P-47D (Germany)

▀P-47D

▀P-47D

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	4.3	3.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Show in game

This page is about the fighter P-47D (Germany). For other uses, see P-47 (Family).

Description

The ▀P-47D Thunderbolt is a premium rank III German fighter with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB/SB) and 4.3 (RB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

General info

Flight Performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 9,144 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
675	655	12200	26.2	27.2	7.3	7.3	600
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 9,144 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
729	700	12200	23.8	25.0	15.2	10.6	600

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		520	~12	~5

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 402	< 420	< 470	> 335

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
8,500 m	2,000 hp	2,300 hp

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The P-47D (Germany) is armed with:

• 8 x 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine guns, wing-mounted (425 rpg = 3,400 total)

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in an aircraft, the features of using vehicles in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

As with the other P-47's in-game, this aircraft should be primarily played using Boom and Zoom tactics. You may need to side climb in order to get into a viable position, given that allied aircraft will be at a higher altitude than you a good amount of the time. It is highly recommended to not try and turn with the aircraft you are trailing, as this is how you will quickly lose energy and become easy pickings. Instead, after your first pass, initiate a relatively steep climb. This will allow you to once again take the altitude advantage on the enemy, which will further give more opportunities for BnZing. When climbing back up, however, pay attention to what aircraft may be around. You are essentially a free kill for anyone in the vicinity if you are not aware of what is around.

This variant of the P-47 does not offer any payload options, so using it in a CAS (Close Air Support) role may not be as effective versus the other P-47 variants.

Simulator / EC

In Simulator / Enduring Confrontation, bulkier planes that suffer in AB & RB shine and that of course includes the P-47. Sitting at BR 3.7, the lowest BR for rank 3 EC, it can respawn infinitely which makes it a great learning platform for new EC players. In Sim, the P-47 has a stable control handling, all-round unobstructed vision and fast speed. However, as mentioned above, this German P-47 has no suspended armaments, limiting its use to bomber intercepting, traditional BnZ fighting and maybe ground pounding.

Be very careful when hunting bombers, since with the Sim control (whether it be mouse joystick or a real stick) the plane will manoeuvre much more gently, making itself a great target for the bomber's gunners. DO NOT follow behind a bomber's 6 unless you are sure that its tail gunners are unconscious. Chasing behind a bomber makes yourself pretty much stationary for the tail gunners, and you will be showered with bullets. The big radial engine of the P-47 will usually get damaged. Instead, before launching an attack, get an altitude advantage over the bomber by flying around 2 km above it. The bomber should only fill up about 1/6 of your gunsight. The best position for an attack is at the bomber's high 6 so you can adjust the lead much easier. Dive at the bomber, but not directly at it, try to predict where you two will crash by imagining yourself as a missile, that's where you should aim at (deflection shooting). To maximise the damage it is better to aim for their wings and engines, as the fuselage usually soaks up quite some bullets. Only fire when the bomber passes in front of your guns. This short window might seems inadequate to do anything, but the 8 MG on the P-47 are actually quite destructive, as sometimes it only takes one bullet to set the target aflame.

As for dogfighting, because almost all aerial battles in Sim occurs at below 3,000 m, the P-47 can easily climb to this altitude and gather up lots of speed before engaging a battle. The tactic is similar to the RB one above. If, unfortunately, you find yourself being chased at your 6 and you don't know how to do any defensive manoeuvres, do a large, smooth turn towards the nearest friendly airfield to avoid bleeding too much speed. Then shallow-dive towards your airfield. The P-47 can quite easily outrun opponents like the I-16 or IL-2, but might struggle to outrun F6F, P-38 or other P-47. Another way of disengaging is to do a sudden split-S to dodge under the chaser. Average Sim players will now try and see where you went, if not immediately losing track of you. You can then run for your airfield or shallow climb for another attack.

For ground pounding, dive at a shallow angle to approach the target, try to get as close as possible but avoid crashing into the ground. The 8 MGs are perfect for killing trucks, AA guns and artilleries as they have plenty of ammo. However, constantly watch your surrounding, especially your high 6 for any incoming enemies.

Enemies worth noting:

• Me 264 (mixed battle): This giant is one of the few bombers who get air spawns in Sim, so it usually flies higher than you think. On top of this, the Me 264 is armed with large calibre MG and cannons all over it, therefore tailing a 264 is basically suicide unless all of their gunners are knocked out. You can treat the 264 almost like a B-29 or B-17 as they are very similar in both design and defensive capabilities. It is best to head-on the 264 if you can as you can easily knock out the pilots due to its glazed nose while also taking minimal damage. However the bomber lacks a ventral turret on its belly, making it easy to deal damage from below, but be weary of the downwards facing rear 20 mm cannon near the tail. The safest way to attack is from a higher altitude, dive at an oblique angle and focus fire on the wings and nose. Never engage if you have no altitude advantage.

• Bf 110, Ki-45, A-26: As mentioned before, those twin engine aircraft are a big threat since their lack of manoeuvrability comparing to single engine fighters are minimised in Sim. They are usually armed with heavy guns & cannons in the nose, so an accurate burst will tear any plane apart, including the P-47. The P-47 manoeuvres rather sluggishly and you might get out-turned from even those heavy fighters, so engage them with either altitude or speed advantage to avoid being targeted. If they are not manoeuvring aggressively, aim for their wings or engines. If the fight is intense and you cannot smooth the aim, just burst anywhere as long as you hit them, the 12.7 mm bullets will damage their flight models quite a bit.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Not controllable	Controllable Auto control available

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 12 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 12 mm MGs
IV		Engine injection	Cover

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

• Great at diving and Boom & Zoom
• Impressive speed, great engine performance above 6,000 m
• Very rugged construction can keep the plane flying despite damages
• Impressive firepower of 8 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns with also impressive ammunition pool
• Very fast for its rank

Cons:

• Terrible turning time (overall manoeuvrability) at low altitude/low speed
• Mediocre climb performance (side climbing recommended)
• Big target, larger than average fighters
• Very limited capability to ground pound targets, limited to softer targets which 12 mm guns can penetrate

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === Encyclopedia Info ===, also if applicable).

In-game description

"The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was an American fighter-bomber of the WWII era. It was one of the main USAAF fighters of WWII, especially effective as a fighter-bomber. The P-47 was also sent to the USSR via the lend-lease program. It was designed at Republic Aviation by two emigrants from the Russian Empire, Alexander Seversky and Alexander Kartveli.

The official designation of the P-47, like that of many other Republic aircraft, is related to the word Thunder. However, the P-47's unmatched dimensions and weight led to the P-47 being nicknamed the Jug. Another informal nickname, more common during WWII, is Bolt or T-Bolt. The most mass-produced variant of the P-47 was the P-47D with a teardrop canopy. The variant was in development as early as 1941 and the first order for 850 P-47Ds was placed in late 1941. Many more Thunderbolts would be built during the war, making it the most mass-produced US fighter of WWII by 1945."

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.