Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: Löwe on December 07, 2002, 11:04:12 AM
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I know some P-47s were shipped to Russia, around 200 of them I think. Does anyone know if they were ever used against the Germans or possibly the Japanese?
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but........
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DA COMRADE LOWESKI! :D
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Did they put bars on that bubbletop canopy?
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lol, I am pulling your leg, it was painted in 1949 for the movie "Berlin Airlift". P-47D 82nd Fighter Group
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Well my picture is the real thing.
So far only one black-and-white picture has been widely seen of a Razor-back P-47D in Soviet marking. The photograph depicts the first P-47 Thunderbolt to be delivered to USSR (a P-47D-10-RE, 42-75202) and was taken during the evaluation at NII VVS (Research Institute) during the Summer of 1944. The inscription on the port/left side of the airplane, "SOVEREIGN SENATORS", and right under it "K. of P.", refers to the sponsoring organization Sovereign Senators, Lodge No. 463 Knights of Pythias (K.of P.). This is an extremely patriotic American organization that probably did not think its donation would end up in "Russia" (Soviet Union)!
Here is some info on the use of the P-47 by the Russians:
OPERATIONAL USE:
The Thunderbolts were used at the end of the war in the Northern and Baltic fleets.
There were some 203 P-47D Thunderbolts allocated to the Soviet Union, both the "Razor-Back" as well as the "Bubble-Top" models. It is said that 8 never reached the final destination, or were rejected due to various manufacturing defects, losses of whole planes or parts during shipping, etc. Regardless, the VVS received some 195 Jugs (about 50% were Razor-backs, and 50% Bubble-tops).
Details of the Thunderbolt's operations are unknown, except for the already mentioned operations in the Northern/Baltic sector. The Aircraft went to the naval air forces, known units included:
* 2 GIAP of the Northern Fleet
* 255 IAP of the Northern Fleet. They tested the Juggs 1n autumn using Soviet 250 and 500 kg bombs, but results were not encouraging. 255 IAP had 63 Thunderbolts in its records on July 1st, 1945
* 15 ORAP of the Baltic Fleet had 5 P-47's on January 1st, 1945
* Additionally, the Black Sea Fleet, the Naval Aviation School "Stalin", Zhukovskiy AF Engineering Academy in Moscow and Mozhaiskiy AF Engineering Academy in Leningrad are also known to have used Thunderbolts.
The following were the original 203 aircraft allocated for the Soviet Union:
* 3x P-47D-10-RE serials 42-75201 to 42-75203 (Razor-back)
* 100x P-47D-22-RE serials 42-2553975201 to 42-25638 (Razor-back)
* 50x P-47D-27-RE serials 42-27015 to 42-27064 (Bubble-top)
* 50x P-47D-27-RE serials 42-27115 to 42-27164 (Bubble-top)
The first three P-47's arrived in the USSR through Alaska/Siberia route, four through Atlantic convoys and the remainder through the Persian corridor.
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the apendix of "swastica in the gunsight" autobio of soviet GPW ace Igor Kaberov says 195 P-47 were sent to the soviet union...here are some
(http://www.hotel.wineasy.se/ipms/photos/ibes_p47_06.jpg)
haha just kidding, those are Chilean
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hmm, didnt the USSR had their own planes like the Yak and Il-2 etc?
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Soviet test-pilots said that P-47 is useless as a fighter, and handles like a bomber.
P-47s were used in naval aviation as top-mast bombers, for skip-bombings. I don't know if they were ever used in combat.
BTW, the whole regiment at Baltic fleet was armed by captured Fw-190Ds.
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Funny...the USAAF had real good results with them as Fighters. Even better results as Fighter/Bombers.
... as it were Dar Commissar. :D
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yeah, but if you're thinking about 8th AF successes with P-47, remember most of those battles started at 30k+ where the jug was well matched against the LW planes. Contrast this with the Ostfront were battles were much lower altitude. There the "Tandyerbolty" would frankly get eaten up, especially when flown by inferior commie pilots.
(yes, the italicized text is joke ;) :D )