Best WW II Fighter Of The European Theater

Best WW II Fighter Of The European Theater

- Corky Meyer

When I was asked to choose one of the great World War II fighters as “the best,” I thought, “What an ego trip!” To decide, I dug out my dusty flight-report files (which document my evaluations of WW II fighter types) and books in my aviation collection. I test-flew several versions of WW II fighters during the Joint Army/Navy Fighter Conference at NAS Patuxent in October 1944 and also fighters that had been passed between Navy and Air Corps contractors for test-pilot evaluations, from F4U Corsairs to P-38 Lightnings and even a Japanese A6M5 Zero. At the end of the day, however, the P-47 Thunderbolt was the standout.

The 15,683 P-47s produced by three major factories accounted for the largest aircraft production in U.S. fighter-plane history. Seversky’s and Republic’s prewar production lines of the similarly designed and constructed 463 P-35 and P-43 fighters significantly assisted the rapidity of the P-47’s production-rate buildup. Republic delivered one in 1941; 532 in 1942; 4,428 in 1943; 7,065 in 1944; and 3,657 in 1945—for a total of 15,683!

Compared with the FW 190, the Thunderbolt was faster above 15,000 feet, and its massive firepower (eight .50-caliber guns) soon began to make an impression on the Luftwaffe. With its 445-mile range, the Thunderbolt made high-altitude fighter-escort capability available for U.S. B-17 and B-24 daylight bombing raids. At the end of 1943, there were 10 P-47 Fighter Groups, and by June 1944, 17 were stationed in Britain. Also by the end of 1943, Thunderbolt crews used any remaining fighter-escort ammunition for low-altitude strafing runs. Their success led to the adaptation of the P-47 to its most successful role as an offensive fighter-bomber.