At the risk of seeming to overly harp on the virtues of the P-47 Thunderbolt- I just found this video, that described the astonishing power of this plane:
People mention that the P51 shot down more planes. True.
However- if you add the amount of GROUND ATTACK destruction by Jugs to its flying combat victories- I feel pretty sure, that the sheer quantity of destroyed enemy men and material, is unmatched by any other fighter craft in WWII. They probably destroyed more of just ground and water vehicles, than many other relatively common fighter types destroyed of EVERY type of vehicle, combined.
And- as the video emphasizes- they Jug was probably the ONLY Allied fighter that actually induced automatic involuntary physical and psychological stress reactions to German personnel- not just pilots, but ground troops as well- just from HEARING the thunderous noise of these planes approaching. The amount of FEAR induced by the Thunderbolts, is literally awesome, by even the most strict interpretation of that word. Not just by the performance and sound of the plane, either- but just by the realization by the Germans, that there was ABSOLUTELY WAY they, no matter what they did, that the Germans could counter the SHEER NUMBERS of Thunderbolts and pilots that the American military complex just kept CHURNING OUT, throughout the last few years of WWII- at a rate that the Germans couldn't even begin to match. The demoralizing effect of destroying an entire airfield worth of Thunerbolts- and having them replaced by BRAND NEW ones, lock stock and barrel, a week or two later- that had to be hard to digest, if you were a German airman or military officer, seeing that happen...
Regards,
Gordon.
www.militaryaviationmuseum.org
