P-47D-16-RE (Germany)

▀P-47D-16-RE

▀P-47D-16-RE

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	3.7	3.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Purchase:1 600

Description

The ▀P-47D-16-RE Thunderbolt is a premium rank III German fighter with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "New Power", replacing the P-47D (Germany).

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 9 144 m692 km/h

Turn time25 s

Max altitude12 200 m

EnginePratt & Whitney R-2800-63

TypeRadial

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight10 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 9,144 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	666	649	12200	26.2	27.2	6.5	6.5	400
Upgraded	719	692		23.8	25.0	13.7	9.7

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
885	450	498	469	320	~13	~5

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 400	< 420	< 470	> 335

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural885 km/h

Gear450 km/h

The pilot and fuel tanks have decent armour protection from the front, but the engine is vulnerable from the front. The pilot has no armour protection from the rear, leaving him vulnerable.

• 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Windshield
• 9.5 mm Steel - Below windshield
• 9.5 mm Steel - Behind engine, in front of fuel tanks and pilot
• Self-sealing fuel tanks (1 under pilot, in front of pilot's legs)

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB695

RB3 237

SB2 332

Crew training10 000

Experts165 000

Aces590

Research Aces710 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 70 / 200 / 350 %

2 × 148 / 148 / 148 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Airframe Compressor Wings repair Engine Cover Engine injection G-suit		bmg50_belt_pack bmg50_new_gun

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 18 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun

Ammunition3 400 rounds

Fire rate750 shots/min

The P-47D-16-RE (Germany) is armed with:

• 8 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (425 rpg = 3,400 total)

Usage in battles

As with the other P-47's in-game, this aircraft should be primarily played using Boom and Zoom tactics. You may need to side climb in order to get into a viable position, given that Allied aircraft will be at a higher altitude than you a good amount of the time. It is highly recommended to not try and turn with the aircraft you are tailing, as this is how you will quickly lose energy and become easy pickings. Instead, after your first pass, initiate a relatively steep climb. This will allow you to once again take the altitude advantage on the enemy, which will further give more opportunities for BnZing. When climbing back up, however, pay attention to what aircraft may be around. You are essentially a free kill for anyone in the vicinity if you are not aware of what is around.

This variant of the P-47 does not offer any payload options, so using it in a CAS (Close Air Support) role may not be as effective versus the other P-47 variants.

Simulator/EC

In Simulator/Enduring Confrontation, bulkier planes that suffer in AB & RB shine and that of course includes the P-47. Sitting at BR 3.7, the lowest BR for rank 3 EC, it can respawn infinitely which makes it a great learning platform for new EC players. In Sim, the P-47 has a stable control handling, all-round unobstructed vision and fast speed. However, as mentioned above, this German P-47 has no suspended armaments, limiting its use to bomber intercepting, traditional BnZ fighting and maybe ground pounding.

Be very careful when hunting bombers, since with the Sim control (whether it be mouse joystick or a real stick) the plane will manoeuvre much more gently, making itself a great target for the bomber's gunners. DO NOT follow behind a bomber's 6 unless you are sure that its tail gunners are unconscious. Chasing behind a bomber makes yourself pretty much stationary for the tail gunners, and you will be showered with bullets. The big radial engine of the P-47 will usually get damaged. Instead, before launching an attack, get an altitude advantage over the bomber by flying around 2 km above it. The bomber should only fill up about 1/6 of your gunsight. The best position for an attack is at the bomber's high 6 so you can adjust the lead much easier. Dive at the bomber, but not directly at it, try to predict where you two will crash by imagining yourself as a missile, that's where you should aim at (deflection shooting). To maximise the damage it is better to aim for their wings and engines, as the fuselage usually soaks up quite some bullets. Only fire when the bomber passes in front of your guns. This short window might seems inadequate to do anything, but the 8 MG on the P-47 are actually quite destructive, as sometimes it only takes one bullet to set the target aflame.

As for dogfighting, because almost all aerial battles in Sim occurs at below 3,000 m, the P-47 can easily climb to this altitude and gather up lots of speed before engaging a battle. The tactic is similar to the RB one above. If, unfortunately, you find yourself being chased at your 6 and you don't know how to do any defensive manoeuvres, do a large, smooth turn towards the nearest friendly airfield to avoid bleeding too much speed. Then shallow-dive towards your airfield. The P-47 can quite easily outrun opponents like the I-16 or IL-2, but might struggle to outrun F6F, P-38 or other P-47. Another way of disengaging is to do a sudden split-S to dodge under the chaser. Average Sim players will now try and see where you went, if not immediately losing track of you. You can then run for your airfield or shallow climb for another attack.

For ground pounding, dive at a shallow angle to approach the target, try to get as close as possible but avoid crashing into the ground. The 8 MGs are perfect for killing trucks, AA guns and artilleries as they have plenty of ammo. However, constantly watch your surrounding, especially your high 6 for any incoming enemies.

Enemies worth noting:

• Me 264 (mixed battle): This giant is one of the few bombers who get air spawns in Sim, so it usually flies higher than you think. On top of this, the Me 264 is armed with large calibre machine guns and cannons all over it, therefore tailing a 264 is basically suicide unless all of their gunners are knocked out. You can treat the 264 almost like a B-29 or B-17 as they are very similar in both design and defensive capabilities. It is best to head-on the 264 if you can as you can easily knock out the pilots due to its glazed nose while also taking minimal damage. However the bomber lacks a ventral turret on its belly, making it easy to deal damage from below, but be wary of the downwards facing rear 20 mm cannon near the tail. The safest way to attack is from a higher altitude, dive at an oblique angle and focus fire on the wings and nose. Never engage if you have no altitude advantage.

• Bf 110, Ki-45, A-26: As mentioned before, those twin engine aircraft are a big threat since their lack of manoeuvrability comparing to single engine fighters are minimised in Sim. They are usually armed with heavy guns & cannons in the nose, so an accurate burst will tear any plane apart, including the P-47. The P-47 manoeuvres rather sluggishly and you might get out-turned from even those heavy fighters, so engage them with either altitude or speed advantage to avoid being targeted. If they are not manoeuvring aggressively, aim for their wings or engines. If the fight is intense and you cannot smooth the aim, just burst anywhere as long as you hit them, the 12.7 mm bullets will damage their flight models quite a bit.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Controllable 1 gear	Auto controlled

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great bomber destroyer against a lone bomber
• Excellent high altitude performance
• If taken care of, can easily fly with one wing
• Muscle car with wings, excellent at Boom and Zoom tactics
• 8 M2 Browning machine guns are accurate at a longer range than most cannons at its BR
• High speed, even while stock
• Very durable which semi-compensates with its lacklustre turn rate
• Plenty of ammo
• Can easily escape enemies with its high speed for its rank

Cons:

• Frontal armour can easily be penetrated by 20 mm rounds
• Can easily snap a wing when even the slightest gunfire hits it
• Poor stall characteristics
• Mediocre climb performance (side climbing recommended)
• Slow and hard to manoeuvre at low altitudes
• Larger than average fighter
• Big engine easily hit during a head-on attack
• Worse cockpit visibility than in the other bubble canopy P-47s
• No armour protection for pilot from behind
• Unlike other P-47s, lacks the ability to carry payloads, limiting its usefulness in battles

History

There are a few instances of captured P-47's having been used by the Luftwaffe. On November 7, 1943 a P-47 piloted by U.S. 2nd Lt. William E. Roach made an emergency landing on a German airfield. The pilot was made prisoner and the Thunderbolt was given German markings T9+LK, presumably having been used for reconnaissance over England before D-Day. This plane was recaptured later by the Americans when they took the airfield it was based at. At least two other captured P-47's saw service under the Germans, being used for recon, testing and propaganda.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance