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Affectionately nicknamed “Jug,” the P-47 was one of the most famous AAF fighter planes of World War II. Although originally conceived as a lightweight interceptor, the P-47 developed as a heavyweight fighter and made its first flight on May 6, 1941. The first production model was delivered to the AAF in March 1942, and in April 1943 the Thunderbolt flew its first combat mission — a sweep over Western Europe.
Used as both a high-altitude escort fighter and a low-level fighter-bomber, the P-47 quickly gained a reputation for ruggedness. Its sturdy construction and air-cooled radial engine enabled the Thunderbolt to absorb severe battle damage and keep flying. During WWII, the P-47 served in almost every active war theater and in the forces of several Allied nations. By the end of WWII, more than 15,600 Thunderbolts had been built.
As told by James S. Corum in his book Okinawa 1945, when the 19th Fighter Squadron arrived on Okinawa, it was equipped with an amazing new model of the P-47 fighter.
The P-47N model was especially designed for the Pacific theater, where long range was essential. The N-model had thick, squared wings that allowed for large fuel tanks. The P-47N was a heavy aircraft – more than eight tons when loaded. But its Pratt and Whitney R2800 engine produced over 2,000hp and, despite the weight, gave the aircraft a top speed of 467mph and allowed it to easily carry a ton of bombs or rockets.
It was the ultimate in fighter design in 1945.
On May 25, 1945, the US Army Air Corps, 19th Fighter Squadron, based on Ie Shima, was flying a strike mission to Kyushu when it ran into heavy rainstorms. The squadron aborted the mission, dropping their bombloads in the Pacific and turned around to return to base.
The poor weather was also ideal for a kamikaze attack, with heavy clouds and intermittent rain squalls providing the right conditions for kamikazes to slip through American defenses. That day also happened to be one of the major Japanese mass “wave” attacks against the US fleet.
First Lt Richard Anderson of New York and his wingman Second Lt Donald Kennedy of San Antonio, Texas, became separated from their squadron. Through a break in the clouds, they spotted a formation of approximately 30 Zero kamikazes headed for the US fleet at 2,000ft. Reporting their position, the two Army pilots flying their P-47N aircraft then dove at the Japanese formation approaching the bomb-laden Zeros from the rear.
The minimally-trained kamikazes did not even notice the threat from the two Americans until a few had been shot down. The P-47N was armed with eight .50cal machine guns and carried 3,400 rounds, as compared to 2,400 rounds for the Navy Hellcat or Marine Corsair fighters. It could literally hose the lightly built Zeros with bullets. Of his own combat, Anderson reported that “the first four were easy since I was on their tail… I got the fifth on a deflection shot as he was turning. When I pressed the trigger on the sixth in my sights, I found I had only one bullet left and he got away.”
Meanwhile, Lt Kennedy dropped three Zeros into the sea. Soon, the rest of the 19th Squadron appeared and destroyed the rest of the kamikaze formation. The 19th Squadron was credited with 34 Japanese aircraft destroyed that day, with no losses to themselves.
Lt Anderson was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for becoming an “ace in a day” for downing five enemy aircraft. These were Anderson’s only aerial victories of the war, indeed, his only air-to-air combat. By June, Japanese air operations dropped dramatically and, for the next two and a half months, Anderson continued to fly strike missions against Japanese targets on Kyushu.
Okinawa 1945 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force and misawa own work via Wikipedia
