P-47D (Germany)

This page is about the fighter P-47D (Germany). For other versions, see P-47 (Family).

▀P-47D

▀P-47D

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	4.3	3.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Description

The ▀P-47D Thunderbolt is a premium gift rank III German fighter with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB/SB) and 4.3 (RB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27. Since Germany never captured any bubble-canopy variants of the P-47, this aircraft was removed from sale for historical reasons during Update "New Power". It was replaced by the more historically accurate "razorback" P-47D-16-RE (Germany).

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 9 144 m700 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	675	655	12200	26.2	27.2	7.3	7.3	600
Upgraded	729	700		23.8	25.0	15.2	10.6

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	+	-
0	450	498	469	320	~13	~5

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 402	< 420	< 470	> 335

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear450 km/h

• 9.5 mm steel behind pilot
• 9.5 mm steel underneath the windshield
• 38 mm bulletproof glass in front of pilot
• 2 self-sealing fuel tanks (1 below pilot, 1 in front of pilot)

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB792

RB4 626

SB1 795

Crew training10 000

Experts67 000

Aces400

Research Aces570 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 60 / 190 / 270 %

2 × 136 / 136 / 136 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Airframe Compressor Wings repair Engine Cover Engine injection		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 (Germany) is armed with:

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

Usage in battles

Realistic Battles

As with the other P-47s in-game, the most recommended strategy for this aircraft is using Boom & Zoom tactics. Using this strategy, you may need to side climb in order to get into a viable position, given that Allied aircraft will usually be at a higher altitude than you. It is highly recommended to not try and turn with the aircraft you are trailing, as you will quickly lose energy and become vulnerable. Instead, after your first pass, you can initiate a relatively steep climb. This will allow you to once again take the altitude advantage over the enemy and give you further opportunities for 'BnZ'ing. When climbing back up, however, it is adviseable to pay attention to what aircraft may be around. You may become a free kill for anyone in the vicinity if you are not aware of what is around.

Ground Battles

The German P-47D does not feature any payload options, so using it in the CAS (Close Air Support) role may not be as effective versus other P-47 variants.

Simulator / EC

In Simulator / Enduring Confrontation, many bulkier planes that struggle in AB & RB shine, including the German P-47D. This aircraft can be a great learning platform for new EC players. In Sim, the P-47D has a stable control handling, all-round unobstructed vision and fast speed. However, as mentioned above, this German P-47D has no suspended armaments, limiting its use to bomber intercepting, traditional BnZ fighting and light ground attack.

Due to this aircraft being a captured P-47D, some enemy Allied players may mistake this for an Allied P-47 and ignore it. Pilots flying the German P-47D can use this advantage to get very close before launching a suprise attack. It is important to note that the German P-47D has a very distinctive evaluation camouflage with a bright yellow tail and underbelly, intended to warn Axis anti-aircraft gunners to not shoot down captured aircraft during test flights. This paint serves its purpose and may prevent friendly Axis units from shooting you down. This is a double-edged sword however, as the bright yellow color will also easily alert vigilant Allied pilots and anti-aircraft vehicles to what side the aircraft is on.

Attacking Bombers

It is recommended to 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 an easy target for the bomber's gunners. It is inadviseable to follow closely behind a bomber unless you are sure that its tail gunners are knocked out. The large radial engine of the P-47D, located in the front of the aircraft, will usually get damaged if taking defensive fire from a bomber.

A strategy used to combat bombers is to first 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. Using this strategy, the best position for an attack is behind and above which allows you to adjust the lead much easier. Diving at the bomber, but not directly at it, you can try to predict where you two will clash and aim at that point (deflection shooting). Aiming for wings and engines will maximise damage, as the fuselage usually can soak up high volumes of bullets without suffering critical damage. When the bomber passes in front of your guns, it is time to fire. This short window might seem inadequate to do anything, but the eight 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns on the German P-47D are actually quite destructive, as sometimes it only takes one bullet to set the target aflame.

Attacking Fighters

When used for dogfighting other fighters, because most aerial battles in Sim occurs below 3,000 m, the P-47D can easily climb to this altitude and gather up lots of speed before engaging a battle. These tactics are similar to the RB tactics outlined above. If you find yourself being chased and don't know how to do any defensive manoeuvres, you can pull a large, smooth turn towards the nearest friendly airfield to avoid bleeding too much speed. A shallow-dive towards your airfield can force the enemies to follow within range of the ground-based anti-aircraft guns. The German P-47D can quite easily outrun slower opponents like the I-16 or IL-2 series, but might struggle to outrun faster aircraft like the P-38 series or other P-47s. A way to disengage a fighter is to do a sudden split-S to dodge under the pursuer. Most Sim pilots will try to follow where you went, if they did not immediately lose track of you. After completing this maneuver, you can then run for your airfield or shallow climb for another attack.

Attacking Ground Targets

For ground attack, you can dive at a shallow angle to approach the target, trying to get as close as possible but avoiding crashing into the ground. The eight machine guns can quickly destroy trucks, AA guns and artillery pieces as they have decent penetration against unarmored targets and have plenty of ammo. However, it is inadviseable to attack targets featuring heavier than very light armor. One important thing to note is that since the German P-47D will face Allied vehicles in Simulator modes, there is a high likelihood that enemy tanks will be equipped with the 12.7 mm M2HB, the ground-based version of your machine guns. As pilots will know, these are equally dangerous when used against the P-47D as it can easily punch through the front of the aircraft and can light important modules on fire.

Enemies worth noting:

• Me 264 (mixed battle): This German bomber will usually fly at very high altitudes above the battlefield, leaving it out of reach of most fighters. If fighters do manage to get close, the Me 264 is armed with large calibre machine guns and cannons all over it. Tailing an Me 264 is essentially suicide unless all of their gunners are knocked out. The most recommended strategy is to head-on the Me 264 if you can, as you can easily knock out the pilots due to its glazed nose while having the least risk of counterattack. Another vulnerable spot is in front and below as this bomber lacks a ventral turret on its belly. However, if you find youself below and behind, you may be torn apart by the downwards facing rear 20 mm cannon near the tail. One of the most recommended strategies to attack the Me 264 is using the bomber attacking strategy outlined above. It is inadviseable to attempt to attack this aircraft if you have no altitude advantage.

• P-61C-1, A-26: Twin engine aircraft can be a big threat since their relative lack of manoeuvrability is minimised in Sim gamemodes. They are usually armed with heavy guns & cannons in the nose, so an accurate burst from them will tear any plane apart, including the P-47D. The P-47D manoeuvres rather sluggishly and you might get out-turned from even those heavy fighters. It is recommended to engage them with either an altitude or speed advantage to avoid being targeted. If they are not manoeuvring aggressively, you can aim for their wings or engines. If the fight is intense and you cannot aim accurately, you can fire bursts towards them and you will likely hit something because of their large surface area.
• P-47: Proficient Thunderbolt pilots will have a very good understanding of how to use a P-47 and how to counter a P-47. In many cases, their P-47 variant will be equal to or even exceed your German P-47D's capabilities with some variants like the P-47N-15 or Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE being especially dangerous. It is recommended to try to take Allied P-47s by suprise, staying away from their guns. If encountering an early "razorback" cockpit P-47 like the P-47D-22-RE, then it is notable that they will have reduced rearward visibility and may not detect you if you are behind and below them.

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 at diving and Boom & Zoom tactics
• Impressive speed, good engine performance above 6,000 m
• Very rugged construction which can absorb significant damage
• Impressive firepower of 8 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns with
• Large ammunition pool
• P-47 airframe may trick enemy Allied pilots and ground vehicles into ignoring this aircraft in Simulator modes

Cons:

• Poor overall manoeuvrability at low speeds
• Big target, larger than average fighters
• No suspended armament for ground attack
• American P-47 airframe may trick friendly Axis pilots and ground vehicles into shooting down this aircraft in Simulator modes
• Bright yellow color can help enemy units to easily spot the aircraft from above and below

History

Archive of the in-game description

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was an American fighter-bomber of the WWII era. It was one of the main USAAF fighters of WWII, especially effective as a fighter-bomber. The P-47 was also sent to the USSR, Britain, France and China via the lend-lease program. The official designation of the P-47, like that of many other Republic aircraft, is related to the word "thunder". However, the P-47's unmatched dimensions and weight led to the P-47 being nicknamed the Jug. The most mass-produced variant of the P-47 was the P-47D series with a teardrop bubble canopy. The variant was in development as early as 1941 with the first order for 850 P-47Ds placed in late 1941. Many more Thunderbolts would be built during the war, making it the most mass-produced US fighter of WWII by 1945. Germany would capture at least two "razorback" cockpit P-47s during the war, the most famous of these being P-47D-2-RA "Beetle", flown by 2nd Lt. William E. Roach. Faced with engine trouble during a bomber escort mission, 2nd Lt. Roach performed an emergency landing at a German airfield. His aircraft was captured, repainted and tested by Germany's Zirkus Rosarius test squadron. No bubble-canopy P-47Ds were ever captured or used by Germany during WWII.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the P-47D (Germany) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

See also

Other aircraft of the same series

• P-47D-16-RE (Germany) (historical)

• P-47 (Family)
  • P-47D-25

External links

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_P-47_Thunderbolt#In_German_service