Republic P-47
Before the arrival of the Merlin-engined P-51C and P-51D the US Air Force’s main escort fighter was the P-47. The P-47 was an impressive fighter in anyone’s language and had terrific firepower but it was lacking in range and could only escort the bombers as far as, roughly, the Dutch border before returning to base. After that the bombers were on their own.
With the lead-up to, and after D-Day and the advance into France and The Low Countries, you really did not want to be on the receiving end of one of these aircraft when they dropped down to, literally, ground level for a spot of tank or ‘train-busting’!
This aircraft was shot during one of my annual visits to the Northern Californian Antique Aircraft Association’s air displays at Watsonville.
