In 1943 the Eighth Air Force was in a deadly quandary. The US Air Force had no fighter aircraft at the time that could escort the B-17 Bomber formations all the way to targets over Germany and back. As a result, B-17 Bomber groups took horrendous losses as they crossed into Germany without fighter support that had the fuel range to protect them! These losses of B-17’s were unsupportable and something needed to be done fast!

The P-40 Warhawk could only dogfight at 15,000 feet and below. The British Spitfire lacked the range though it was an even match for the German ME-109. Therefore, the B-17 Flying Fortress could be harassed from over France and all by itself without escorts once over Germany! A fighter was hurriedly shipped to the European theater launching from bases in the British Isles. It was the P-47 Thunderbolt. Although it did not have the range of later fighters like the P-38 Lightning or the P-51 Mustang to fly more than 2,100 miles it did have devastating firepower and a rugged frame that not only protected the pilot but ensured that he got home no matter had badly shot up his aircraft could get!

In the Pacific Theater against the Japanese, the P-47 sent fear into Mitsubishi Zero pilots who came against them! Legendary aviator, Charles Lindbergh taught young US cadets and beginner pilots how to best utilize the P-47 even flying low over the sea to escape radar detection. The Thunderbolt proved to be a mighty tool for clearing the skies over the Pacific of the Imperial Japanese Air Force.

So, who was the “Flying Pig” and who named it that? When German fighter formations awaiting B-17 Bomb Groups first spotted the huge lumbering American Thunderbolts climbing to meet them in the skies they scoffed at the unusually large fighter that was as big as many medium bombers. They had no idea until the mid-air shooting began! Until a better super charger was developed for the “Jug” as American pilots affectionately called it, the P-47’s had to struggle to climb into the higher and thinner atmosphere beyond 28,000 feet to dogfight with the fast and maneuverable ME-109’s and Focke Wolf 190’s. At first the German pilots called them “Flying Pigs” until they began seeing their own comrades being shot to pieces by the wing to wing 50 caliber machine guns of the P-47’s that either tore German aircraft in half or disintegrated them altogether! Soon the Luftwaffe aviators not only respected the big American fighter but feared it!

Tails of experienced German aces literally running out of cannon and machine gun shells trying to bring down a Thunderbolt sent shockwaves through the Luftwaffe as the P-47 Thunderbolt was now known as the “Flying Tank” and “Monster” by the Japanese Imperial aviators who were forced to tangle with the huge American combat plane. Just as the boom and zoom tactics that Claire Chenault had taught his P-40 Flying Tiger pilots to use against their Imperial Japanese enemies, over Europe the P-47 did not get into turning contests with the nimbler Messerschmidt ME-109’s but instead used their superior speed and diving capability to dictate the terms of a dogfight and began sending flaming wreckage of the German fighters and the pilots plunging to the earth! Soon, Germany was being denied the service of some of its brightest and veteran aces lost to the hellish firepower of the P-47 Thunderbolt they had once referred to as the “Flying Pig”.

Pilots' affection for the P-47 stemmed from several distinct advantages:

• Unmatched Survivability: The massive air-cooled Pratt & Whitney radial engine could take a severe beating from enemy fire and keep running, a huge advantage over liquid-cooled engines. The roomy, well-armored cockpit often protected pilots from being shot down by ground fire. 

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• Devastating Firearm Punch: It was armed with eight .50 caliber machine guns, providing incredible firepower that was devastating in both aerial dogfights and ground strafing missions. 

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• Superior Dive Speed: Because the aircraft was so heavy, it could accelerate to blistering, unmatched speeds in a dive—allowing pilots to use highly effective "boom-and-zoom" tactics against the enemy. 

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• Hefty Payload: As the war progressed, pilots found the "Jug" to be an elite fighter-bomber. It could carry a massive payload of bombs and rockets to destroy enemy infrastructure. 

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• High-Altitude Performance: Pilots appreciated its turbo-supercharger, which allowed the aircraft to perform exceptionally well at high altitudes while escorting bombers

Only the ingenuity of American aircraft designers, engineers, and the great industrial capacity of America finally defeated the mighty air forces of Germany and Japan.