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Thunderbolt
Manufacturer :
Alexander Kartveli was a engineer with Seversky Aircraft who designed the P-35, which first flew in 1937. With Republic Aviation Kartveli supervised the development of the P-43 Lancer. Neither of these aircraft were produced in large numbers, and neither was quite successful. However, the Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt, also nicknamed the Jug, was quite a different story. The Jug was the jewel in Kartvelis design crown, and went on to become one of the most produced fighter aircraft of all time with 15,683 being manufactured. The P-47 was the largest and heaviest single seat fighter of WW II. The P-47 immediately demonstrated its excellent combat qualities, including speed, rate of climb, maneuverability, heavy fire power, and the ability to take a lot of punishment. With a wingspan of more than 40 feet and a weight of 19,400 pounds, this large aircraft was designed around the powerful 2000 HP Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine. The first P-47 prototype flew in May of 1941, and the primary variant the P-47D went into service in 1943 with units of the U.S. Armys Eighth Air Force. The Jug had a maximum speed in excess of 400 MPH, a service ceiling in excess of 42,000 feet, and was heavily armed with either six or eight heavy caliber machine guns. With its ability to carry up to a 2,500 pound bomb load, the Jug saw lots of use in ground attack roles. Until the introduction of the N model, the P-47 lacked the long range required for fighter escort missions which were most often relegated to P-51 Mustangs or P-38 Lightnings. In his outstanding painting entitled Bridge Busting Jugs, noted aviation artist Stan Stokes depicts Eighth Air Force Jugs in a ground attack mission in the Alps in June of 1944. The top P-47 ace was Francis Gabreski who had flown with the 56th Fighter Group, the first unit to be equipped with the P-47. In August of 1943 Gabreski attained his first aerial combat victory (over an Fw-190) and by years end he had reached ace status with 8 confirmed victories. As Commander of the 61st Squadron, Gabreski continued to chalk up victory after victory, and on seven different occasions he achieved two victories during the same mission. However, in July of 1944 Gabreski damaged the prop on his Jug during a low level attack on an airfield near Coblenz. Forced to make a crash landing, he was captured and remained a prisoner of war until Wars end in 1945. Following the War Gabreski returned to military service with the Air Forces 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing in Korea. Flying the F-86 Sabre Jet, Gabreski attained 6.5 more aerial victories in 1951 and 1952 becoming an ace in two different wars |
Thunderbolt
  Tribute to Robert S Johnson by Ivan Berryman. |   Tribute to Walker 'Bud' Mahurin by Ivan Berryman. |   Duxford Pair by Ivan Berryman. (PC) |   The Dash for the Beach by Ivan Berryman. (PC) |
Thunderbolt Artwork Collection |
 Thunderbolt on Duty by Richard Ward |   Duxford Pair by Ivan Berryman. |   Schweinfurt Thunderbolts by Jason Askew. (P) |
  Devastating Thunder by Brian Bateman. (P) |   Victory for White Two by Brian Bateman. |   Greek Victory by Brian Bateman. |
  Victory for Red Section by Brian Bateman. |   Clipped Signature - Hub Zemke. |   Clipped Signature - Wayne L Coleman. |
  Clipped Signature - Arthur Fiedler. |   Clipped Signature - Herky Green. |   Clipped Signature - Walker 'Bud' Mahurin. |
  Clipped Signature - Gabby Gabreski. |   Clipped Signature - Jim Goodson. |   Clipped Signature - Donald Strait. |
  Clipped Signature - Howard Park. |   Clipped Signature - Everett Jones. |   Clipped Signature - Ivan Hasek. |
  Clipped Signature - Ben Davis. |   Clipped Signature - Edward J Lopez. |   Clipped Signature - Herbert L Prevost. |
  Clipped Signature - Charles Lane. |   Clipped Signature - William Wheeler. |   Clipped Signature - Sir Bernard Chacksfield. |
  Zemke's First Fan by David Pentland. |   Return From Bremen by Simon Smith. |   The Wolfpack by Robert Taylor. |
 Bridge Busters by Anthony Saunders. |  Feeling the Wolves Bite by Brian Bateman. |   First Strike on Berlin by Nicolas Trudgian. |
  Thunderbolt Strike by Robert Taylor. |   Thunderbolts and Lightnings by Nicolas Trudgian. |  Days of Thunder by Richard Taylor. |
 Thunder in the East by Richard Taylor. |   Devastating Thunder by Brian Bateman. |   The Dash for the Beach by Ivan Berryman. |
  Hell Hawks Over Utah by Robert Taylor. |   Thunder in the Ardennes by Anthony Saunders. | Tribute to Walker 'Bud' Mahurin by Ivan Berryman. |
Tribute to Robert S Johnson by Ivan Berryman. |   Looking for Trouble by Keith Woodcock. |  P-47 Thunderbolt Aces of the Eighth Air Force. |
 Mustang and Thunderbolt Aces of the Pacific and CBI. |  P-47 Thunderbolt Aces of the Ninth and Fifteenth Air Forces. |   Outward Bound by Robert Taylor. |
  Zemkes Wolfpack by Robert Taylor. |   Eagle Strike by Simon Atack. |   Bridge Busting Jugs by Stan Stokes. |
 Jenkins Jerry Junkers by Stan Stokes. |   Herky's Big Day by Stan Stokes. |  Tigers at Rest by Stan Stokes. |
| Known Aces for this aircraft |
| Ace Name | Victories |
| James Harry "Ginger" Lacey | 28.00 |
| Francis S Gabreski | 28.00 |
| Robert S Johnson | 27.00 |
| Herschel H Green | 18.00 |
| Hubert Zemke | 17.75 |
| James A Goodson | 15.00 |
| Donald J Strait | 13.50 |
| Donald S Bryan | 13.33 |
| Kenneth A Jernstedt | 10.50 |
| George E Bostick | 9.00 |
| Arthur C Fiedler Jr | 8.00 |
| Paul P Douglas Jr | 8.00 |
| Urban L Drew | 6.00 |
| Wilbur R Scheible | 6.00 |
| James E Hill | 5.00 |
| Joseph Z Matte | 5.00 |
| Morton David Magoffin | 5.00 |
| Robert Merrill Barkey | 5.00 |
| Thunderbolt Squadron details |
325th Fighter Group Country : US | 325th Fighter Group |
356th Fighter Group Country : US | 356th Fighter Group |
4th Fighter Group Country : US Known Codes : , QP, WD, VF, | 4th Fighter Group The Eagles. Stationed at Debden. The Eagles. Stationed at Debden. |
| Thunderbolt Pilot and aircrew signature details |
  Major Robert M Barkey Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2008 | Major Robert M Barkey Robert Barkey was assigned to 'Checkertail Clan' (325th FG, 319th FS), after his initial training. Robert Barkey began flying P40s in Africa, and after changing to fly the P 47s in late 1943, was moved to Italy. Barkeys first victory on 22.02.1944, Downed 2 more 109s, both flown by aces of elite German JG 26, and another 109 on 24.05.44. Flying the history-making Russian shuttle in P 51 mustang, he became an Ace on 6 June 44 for one more Me 109, this time fying the P 51 mustang. Recalled in 1951 flying F 84s, retiring as Major in 1961. 53 combat missions in WWII. 5 confirmed victories, 1 probable. major Robert Barkey's decorations include: DFC, 13 Air Medals, and Presidential Unit Citation. Sadly, he passed away on 30th May 2008. |
  Lieutenant Colonel Charles E Beck Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2009 | Lieutenant Colonel Charles E Beck Charles Beck joined the service in November 1942, and after gaining his pilots wings, was posted to the 361st Fighter Squadron, 356th Fighter Group at Martlesham Heath in July 1944. He flew his first combat mission with the, in a P47, on 29th August 1944. He then flew Mustangs as the group converted over to P51s from the P47. He took part in the Groups big mission to Misbourg, Germany, on 26th November, when the Group scored 110 victories against a big Luftwaffe attack on the bomber stream. Charles finished his combat tour on 7th May 1945, the last day of the war. He returned home and continued his service, flying with the Van Nuys Air National Guard, flying P-51, F-86 Sabre and F-102 Delta Dagger aircraft. He was one of the first people to break the sound barrier, using an F-86 Sabre. He later served on active duty in the Korean War, and during the Vietnam conflict. He served for three years with the US Navy as a liaison officer on the F4U Corsair. Sadly, Charles Beck died on 25th March 2009. |
 Captain Richard Braley Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2006 | Captain Richard Braley Richard Braley joined the Royal Air Force as a volunteer in March, 1942. He flew Spitfires with 64 Squadron before being personally recruited by by General McColpin to join 133 Squadron - the third 'Eagle' squadron to be formed by the RAF. On September 12, 1942, the Eagle Squadrons were transferred to the USAAF and activated as the 4th Figher Group. Richard Braley was one of the squadron P-51 strafing experts - attacking and destroying numerous trains, a bridge and an electrical plant. He flew over 210 combat missions, first in Spitfires, then in P-47s and P-51s - including 3 missions as Flight Commander of 336 Squadron on D-Day. He died on 24th January 2006. |
  Captain Wayne L Coleman Our estimated value of this signature : £40 Died : 2018 | Captain Wayne L Coleman Joining the service in January 1943, Wayne Coleman was posted to the 82nd Squadron, 78th Fighter Group at Duxford, near Cambridge in July 1944. He flew the first of his 75 combat missions a few days later on August 2nd in P-47s, dive-bombing and strafing in support of the Normandy invasion before converting to P-51s at the end of the year. Wayne shot down three Fw190s in a single mission and later on 31st March 1945, an Me262 jet. He flew continuously until the end of the war. He died on 1st January 2018. |
  General Ben Davis Our estimated value of this signature : £65 Died : 2002 | General Ben Davis Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr was born in Washington, D.C. on December 18, 1912. A Westpointer, Ben Davis completed over 60 missions with both the 12th and 15th Air Forces. He flew P-40s, P-39s, P-47s and P-51s, all in combat. Davis himself led dozens of missions in P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs. He received the Silver Star for a strafing run into Austria and the Distinguished Flying Cross for a bomber-escort mission to Munich on June 9th, 1944. He saw action in North Africa and later in Sicily. After a brief spell commanding 332nd Fighter Group back in the U.S. he returned to the action to fly combat in Italy, remaining with the 15th Air Force until the end of the war. Davis served at the Pentagon and in overseas posts over the next two decades. He again saw combat in 1953 when he assumed command of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing (51 FIW) and flew an F-86 Sabre in Korea. He retired, highly decorated, a Lt. General. Davis was the first African-American general in the United States Air Force. Davis, was later advanced to four-star general, on December 9, 1998, by the President. Sadly General Ben Davis passed away on the 4th of July, 2002. |
  Colonel Arthur C Fiedler Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2016 | Colonel Arthur C Fiedler Arthur Charles Fiedler was born in Oak Park, Illinois on August 1, 1923. In April of 1942, five months after America entered WW 11, Fiedler enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was sent to Avon Park, Florida for primary training, followed by basic training at Macon, Georgia, and advanced training at Marianna, Florida. He graduated with Class 43G in July of 1943, and was assigned as a flight instructor, flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts at Dover, Delaware. In April of 1944 Second Lieutenant Feidler was assigned to combat duty, and was assigned to the 317th Fighter Squadron of the 325th Fighter Group (the 'Checkertails'), based in Lesina, Italy. He transitioned to the North American P-51 Mustang, naming his assigned aircraft after his wife 'Helen' whom he had married in 1943. On June 24, Fiedler claimed a probable. On June 28 he attained his first two aerial victories. At that morning's briefing Fiedler was elated to learn that his squadron's mission would be a fighter sweep over Polesti, Rumania, in advance of a bombing mission targeting the massive oil refining operations in that area.. When flying fighter escort for bombers the fighters were prohibited from flying below 15,000-feet. This gave the Germans a dog fighting advantage, as the early Allison-powered Mustangs were good performers at low altitudes but relatively poor performers at higher altitudes. Forty P-5 Is from the 325th 17G took off at 0725 hours for the fighter sweep. Sweeping the target area at 25,000-29,000 feet for about 45 minutes a total of 47 enemy aircraft were encountered. During this mission Fiedler would earn his first two victories. Fiedler became an ace on July 26 when he downed his fourth and fifth aircraft, a Fw- 190, south of Vienna, and a 109 several minutes later. Promoted to Captain, Fiedler attained his eighth and final victory on January 20, 1945 while escorting B-17s to Regerisbuurg. His flight of four P-51s broke-up an attacking force of 40 German fighters. Following the War Fiedler left the military and attended the University of Illinois, earning a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He was recalled for active duty during the Korean War, and decided to make a career in the Air Force. In addition to his 66 combat missions flown in WW 11, Fiedler would fly 247 combat missions in C-130s during the Vietnam War Col. Fiedler retired from the USAF in 1975, and currently resides in Southern California. His decorations include the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one OLC, the Air Medal with 22 OLCs, and the Partisan Star. He died on 11th May 2016. |
  Lieutenant Colonel Jim Goodson Our estimated value of this signature : £60 Died : 2014 | Lieutenant Colonel Jim Goodson Jim Goodson joined the RAF in 1940. Posted to re-form 133 Eagle Squadron RAF flying Spitfires, he transferred to the USAAF 4th fighter Group in September 1942, commanding 336 Squadron. Flying P47s and then P51s, Jim Goodson flew continuously until he was shot down ten months before the end of the war. He was one of the most highly decorated Aces in the USAAF, with 32 enemy aircraft to his credit. He died on 1st May 2014. |
  Major Herky Green Our estimated value of this signature : £65 Died : 2006 | Major Herky Green 'Herky' Green arrived in North Africa in January 1943 flying with the 325th Fighter Group. During his first action his P40 was so riddled with tracer that it had to be scrapped - but he still managed to shoot down one of his attackers. Flying from North Africa, and later Italy, 'Herky' flew P40s, P47s and P51s, scoring victories in all three types. In March 1944 he took command of the 317th Fighter Squadron, flew over 100 missions, ending the war with 18 air victories. Herky Green died 16th August 2006. |
1st Lieutenant Ivan Hasek Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2007 | 1st Lieutenant Ivan Hasek Ivan Hasek flew P47s in Europe with the 353rd FS - The Fighting Cobras, 354th Fighter Group, attached to the 9th Air Force, scoring his first victory - against an Fw190, on Boxing Bay 1944. Converting to P5 IDs in early 1945 his tally continued to mount, and he finished his tour an Ace with 5.5 victories. Ivan Hasek passed away in December 2007. |
  Colonel Morton Magoffin Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2007 | Colonel Morton Magoffin Morton Magoffin went to West Point in 1933 to be trained as a soldier, but preferred to be a flyer instead, graduating for the Service in 1937. Serving first with the 94th Pursuit Squadron, in April 1941 he was posted to jom the 15th Pursuit Group as Squadron Commander in Hawaii, and was present at the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Posted to Europe, Mort arrived in England in November 1943. Group Commander of the 362nd FG - the first P-47 Group m the 9th Air Force based at Wormingford. In addition to the regular search and destroy missions of the 9th, Mort took part in the early March escort missions to Berlin. On August 10, he was shot down and wounded by flak near Falaise, luckily being liberated from a Paris hospital by the Allies a few days later. Mort was an Ace with 5 victories in World War II. Sadly, he passed away on 9th July 2007. |
  Flt Lt Howard M Park Our estimated value of this signature : £45 | Flt Lt Howard M Park Having joined the service in 1942, Howard Park trained as a fighter pilot. Posted to Europe to join the 406th Fighter Group in April 1944, he flew over 140 combat missions with the 513th Fighter Squadron on rocket firing ground attack P47 Thunderbolts, Howard flew the P47 'Big Ass Bird'. On D-Day the 406th were the first Fighter Group in action over Utah Beach. Engaged heavily on attacking ground targets, Howard sank a German naval vessel in Brest harbour using air-to-ground rockets, but still managed to notch up victories over three Me109s in only five aerial encounters with the enemy. During the Battle of the Bulge, the 406th FG were the only 9th Air Force unit exclusively assigned to the defence of the beleaguered town of Bastogne, attacking the besieging German forces with devastating success. Howard flew P47s in combat through until the final days of the war in May 1945. |
  Colonel Steve Pisanos Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2016 | Colonel Steve Pisanos Born Nov. 10, 1919, in the Athens suburb of Kolonos, Spiros Nicholas 'Steve' Pisanos, the son of a subway motorman, arrived in America in April 1938 as a crew member on a Greek merchant tramp steamer. Arriving in Baltimore speaking no English, he worked in a bakery and hotels to earn money for flying lessons at Floyd Bennett Field. In August 1940, he settled in Plainfield, New Jersey, and continued flying lessons at Westfield Airport. He earned a private pilot's license and, though still a Greek national, in October 1941 he joined the British Royal Air Force sponsored by the Clayton Knight Committee in New York City. Pisanos began his military flight training at Polaris Flight Academy in Glendale. Upon graduation, Pilot Officer Pisanos was transferred to England where he completed RAF Officers Training School at Cosford, England, and OTU (Operational Training Unit) at Old Sarum Aerodrome in Salisbury. Pisanos was posted to the 268 Fighter Squadron at Snailwell Aerodrome in Newmarket flying P-51A's. He later transferred to the 71 Eagle Squadron, one of three Eagle squadrons in the RAF, comprised of just 244 American volunteers flying Spitfires at Debden RAF Aerodrome. When the USAAF 4th Fighter Group absorbed the American members of the Eagle Squadrons in September and October 1942, Pisanos was commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Flying his first mission in his P-47 'Miss Plainfield' out of Debden Aerodrome with the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, Lt. Pisanos, 'The Flying Greek,' scored his first shootdown on May 21, 1943, when he targeted a German FW-190 over Ghent, Belgium. By Jan. 1, 1944, he had become an ace with five confirmed downings. On March 5, 1944, he obtained his 10th shootdown and while returning from that B-17 escort mission to Limoges and Bordeaux, France, Pisanos experienced engine failure in his P-51B and crash-landed south of Le Havre. For six months he evaded the Germans and fought with the French Resistance and the American OSS, sabotaging the German war machine in occupied France. Lt. Pisanos returned to England on Sept. 2, 1944, following the liberation of Paris. Because of his exposure and knowledge of the French Resistance operations, Pisanos was prohibited from flying additional combat missions because the Air Force could not risk him being captured. Upon returning to the United States, Capt. Pisanos was assigned to the Flight Test Division at Wright Field, Ohio. He attended the USAF Test Pilot School and served as a test pilot at Wright Field and Muroc Lake, California, testing the YP-80 jet aircraft, America's first operational jet. During his Air Force career, Pisanos graduated from the University of Maryland, attended the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College. Pisanos also served tours of duty in Vietnam (1967-68) and with NORAD before retiring from the USAF with the rank of colonel in in December 1973. Colonel Steve Pisanos died on 6th June 2016. |
  Major General Donald Strait Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 2015 | Major General Donald Strait Don Strait was born on April 28th, 1918 and grew up in Verona, New Jersey. From an early age Don Strait wanted to be a pilot, and after working for Prudential Insurance Company for a short period Don Strait enlisted in 1940 in the 119th Observation Squadron of the New Jersey National Guard. Initially Don Strait was an armorer and moved up to become an aerial gunner in the two-seater O-46 and O-47 observation planes. He qualified as an aviation cadet in early 1942 and started his training at Maxwell Field, Alabama. After Basic and in January 1943 Strait received his wings and his commission. Don Strait got his ambition to become a fighter pilot, he began flying the P-47 Thunderbolt at Westover Field, MA. After checking out in the P-47 and completing transition training he was assigned to the 356th Fighter Group, then at Bradley Field, CT. By August, 1943 Don Strait had been promoted to Captain before being transferred to England. Captain Don Strait with the 356th Fighter Group went to Martlesham Heath in England flying first the P-47 Thunderbolt. Martlesham Heath was just five miles from the North Sea, which made it relatively easy to find when returning from a mission in bad weather. The 356th made its first combat sorties in October, 1943, with sweeps over Holland and northern France; sightings of Luftwaffe planes were quite rare, and the group took over a month to score its first aerial victory. Strait's first combat occurred on February 6th, 1944, when his flight bounced a pair of Fw190s while on an escort mission. He immediately attacked. The 190s split apart and he chased one down to the deck. He scored hits on it and the pilot bailed out - Strait's first kill. But he and his wingman had used too much fuel, and barely made it back to base. He shot down a couple more Bf109s while flying Thunderbolts on February 10th and May 19th. Having completed well over 200 combat hours, he was entitled to rotate home, but agreed to continue front-line flying, provided that he was given command of the 361st Fighter Squadron. He took a 30-day leave and returned to Europe in September, 1944. He and Captain George May, the intelligence officer, reviewed daily sightings and disposition of the Luftwaffe, which helped him plan and lead the squadron's missions. Don Strait took part in long range bomber escort and ground support missions, taking part in all the D-Day operations, before converting to P51s. The group flew their first Mustang mission on November 20, the same day that Strait assumed command of the 361st FS. In two combat tours he flew a total of 122 missions. He led the squadron again on November 26, 1944, when it flew an escort mission over the heavily defended Ruhr. After linking up with the B-17s just east of Holland, the pilots were advised of 40 bandits approaching from the south. As Strait's sixteen Mustangs arrived in the Osnabruck area, they spotted the 40 Bf109s at 25,000 feet. They dropped tanks and attacked. Then Strait spotted about another 150 German fighters at various altitudes, preparing to attack the bombers. 'We've got the whole damn Luftwaffe!' he radioed. He closed to within 350 yards of an enemy airplane and fired - it dived away smoking. Strait's wingman saw it crash. Strait soon bounced another 109, but it eluded him. He spotted a third and closed to within 300 yards, and exploded it (a shared kill with Lt. Shelby Jett). After this dogfighting, fuel began to be a concern, so they headed home. That day the 356th FG destroyed 23 enemy aircraft without losing a single American. After two more victories on December 5th, Strait found more air combat on Christmas Day. In action again against Bf109s, he had a nasty moment when his first victim left oil and engine coolant all over his windscreen. Skidding away, Strait almost rammed his foe. He continued shooting down German planes in 1945 - an Fw190 on Jan. 14th, another Fw190 on Feb 14th, and three Fiesler Storch light observation planes on Feb 20th. Don Strait commanded the 361st Fighter Squadron, and became the Group's leading fighter Ace with 13 and a half air victories, all but three of these flying the P51. After the war he rejoined the NJ Air National Guard. He later commanded the 108th Tactical Wing in Korea, where he flew the F86, F84, and F105 jet. Participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam. He retired from the Air Force in 1978 with the rank of Major General, and was inducted into the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame in 1989. Donald Strait died on 30th March 2015. |
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