The P-47N is the final production version of the most produced piston engine fighter in US history.
Let’s take a look at a late War ‘Bolt.
The P-47N prototype first flew on June 22, 1944. We’re obviously talking about a late War type. It used the same “C Series” version of the R-2800 engine that was also used on the P-47M, in fact the “N” prototype was a just a further modification of one of the three “M” prototypes. The nature of that modification was an extension on each wing at the root, this was for a new 93 gallon tank on each side. The wing tips were cropped so rate of roll was not impacted; obviously this made for a whole different wing profile. Strengthened landing gear also a part of the new model, because the fully loaded weight was now over 21000 pounds (compare to a late-War Zero at under 6000 pounds). That’s a 20% increase from the “D” Model Thunderbolt, which was already the heaviest single, piston-engine fighter ever built.
Readers may recall may previous post on the P-47M, that version used its massive power for massive performance. The P-47N was all about range. It was intended for VLR (Very Long Range) escort missions in the Pacific. The Thunderbolt could continue to do much the same work as late-War Mustangs, and finally had comparable range — by carrying about twice the fuel.
This particular aircraft was assigned to the 318th Fighter Group. That Group spent most of the War attached to the 7th Air Force, which was headquartered in Hawaii. But individual groups were assigned to a variety of island outposts and spent the War flying local patrols and long range escort. In 1944 they were flying P-38 Lightnings. They pioneered very-long range; from the Marianas the 318th would routinely escort bombers to Truk or Iwo Jima, a 1500 mile round trip that meant 8 hours in the air.
In early 1945 they re-equipped with the P-47N and were moved to Okinawa/Ie Shima. To their surprise, they initially drew close support missions as the Okinawa Campaign was still in progress. But by summer of that year the Group was reassigned to the 20th Air Force and were tasked with escorting B-29s on the longest legs of their missions. On August 13, they flew 1700 miles from Ie Shima to Tokyo and back.
This is the Academy kit. Its an older kit now, from the start of the “modern” era of kit design (mid-1990s). Its also a simple kit, with sloppy fit in places. So it wasn’t hard, but its also not a favorite. If I had any other option for a 1/48 P-47N I would use it. I used Zots Decals for this very colorful Thunderbolt.
Plane Dave 
Awesome, my favorite version of the T-Bolt… love the markings you chose for the build, too! What a great addition to your P-47M. This is the version I believe would have made a significant impact in the opening year(s) of the war in Korea with much greater protection and insurance over the P-51s. Too bad the (N) Thunderbolts and spares/ parts numbers were just logistically too low to meet the in-theater demands for the CAS mission… Big round engines like the T-Bolt were perfect for that environment at that time. The U.S. Navy/ USMC Corsairs and Skyraiders, as well as Royal Navy Seafurys, speak volumes to that!
Thank you for sharing… it’s a great build and a very nice representation of an iconic Republic aircraft. I’d like to eventually add a couple of N-model Thunderbolts to my collection as well. I’d like to display one in post war, USAF/ Air Guard colors, and one in South American ‘Soccer War’ markings. Perhaps one day I can, though my collection is already rather large! OH, and, just for fun, throw in a dash-5 Corsair also in ‘Soccer War’ livery… I’ve always been fascinated by that era. As I’m sure you’re already aware, a lot of the current Warbirds we see and enjoy at airshows today once served south of the border.
*Note- I’m glad to see that the ultra-rare N model the CAF owns is (very slowly) being restored to flight worthy status after its unfortunate incident so many years ago, and the fire that almost completely destroyed it… I believe it will also represent the same group as your build, which is cool, though I personally am NOT a fan of the (nose-art) markings they chose for the aircraft.
I enjoyed reading and reviewing this post… Excellent!
Kevin
wow Kevin a lot there! Awesome comment.
Yeah I think it’s exactly right that the N should have been used in Korea. Obviously a number of important reasons why it wasn’t, but it would have been so much better for close support than the Mustang.
I’m thinking back to the ‘70s now, didn’t the CAF acquire like 7 “N”s in one big purchase? For a while, almost every Thunderbolt I saw flying was an N. Now I think the D is more common among Warbirds, even some razorbacks. It’s funny how even flying old aircraft goes through phases of what’s seen. But it’s funny to me how even though the difference is mostly just the wing, the N just looks more massive. Not that any Thunderbolt is exactly small…
AH, the aircraft you recall and reference were P-47Ds. I believe a CAF member, by the name of Dick Disney, located and obtained a P-47N in 1963. He flew it non-stop from Nicaragua to Texas, introducing a flyable “Jug” back into the states for the first time in years, or for sure the CAF collection. In September of 1969, another CAF member, Ed Jurist, located six P-47Ds in Peru, returning them all to the USA, in non-flyable condition, plus 50,000lbs of spare parts, aboard a ship identified as the S.S. Rosaldina. The P-47N was the first to fly with the early collection, being registered N47TB. The other T-bolts, the D-models, were all eventually restored and were are a part of the CAF collection for a few years. But eventually, the aircraft were sold off to new homes and added great significance to other museums/ collections over the years. I believe only the P-47N remained with the collection. Of the six D-models returned from Peru, to the USA, all but one or two still remain airworthy. I do believe one was a complete write off in an unfortunate accident.
All the best,
Kevin
I guess I saw the one plane fly a few times! Obviously you’ve done a lot of research on this.
My apologies, a correction on the name of the freighter that delivered the six D-models from Peru… a mispelling. The ship was the S.S. Rosalinda!
Kevin
OH, by the way, the CAF’s P-47N may not be a WWII combat veteran, but it did see plenty of action in service of Nicaragua.