Fastest Piston Engine Fighter Ever; The Republic XP-47J Superbolt

The P-47 certainly made it's mark, but it isn't so well remembered that one example was the fastest piston engine fighter ever built - the XP-47J.

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[davidbeattie]

You simply cannot say enough about the impact of the P&W R2800 on the air war of WW II. It, along with the RR Merlin, was a game changer. The R2800 allowed airframe designers to think big, to design robust aircraft that could haul serious weaponry to the fight with the durability to get home. Aircraft like the P-47 were simply not possible without it.

[williamromine]

The huge size of the Jug is clearly demonstrated with the picture with the ground crew doing something with the wheels. I knew the 47 was big, but that picture looked like the crew was doing something on a bomber's wheel! It must have been one hell of a plane to fly.

[chuckp]

One of my high school teachers had been a P-47 pilot in WWII. He used to end class early some days and tell us stories about his experiences in the war. When he went to Europe and was given his plane, he could tell something wasn't quite right about it, but neither he nor his ground crew could figure out what. On the way back from a mission, his formation was jump by German planes, so they decided to push the throttles and get out of there. He fell behind because the issue with his plane was that the water/methanol injection system wasn't working, so he was down on power. Unfortunately, he was shot down, and spent the rest of the war as a POW. He felt the P-47 was the greatest fighter in the war. A bit of a bias, I'm sure, but maybe not too far from the truth.

[donjones]

A monster engine & turbocharger with a plane attached - the Thunderbolt design philosophy was always awesome.

[SMichaelDeHart]

Well, I can honestly tell you from personal knowledge that the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was loved and respected by the crews and pilots.
My late father, Staff Sergeant Robert E DeHart was a Combat Veteran Flightline Engineer and Mechanic in the US Army Air Force in the South Pacific Campaign on Guam, Tinian, Saipan and Iwo Jima in the 20TH USAAF, 7TH Army Air Corp, 414th Fighter/Bomber Group, 413th F/B Squadron.
I've still got dad's photos taken on the islands and airfields (including dead Japanese). Also have some of his old kit and most of uniform.
He called it the Milk Jug or Jughead.

[waltergolston]

My Dad was a "leg" in WW2, we went to an air show put on by the CAS, and this gave my Dad a load of remembrances. He explained that the "Jug's" engine sound was of deliverance more than once for it came down and delivered Hellfire and kicked the shit out of whoever was before it. The look on my Dad's face is hard to describe.
He had walked across France, liberated camps, and got to shake hands with the Russians before it was over.

[SteveSingsThings]

Proud to say that P47 manufacturer Republic Aircraft had it’s start and HQ on Long Island NY. A small airport still remains that started as an airstrip to fly the P 47s off from production to their final destinations. If you are in the area, consider visiting the Airpower Museum at the airport. It has numerous old warplanes and great exhibits. There’s also the larger Cradle of Aviation museum not far away that is amazing. Many aircraft there as well.

[raywhitehead]

The P47 M deployed to England near the end of the war had two problems: the fuel manifold gasket, ( fuel carburetor diaphragm) and the pistons had got rust in shipment to England. Both were fixed in about 2 and half months.

[jchapman]

When I was a young lad around 6 or 7 y.o., my dad got me a sweet, die cast P-47 Thunderbolt replica. It was silver colored with US Army Air Corps decals that made it look very much like the ones seen at the beginning of the your video. I believe the painted trim around the engine behind the prop had a black and white checkered pattern (?). It had a domed canopy (with a pilot inside), folding wings, removable armament, a drop tank, a spinning propeller and retractable landing gear with rubber wheels (the tiny tail wheel was also rubber!). It was a heavy toy/replica! My dad bought it on base when he was still in the Marines. He always found neat stuff like that at the PX that we couldn't find off base! Up until then, I favored the P-40 with the Flying Tigers decals, the P-51, and the F-4U Corsair with the MARINES decals on the sides. That P-47 replica became my new WWII favorite. Good memories from my youth. Thanks for posting this informative video, Ed!

[Lee-rqek]

My father was a P47 fighter pilot during WWII...he retired in 1969 from the Air Force.

[davidpope]

The Jug was a magnificent brute ~ although I remember reading in the Ginger Lacey book Fighter Pilot about when Lacey had to help RAF pilots who were converting from their Hurricanes (Max takeoff weight 8, 710lb) onto Thunderbolts (max takeoff weight 17, 500lb).
Upon first being introduced to their massive new mounts, some of the RAF boys reckoned that the only way they could foresee being able to take evasive action in the Jug was to undo their straps and run around in the cockpit.

[DoktorStrangelove]

Love That Jug 😎👍

Just a beast. Overbuilt, overgunned, and tough to kill--my kind of, well, anything.

[Bochi]

Fascinating prototype! Might've been pursued if the war required a high altitude interceptor. Going to 30, 000 ft in six minutes is very impressive. That capability wasn't needed at all so best to drop the project, but still a great bit of aviation history to learn!

[burtbacarach]

INTRODUCING THE NEW P47X SUPERULTRAMEGABOLT!!

Wow Ed you never fail to amaze with the unusual and obscure aircraft variants.Can't wait to see what you come up with next!

[johnforsyth]

Thank you for another informative and entertaining video. I learned more about the P-47 aircraft that I did not know before.

[jimfinlaw]

Actually there was a production order for 100 Republic P-72 Ultrabolts. In its production format, the Republic P-72 Ultrabolt was to have a top speed of 540 mph! This would have no doubt made it the fastest piston-powered fighter plane of WWII and of all time, if only it had gone into production. General Electric was in the process of developing a new two stage, two speed centrifugal blower supercharger unit specifically for the production models that was almost 5 feet in diameter in size to be fitted aft of the cockpit, which was coupled to its Pratt & Whitney 28 cylinder R-4360 Wasp Major engine by means of fluid couplings and a long shaft that ran underneath the cockpit. Its Aero Products conta-rotating propeller measured 13 1/2 feet in diameter. There was a cooling fan located behind the propeller spinner. It was intended to use the planes as V-1 Buzz Bomb interceptors because of the plane's remarkable ability to rapidly accelerate to 490 mph at 25, 000 feet. Because the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star jet fighter arrived in the U.K. in 1944 for evaluation and the Army realizing its performance had already made the P-72's performance obsolete, the production order for 100 P-72's was cancelled. The Army felt the money could be much better spent on long ranging bomber escort fighters, which led to the development of the Republic P-47N long range fighter, which saw service in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Another very long range escort fighter being developed during this time was the North American P-82 Twin Mustang very long range escort fighter, but it unfortunately arrived too late to see any action during WWII. The second Republic XP-72 prototype did have a top speed of 504 mph, however, there were no flights over 500 mph because the project engineers didn't want the Pratt & Whitney R-4360-13 experimental engine to catch fire so it only flew a top speed of 490 mph. As it turned out, the second XP-72 prototype's experimental engine did catch on fire at 25, 000 feet. The test pilot put the airplane in a dive which extinguished the flames. Flying dead stick with monster contra rotating propellers spinning up front, the plane made a spectacular belly landing at an Army Air Base in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The second XP-72 prototype was never repaired and it was donated to the Boy Scouts of America where it was used as a static trainer for the Air Scouts. No one seems to know what ever happened to it after that.

[KO-pkdf]

Always loved the P-47D, while all the kids were all about the Spitfire & P-51 I built models of the P-47 and Hurricane. My dad was a fighter pilot 1957-1977 and I was able to get great framed pictures of these aircraft for my bedroom walls.

[kentl]

There is an excellent aviation artist on Quora called Pete Feigel, I think.
He is old enough and skilled enough at his artwork, to have interviewed many a WW2 pilot. He claims that the P47M fighters in a squadron were hot-rodded by ground crews and could just break 500mph. Cool video on one of the best fighters of WW2.

[timbrake]

Wow somebody giving respect to the Thunderbolt! That is a nice change of pace. With this video you earned my subscription. Thanks Ed!!👍

[pastorrich]

All of this talk of super fighters of World War II brings to mind the Ta 152 series. Excellent and entertaining video as usual! Thank you!!