Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE
Contents
This page is about the gift American fighter Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE. For other uses, see P-47 (Family). |
Description
Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt is a gift rank IV American fighter
with a battle rating of 4.7 (AB) and 5.7 (RB/SB). This fighter was introduced in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory". The Republic P-47M was the fastest of the production model Thunderbolts. The plane is painted after the camouflage scheme of American pilot George E. Bostwick in the US Army Air Force in the 56th Fighter Group.
The P-47M is a high-altitude interceptor that has impressive armament and ordinance that serves it well in both the fighter and Close Air Support role. In Air RB, it is currently unequalled in performance at a 5.7 battle rating, possessing ridiculous top speed, competitive climb rate, decent energy retention, great armament, and surprising manoeuvrability at speed.
As such, the P-47M is best played to its strengths as a Boom & Zoom and Boom & Run fighter in Air RB. In Ground RB it is an excellent fighter bomber with a good rocket/bomb load-out and .50 cals that can deal with most turret roofs.
The M variant was specifically setup to intercept Germany's buzz-bombs and the new jet/rocket powered fighters. The primary advantage of this new variant came through speed. The aircraft was powered by either a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-14W or R-2800-5 engine while using the CH-5 turbo-supercharger. The aircraft was able to produce 2,800 hp, giving it higher top speed.
In War Thunder Air RB, the P-47M sits at a battle rating of 5.7 while having the performance qualities of super-props. Top speeds above 5 km exceed literally any opponent besides the Ta-152 H-1 (which is only capable of competing at around 9-10 km). Climb rate is great, at around an average of 23 m/s from 0-6000 m. WEP is available for up to 12 minutes to maximize engine output.
Interestingly (besides the better engine), the P-47M gets a unique airbrake which makes it very easy to stick behind the tails of opponents in a high-speed dive.
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 | ||
720 | 702 | 12,200 | 25.6 | 26.2 | 8.3 | 10.8 | 500 |
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 | ||
801 | 760 | 12,200 | 22.8 | 24.0 | 27.6 | 15.9 | 500 |
Details
Features | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Combat flap | Take-off flap | Landing flap | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X |
Limits | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Wing-break speed (km/h) |
Gear limit (km/h) |
Combat flap (km/h) |
Max Static G | |
+ | - | |||
910 | 450 | 520 | ~14 | ~6 |
Optimal velocities | |||
---|---|---|---|
Ailerons (km/h) |
Rudder (km/h) |
Elevators (km/h) |
Radiator (km/h) |
< 380 | < 420 | < 450 | > 250 |
Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
---|---|---|
Setting 1 | ||
Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
9,320 m | 2,220 hp | 2,826 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 9.5 mm Steel - Seat back and headrest armour plate
- 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Windscreen
Armaments
Offensive armament
Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE is armed with:
- 8 x 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine guns, wings-mounted (425 rpg = 3400 total)
Suspended armament
Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE can be outfitted with the following ordinance:
- 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (500 lb total)
- 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb + 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,500 lb total)
- 10 x 127 mm HVAR rockets
- 10 x 127 mm HVAR rockets + 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (500 lb total)
- 10 x 127 mm HVAR rockets + 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 10 x 127 mm HVAR rockets + 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb + 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,500 lb total)
Usage in battles
First of all, P-47 should always fly fast. No matter the altitude, it is recommended to fly at speeds higher than 520 kph (~320 mph). One of the few things P-47 is terrible at is dogfighting. Imagine a truck loaded with cement with wings strapped to the side. Congratulations, you just seen P-47 at low speeds. Now, with this out of the way you must remember one thing, and one thing only, fly high, like, really high. The higher the P-47 goes the better the engine performs compared to its potential adversaries. The best altitude for P-47M is 9000 meters (~30k ft), but it still can perform very good at altitudes ranging from 6000 meters (~20k ft) to 8000 meters (~26k ft). P-47M's engine can easily overheat when using WEP, but most of the time disabling WEP for few seconds will be enough to cool down the powerful Pratt & Whitney powerplant hidden under the hood.
Modes
Arcade: In AB P-47M's pilot can pretty much forget about most of the things mentioned above, just put your throttle to WEP, climb above your enemies and Boom and Zoom them to death. Just watch out for those annoying Spitfires, Fw 190s and Bf 109s as they can climb as good as you and they often have cannons which can shred your plane to pieces.
Air Realistic: In RB P-47M's pilot should not take any additional armaments such as bombs and rockets, they will only slow down the plane and make it an easy prey for Bf 109 K-4s, Ta 152s and Fw 190s. As soon as you take off from the airfield divert 30 degrees to left or right (depends on where the middle of the map is, just don't climb towards middle), engage WEP and climb at ~17-18 degrees, the best speed for climbing ~267 kph (~165 mph). When you reach altitude of about 5500 meters (18k ft) start to gradually turn towards the middle of the map. Watch out for any enemy planes coming towards you, especially the Ta 152s and Bf 109 K-4s are the biggest threats as they have similar performance to P-47M. At ~6000 meters you will notice that climbing at 18 degrees makes your plane go slower, just change the angle to 10-15 degrees, or you can just stop climbing since you will probably be above everyone. Then, I recommend you to fly at 0 degrees and gain some speed, not more than 400 kph (~250 mph). Now is the time you will reign supreme over the skies, look around you, see if there are any enemy planes spotted and pick off the easiest targets, preferably slow flying fighters that fly straight. If you cannot see such targets go for other fighters, 109s and G.55s are your priority targets, they can easily kill you if you are not careful. Always perform powered dive, and if you feel you're going too fast just use the airbrakes, the biggest advantage of P-47M over the D-series and other non-allied prop fighters. When you are over with the "Boom" part of the flying do not climb outright, run away from the enemies (preferably towards your teammates). When you gain ~3 km (~2 miles) of separation from enemy planes you can do the "Zoom" part of the tactic or keep running if you're feeling that the enemy planes could catch up to you. Climb at 10 degrees and gain enough altitude to ensure that you have energy advantage above enemy planes. In most dire situations you can try to go for headon (only if you have at least 2.5 km separation from the enemy) but it's not recommended to do that as you will most likely get your engine damaged. In the worst case scenario you will catch fire and probably die. If you see that someone is diving on you try to make him/her overshoot, call for help and fly towards your closest teammate. You can shrug off few hits to the fuselage but anything that touches your wings and elevators will most likely kill you. Flying with your friends also helps as you can quickly call them to assist you. If you're the only one left on your team you should climb, look out for enemy fighters and BnZ them, just keep in mind that P-47 is not the best plane to do 1v2 in. Try to separate enemies and pick them off one by one.
The last thing you should do in P-47 is groundpound. Taking bombs and rockets will make your plane even more sluggish than it already is and because of that you will have to fly near the ground, and that is a death sentence for P-47. I also wouldn't recommend going bombers, they are not priority targets and often you will lose lots of ammo trying to kill them, and there is possibility that they will be able to set you on fire or even shoot off your wing.
I would want to mention the two schools of thought regarding the belts for .50 cals. The first one says that you should use Ground Targets belts because of the high amount of AP rounds that do lots of damage and can easily shred anything hit with them. The second one says that you should use Tracers because they have the biggest chance of setting the enemy on fire which will eventually lead to their death. But, there's one thing everyone agrees on: Don't use Default belts, they are garbage.
Manual Engine Control
MEC elements | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
Oil | Water | Type | ||||
Controllable | Controllable
Automatic control available |
Controllable
No automatic control |
Controllable
No automatic control |
Separate | Controllable
1 gear |
Controllable |
Modules
Tier | Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | Fuselage Repair | Radiator | Offensive 12 mm | ||
II | Compressor | Airframe | FMBC mk.1 | ||
III | Wings Repair | Engine | New 12 mm MGs | FRC mk.2 | |
IV | G-Suit | Engine Injection | Cover | FLBC mk.1 |
- All modules and improvements are unlocked from the start. The Tracer belts are the most popular for Air combat, while several other ammunition belts are optional for uses such as ground attack.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Forgiving aircraft
- Eight deadly .50 cal M2 Brownings
- Good ground-attack ordinance selection
- Unrivaled high altitude performance
- Very good high-speed manoeuvrability
- Good climb rate, on par with the Bf 109 G-2
- Almost unrivaled top speed
- Airbrakes
- Radial engine is generally resistant to damage
- Access to premium bonuses in SL and RP
Cons:
- Payloads encourage a low-altitude attacker play style, playing into P-47M's disadvantages
- Poor low-Speed manoeuvrability
- Mediocre low altitude performance
- Large size and wing span makes it an easy target when the enemy has lead
- Engine damage is very likely in head-ons
- Engine easily catches fire when hit by 13/15/20 mm shells
History
Four P-47D-27 Aircraft were pulled form the production line at the Farmingdale factory and were fitted with the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-57(C) engine. They were also equipped with a larger CH-5 turbo-supercharger allowing the aircraft to reach 2,800 hp at 32,000 feet. Air brakes were also added underneath the wings to aid in deceleration and recovery during dives. These four prototypes were re-designated YP-47M.
The engine installations were eventually added to the last 130 P-47D-30s from Framingdale in Sept of 1944. They were all re-designated P-47M-1-RE. It is important to note that the under-wing racks were not fitted to this aircraft. It was intended to be strictly a fighter. They were delivered in Dec. of 1944. The dorsal fins were later added as a field modification.
The M-variant saw service with the 56th Fighter Group but problems with the new highly tuned R-2800 delayed their use until the last weeks of the war in Europe. At one point the aircraft was pulled from service and replaced with D variants until the aircraft performed reliably. The P-47M was never used against V-1 flying bombs, it's original target.
The P-47M is most remembered for Major George Bostwick's engagements with the Me 262. Bostwick shot down a Me 262 on March 25 1945. He was able to damage a second one a few days later on April 7th.
His P-47M-1-RE had the nickname "Ugly Duckling" and a striking paint scheme.
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
- [Series] Maj. George Bostwick's P-47 Thunderbolt
- Official WT forum Aircraft Data Sheet section: "Republic P-47M"
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