P47 thunderbolt at war by cory graff, paperback barnes. Robert samuel johnson february 21, 1920 december 27, 1998 was a fighter pilot with the. The charlie brown and franz stigler incident occurred on 20 december 1943, when, after a successful bomb run on bremen, 2nd lt charles charlie browns b17 flying fortress named ye olde pub was severely damaged by german fighters. F over came many hard learned lessons and over come them to win victory in the air over germanys best. Check six a thunderbolt pilots war across the pacific by jim curran. Johnson survived an awful beating one day in june, 1943, when a luftwaffe pilot shot up his helpless but very rugged p47 thunderbolt if that german pilot ever knew whom he hadnt killed, he surely lived to regret it. The pilots in the 4th fighter group started referring derisively to their new birds as seven.
The fighterbomber boys, which is an excellent book. Based on the small p43 lancer, which saw limited service in the u. Just as seeing the aircraft was exciting for the veteran, gen. It was only his third mission in world war ii, and the young man from utah was still feeling the.
It was the p 47, along with the longer range lockheed p 38 lightning, that gained air superiority for the allies in the skies over western europe. A p 47 is tops in a dive, however, so my speed when the three of us hit the deck was sufficient to assure my catching them. P47 thunderbolt of the free french air force to be recovered. Those were the years this airplane, the p 47 thunderbolt, was to be my main weapon of destruction. This web site is dedicated to preserving some of the personal history of world war 2. An important fact to consider when the p 47 was designed from the outset as an interceptor. The organization was formed after republic aircraft, who built the p 47s, hosted a reunion for 873 pilots in may, 1961 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first thunderbolt flight in may, 1941. Clayton kelly gross is a man with many stories to tell about his aerial battles during world war ii. The p47s, p40s and p39s werent even in the same ball park. Those were the years this airplane, the p47 thunderbolt, was to be my main weapon of destruction. In the pacific, a flier describes how a fellow p47 pilot hauled his jug into a tight turn to. I brought some of his pictures and log book, everybody wants to see the log book, said peggy. When auriol recovered, she earned a helicopter rating, and in 1950, she became the first woman pilot admitted to frances military flight test centre. On a base open day with the flightline full of civilians dad took me, aged about twelve, through a crowd of envious kids, up into the guts of a b47 and we taxied to the end of the runway and back in order to.
Browns stories surrounding his training and combat experiences in world war ii reveal brushes with death, continuous peril and. Wwii pilots story of courage and survival captured in book. Join the fighterbomber boys as they terrorize the crack german ground troops and battlewise panzer divisions. Very long range p51 mustang missions to japan taxed pilots. A piece of her fathers p47 plane dangles on her key chain, a memento from their trips back to france. May 28, 2016 a selection of the most viewed stories this week on the monitors website. In the first six months of 1945, the p 47 dropped an average of 541 tons of bombs daily. The p47 thunderbolt pilots association was made up of people who flew the airplane prior to 1956, when it was taken out of air force service. On a base open day with the flightline full of civilians dad took me, aged about twelve, through a crowd of envious kids, up into the guts of a b 47 and we taxied to the end of the runway and back in order to. During one of his missions someone fucked up the formation and ended up dropping bombs above his aircraft. Aanenson april 21, 1921 december 28, 2008 was a world war ii veteran fighter pilot and former captain of the 391st fighter squadron, 366th fighter group, 9th air force, army air forces. Republic p47 thunderbolt singleseat, singleengine fighter. Her flying magazine columns are legendary, and this book finds lunken in fine form too. Apr 20, 2015 the p47 had an excellent kill rate vs german fighters and all the top p47 aces survived the war a testament to the ruggedness of the airplane.
Army air corps before 1941, republic was hoping to develop an improved version of the fighter. A number of 56th pilots became aces flying the p47. When a b47 pilot got rid of a nuclear bomb near savannah. The 2nd edition was a 544 page blue hardcover in honor of the 397th fighter squadron jabo angels published in 2008. Flying the republic p 47 thunderbolt, johnson is credited with 28 enemy kills, and was the first pilot in the european theater to surpass eddie rickenbackers world war i tally of 26 enemy planes destroyed. A story of james curran and the men that he flew with in a squadron of p47 thunder. I totally misspoke here when i said 23,000rpm, that was supposed to be 23k feet. He flew the p47 thunderbolt in the normandy dday invasion and. Each of the 9000 prisoners there had a horror story to tell.
Some of my own experiences that do not appear in my film, a fighter pilots story, will be told here, as well as stories of other fighter pilots of world war 2. Strangely for a b47 observer he was the ranking member of his crew along with ac major dean derrick and copilot cpt grady kitchens. He was a member of the 318th fighter squadron, 325th fighter group of the 15th air force in north africa and italy. Jun 12, 2019 amazingly, the republic p 47 thunderbolt weighed more than a fullyloaded dornier do 17 bomber. An important fact to consider when the p47 was designed from the outset as an interceptor. The rugged republic p47 thunderbolt fighter played a vital ground support. While diving, i checked over the ship carefully, finding everything in order so i thought. Johnson as told by martin caidin is an incredible one and martin caidins style of writing just draws you in until you feel like you are there.
On my left near the ground an fw190 was being chased by a p 47. The mustang became known as an escort fighter, while the thunderbolt took more of a role as a fighterbomber. I bought this book to learn about the p 47 pilots role in the south pacific. It was a factual recitation of his experiences from before his enlistment through training and then missionbymission as a wingman on bombing and strafing runs near the end of the war. Johnson, one of the leading fighter pilot aces of the u. The p47n was the last variant of the famed p47 thunderbolt to ever be produced. Clifford hill, a former resident of englewood, who now lives in venice, fla, flew a p47 thunderbolt and later a p 51 mustang fighter plane in europe during world war ii. It could be said that the arrival of the p51 in europe did not relegate the p47 to ground attack, rather it freed it from escort duty, and gave the usaaf the ability to use the p47 where it was. This is the story of young american boys, at the beginning of world war ii, that. The republic p 47 thunderbolt was a world war iiera fighter aircraft produced by the united states from 1941 through 1945. Whether you are a warbird enthusiast or not, you are sure to be riveted by author and former fighterbomber boy tom glenns thrilling tale. Strangely for a b 47 observer he was the ranking member of his crew along with ac major dean derrick and co pilot cpt grady kitchens. Johnson survived an awful beating one day in june, 1943, when a luftwaffe pilot shot up his helpless but very rugged p47 thunderbolt. Stories of the 357th bud andersons p51 mustang old.
Auriol broke cochrans record, set in a p51 mustang, by flying a vampire jet at 508 mph. We hope you will find this site to be of interest, and that you will share it with your friends. By the summer of 1945, four fighter groups were operating from three airfields on iwo jima. Colin is a boldmethod cofounder, pilot and graphic artist. The 1st edition printing was a 541 page trade paperback published in 2006, if youre lucky you might find one on ebay or amazon. When a b47 pilot got rid of a nuclear bomb near savannah, georgia february 11, 2014 bjorn broten military aviation, military history 4 the story of another nuclear weapon unacccounted for in the. The other plane crashed in the area but the pilot was able to bail out and taken prisoner. When the news of his arrival reached berlin, hitler retired to his bunker with his cyanide capsule and revolver. Historic photographs art books journalsp 47 pilots of the. The d model could run 70 inches at 23,000 feet at the turbos max speed of 18,250rpm. The boy had all the noble tastes and qualities, love of beauty, soaring imagination, a brilliant endowment of good looks.
For two years he was a multiengine instructor before training for combat in the p38 and p47. On my left near the ground an fw190 was being chased by a p47. Finally a book to fill in a critical missing gap in the history of airwar, that of the p 47 pilots down and dirty and tragic story of the strafing and bombing of the. Memoirs of a fighter pilot this first person account of aspirations, training, and action of a p 47 figher pilot in the eto carries the reader with him into the challenges, fears, and triumphs of battle.
Got it again recently and loved every minute of reading it. A business trip to a tropical island turns erotic nightmare. The young pilot was due for rotation after completing his tour flying the hump. An ace of aces, robert johnson shares the challenges, the disappointments, the excitement of aerial combat for young men during wwii. Jun 23, 2019 robert friend, a decorated fighter pilot who flew 142 combat missions with the fabled tuskegee airmen during world war ii, then became an expert on missile systems and directed project blue book. I remember someone in the group getting airborne in 1700 with.
Johnson first saw a thunderbolt, it was love at first sight. A p47 is tops in a dive, however, so my speed when the three of us hit the deck was sufficient to assure my catching them. John abbotts p47 transition followed at pocatello, idaho and greenville, texas after which he was assigned to the 56th fighter group in england. Flying the republic p47 thunderbolt, johnson is credited with 28 enemy kills, and was the first pilot in the european theater to surpass eddie rickenbackers world war i tally of 26 enemy planes destroyed. Sparing the reader the usual pilots pretense, he shares his story in a direct, true way which is often wrenching and emotional. Republic p47 thunderbolt was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in ww2 history to be powered by a single piston engine. P47 pilots the fighterbomber boys and millions of other books are available. It was his last return flight to burma, but there was no other pilot available, so he decided to fly it solo, he was so anxious to get. It is the autobiography of an ace, and no common ace either. Be the first to ask a question about a pilots story. A pilot who made a fortune in oil, choreographed and flew aerial scenes in the 1969 movie battle of britain, and amassed a mindblowing cache of vintage warbirds that he tucked away for decades on his texas ranch has one last north american p51d mustang to sell, and dont bother trying to haggle.
Heroic ace pilot reunites with his p51 after 65 years. Experiencing the horror of being shot from the sky was the universal prelude, the rite of passage if you will, to our incarceration by verne woods. Some of my own experiences that do not appear in my film, a fighter pilot s story, will be told here, as well as stories of other fighter pilots of world war 2. Air force photo it was a beautiful specimen of the great thunderbolt fighter, almost factoryfresh in the pacific sunshine, resplendent with an allyellow tail assembly including fin and elevators, and a. It was controversial, intimidating, and set countless records in wwii. None of these books have the swagger that some memoirs have, which to me makes them feel more authentic. Antoine allards p47 thunderbolt crashed straight into a hill just outside the small village of haft, close to ottersweier. Carlisle and the p47 pilots were in for a treat as well. Your source for information about hampton roads authors, fiction and nonfiction work, literary events, bestsellers and more.
This combat veteran thunderbolt is p47d 4227609, and we will be filing periodic progress reports on her. How to fly the p47 high altitude flight and aerobatics 1943 duration. With each gift you choose we will include a wonderful aviation themed card in your name with your message and we can drop ship your gift. P47 thunderbolt usaaf ww2 fighter world war photos. Charlie brown and franz stigler incident wikipedia. Thunderbolt the extraordinary story of a world war ii ace.
Oct 11, 2018 the d model could run 70 inches at 23,000 feet at the turbos max speed of 18,250rpm. Johnson collaborated with aviation author martin caidin to write his autobiographical story of the 56th fighter group, thunderbolt. Her pilot fantasy upgraded to 1st class with 2x rewards. This book cought my eye, because i have a very good friend who was a p47 pilot in ww2. But perhaps, in other ways, it has helped purge some of the devastating memories that have haunted me for almost 50 years. Brown tries to fake to his flight instructor that he has flown before. The men who killed the luftwaffe audiobook by jay a. The p47 thunderbolt and the p51 mustang fought sidebyside with the allies in world war ii. Oleson says the highest average victory credit per american ace pilot in wwii goes to the spitfire, surprisingly. A selection of the most viewed stories this week on the monitors website. Republic p47 thunderbolt the seven ton milk jug, ww2. The remarkable story of a downed p 47 pilot and the french family that took him in. P47d thunderbolt, 57th fighter group, 64th fs, alto, corsica, 1944.
Check out these 17 little known facts about the p 38 lightning. When fully loaded, the p47 weighed up to eight tons, making it one of the heaviest fighters. For its features pilot and combat resistance to damage the machine was liked and appreciated by pilots. Texas flying legends razorback p47d a history warbirds news. Larry attended ten p 47 pilot reunions with his father and interviewed over 100 pilots. This thunderbolt was entered in the 1947 and 1948 bendix air races. Amazingly, the republic p47 thunderbolt weighed more than a fullyloaded dornier do 17 bomber. How to fly the p 47 pilot familiarization 1943 duration. Meantime, please visit his site, a fighter pilots story.
Ponte vedra man who flew p47s in ww ii talks about new book at. On their marathon sorties from iwo, american fighter pilots were able to roam freely over the main japanese island of honshu, rarely challenged in any serious way by. I enjoyed this book, written from the authors wartime notes as a p 47 pilot in italy. In this extraordinary book, author glenn takes us inside the cockpit of his p47 during his combat missions in world war ii. This book is one reason the p47d thunderbolt is my favorite wwii aircraft, even over the venerable mustang and corsairs. Written by a retired military and airline pilot, also rv8 builder and owner, the flying life is composed of diverse pilot related stories. Vintage p47 aircraft crashes in hudson river, pilot. The men who killed the luftwaffe a very informative book on the history of the air war in ww2.
On his twentyfirst birthday, brown is on his way home after logging eightyfive missions in a p 47 fighter over italy, france, and germany. Birtciel, who flew 72 combat missions in p38s and 49 in p51s, said that near the end of training in the at9, the usual practice was to give a student pilot a piggyback ride in a p38 with a second seat, and then check him out in the rp322, a version of the fighter with simpler systems. The p 47 was the second most popular fighter in the pacific theater, and it was the thunderbolt that came to personify the fighterbomber, a concept that still dominates the united states air force. All but the jugnosed p47 flew with an allison engine. P47 thunderbolt at war includes personal war stories of fighterplane combat in europe, the mediterranean, and the pacific. Republic p 47 thunderbolt was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in ww2 history to be powered by a single piston engine. An emotional and eyeopening view of the horrors of world war ii, as lived and told by wwii american fighter pilot, quentin aanenson. The p47b was a giant with a 2,000 horsepower engine.
P47 thunderbolt pilots association p47 thunderbolt wwii. The p47 became the first usaaf aircraft to provide an understanding of. Pilots and their p47c thunderbolts lined up at an airfield in america date unknown. It shows some of the bombing flights that he went on and firefights and even has a couple of tourist tours that he flew. The organization was formed after republic aircraft, who built the p47s, hosted a reunion for 873 pilots in may, 1961 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first thunderbolt flight in may, 1941. Buy p47 thunderbolt at war at war at war 1 by cory graff isbn. Curdes, the pilot of a p51 mustang dubbed bad angel, was awarded the distinguished flying cross for shooting down an american c47 that his girlfriend happened to be aboard. Conceived by georgianborn aircraft designer alexander kartveli, the plane that would eventually become the p47 was originally intended to be a featherweight interceptor. This was later turned into a documentary video, a fighter pilots story, which. The kirk and young book great weapons of world war ii. Check out these 17 little known facts about the p38 lightning.
Subscribe to get the latest videos, articles, and quizzes that make you a smarter, safer pilot. Texas flying legends p47d 4227609 as she looked prior to her recovery from papua new guinea. Martha lunken has flown a lot of interesting airplanes, and has the stories to prove it. Jan 24, 2012 republic p 47 thunderbolt the seven ton milk jug it better dive, because it sure as hell cant climb. P47 pilots provides a valuable and muchneeded account of the important role played by tactical air forces. Larry attended ten p47 pilot reunions with his father and interviewed over 100 pilots. On pilotstories you can read all about flying, the aviation system and planespotting. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new. Growing up in auburn, california, white learned to fly in the civilian pilot training program. As it usually goes with fighter pilots, his last radio transmission only included the dreadful words.
She shares triumphant stories of dc3 flights and humbling stories of flying mistakes, but more than anything she finds the human stories in aviation. Luftwaffe pilot franz stigler had the opportunity to shoot down the crippled bomber but did not do so. Jan 27, 2008 how to fly the p 47 high altitude flight and aerobatics 1943 duration. Popular p 47 thunderbolt books meet your next favorite book. Jack pitts was a world war ii fighter pilot, flying 90 combat missions over europe in his beloved p47 thunderbolt, which he describes as a lovely, deadly machine of destruction. He joined the army air force before world war ii and earned his wings in may 1942. At the time hargrove was hit, the group was located directly above the town of somma lombardo, near the river ticino, in an area of cultivated fields and woods. Mike spencer describes his life during world war ii when he was a p47 pilot in. The republic p47 thunderbolt was a world war iiera fighter aircraft produced by the united states from 1941 through 1945.
They even divided the job of kicking axis ass between them by the end of the war. Bob johnson would go on to score 27 aerial victories in his. Here are some wonderful sculptures, models, books and videos all of which make perfect gifts for your favorite pilot. A p47 in wwii italy and the pilots story finally told. It has been a traumatic experience for me to go back through all this. The p47 pilot in the ken burns documentary has made his. Memoirs of a wwii p47 pilot kenneth lane glemby, norman auslander on.
Her pilots often referred to her amazing agility with great remembrance in spite of her size which makes the weight factor that much more unbelievable. This is the story of young american boys, at the beginning of world war ii, that came from every part of the country to aviation cadet centers in the major cities of the u. Republic p47 thunderbolt the seven ton milk jug it better dive, because it sure as hell cant climb. The fighterbomber boys tells the story of these daring mend and the plane they came to love like no other. The remarkable story of a downed p47 pilot and the french. Live with a squadron of these glory hungry air warriors who dive into battle at 500 mph with their bombs, and fight at treetop level with their machine guns. Gross has so many stories about his time flying a p 51 mustang that he even wrote a book about them. Lonnie moseley was 23 years old when he took off in his p 47 thunderbolt on the morning of july 4, 1944. He would tell me stories about his adventures in the thud, which is.
He said he could see bombs flying past to his left and right. P47 thunderbolts at the battle of the bulge warfare history network. Writing the book gave him the chance to put all his stories from his days as a. He listened to many war stories and incidents, and will share some of those adventures, including discussions with a pilot who flew 5 missions over the omaha beach on dday, and with a pilot who saw the flash over hiroshima. Vintage p47 aircraft crashes in hudson river, pilot killed. It is interesting to see how simple and geometric the shape of the apache mustang is when compared to its counterparts. Stalag luft 1 stories world war ii prisoner of war camp. Thunderbolt the extraordinary story of a world war ii. Now after 65 years this heroic pilot is reunited with the plane that changed his life. Glenn speaks with the indelible authority of one who has been in the middle of events he boldly describes.