces the history of the P-47, including the pioneering efforts of Alexander de Seversky and Alexander Kartveli, who designed the prototype; the features that played into the P-47s combat performance; and its wartime construction and testing.
The rugged Thunderbolts flew in combat across Europe, Africa, and the Pacific--as fighter, escort, and fighter bomber. They are brought to life through numerous photographs, many in full color, and through personal war stories from the men who flew them. Affectionately known as "Jugs," P-47s may not have been the most agile fighters, but they could take a pounding and get back home--an attribute worthy of any pilots affection. P-47 Thunderbolt at War includes personal war stories of fighter-plane combat in Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific; tales of the aircrafts postwar adventures in China, Algeria, and South America in the 1950s; and a number of Republic P-47 Thunderbolt specifications charts and diagrams.
Unmatched in its durability, the P-47 Thunderbolt is the largest and heaviest single-engine aircraft ever built. This book describes its role as a fighter, escort, typical mission activist, and wartime construction, with a look at the factories, methods, people, involved.
Cybermodeler Online, December 2007
“In the latest installment from Zenith Books' ‘At War’ series, author Cory Graff has compiled a nice concise history of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt in World War Two. While there are quite a few books that deal with the subject matter, few offer a balanced look at the aircraft from its pre-war development through its post-war service and still provide an interesting perspective to its development and operations through the war in all theaters of operations.
"The author provides operational highlights from Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific. The title is also well-illustrated with a good mixture of period color photographs, a few contemporary color photographs, and numerous black and whites from combat photographers. Some of the photos have appeared in other titles, but there are some nice shots in this book that I haven't seen available previously. There are some nice color shots of Thunderbolts operated by the Mexican and Brazilian Air Forces as part of Allied operations in Europe.
“This is a well-written book that will provide a unique look into some operational history and some interesting statistics of this historic symbol of American air power during World War Two. This title is highly recommended!”
