P-47 Pacific Theater Missions

I want to talk about some of the Pacific Theater P-47 missions. Missions in this theater were flown with a combat radius as far as 450 miles using very early Razorback Thunderbolts with the Brisbane drop tank. With Later Razorbacks as far as 500 miles WITH A BOMB, and bubbletop Thunderbolts ranged beyond 800 miles.

The pilots of the Fifth Air Force Thunderbolts met the challenges of the Japanese and the dangers of the theater itself head on and prevailed.

Although it's not the main point, this video will provide the receipts for some of the things I said in my recent debate with Mr. Marshall. For example, the metal Republic drop tank, the fact that Pacific Theater Thunderbolts did routinely operate at high altitude, and of course the ranges of the missions involved.

I am currently reading one of Mr. Marshall's P-51 books, it's awesome.

Note: Charles Lindbergh was qualified on the P-47 as a civilian and even did some test flying in the plane.

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[jollyjakelovell]

Two videos on Juggernauts in the Pacific in a 24 hour window. Awesome.

[iflycentral]

This video, coupled with the last one, makes it crystal clear. The drop tanks were an option and could absolutely have been used in Europe at the time.

[unclemike]

these last 2 videos on the P-47 have really been two of your best, and I've watched them all. Not just because of the thorough debunking of the "helpless without Mustangs" myth in ETO, but in the very clear, methodical way you've collected, derived, and presented the facts in support of your arguments. Unfortunately, the debate wasn't a serious conversation, despite your best efforts. These latest videos, however, are ground-breaking revisions to our understanding of the air war in WW2....history being re-written -- truthfully this time -- as we watch. Thank you.

[sidefx]

Once again, it’s very sad how many good men died because of ego and stupidity. These videos are just fantastic.

[MadMax-bqpg]

Awesome work!
AND acknowledging Australian contributions, something 3 generations have waited for. Seriously.

And maximum bonus points for correctly pronouncing Brisbane.

[AndrewBlucher]

One of your best videos. The extra details of the PBYs and Kenney, the different mission profiles, the stimulants, and the fog war, all combine to tell a great story.

[FilipusWisnumurti]

It's really nice seeing someone really advocating the P-47 and clearing the misconceptions about it. The P-47 is my favourite allied fighter of the war and quite sad to see it overshadowed by P-51 and Spitfires. Like many other people, I have heard too much about how the P-47 is lacking range to escort bombers, but I always wondered 'then how did the 47s fly their missions in the pacific if they are really that short ranged' and your videos really explains it. I first found your channel since the first P-47 series dropped and been following since.

[Jccarlton]

Back when I was about five years old I had book from the 1940's called I believe, "How we fight and bomb." I don't know where the book came from, but I had until I was a teenager and read it until it fell apart and was tossed. This was not a kids book. It was a fairly detailed look at the thinking of the AAF just before the war, with details such as the proper approach to a target to ensure that you do as much damage possible with your bombs. (Perpendicular to any roads, railroads and telephone lines.) The book showed things like how the B17E gun positions could protect the plane and mission profiles for fighter intercepts. Pretty heady stuff.
In any case, some things were clear when I think about them. The bomber mafia never really considered before the war the environment that they would be dealing with. They expected that the bombers would have the advantage of surprise and when they were developing doctrine, things like RADAR and the Dowding system didn't exist. So they never conceived of an integrated air defense that started when the bombers were forming over England. So they never saw the need for an escort figther. The book makes clear that even the most modern fighters of the time, the P38 and P39 were to be used for pursuit and interception, something that they almost certainly believed would be more difficult than it turned out to be. The idea that fighters could be put in the air and directed to the bombers for coordinated attacks was simply not something that they thought about very hard, until they were forced to deal with it. Thus you had the Eighth Airforce and 1943.

[thomaspinney]

Greg, your fundamental assessments on drop tanks in various theaters of war is entirely consistent with my own readings. The 5th AF in the Pacific were always more open and resourceful than the hidebound and dogmatic 8th AF in Europe. (BTW, this remains true to this day.) The bomber mafia were true believers in the pre-war dogma that the 'bombers will always get through' and that bombing could be decisive. It took bloody reality to teach them they were wrong. To their credit, they did eventually make many of the changes needed.

[cuplove]

You really do love that plane Greg, I hope someone lets you fly one some day !!

[Bigcountry_littlelegs]

This makes what the ground troops went through in new Guinea even more impressive, and didn't realise how big it is compared to europe

[lookythat]

Kenney was a brilliant commander. In addition to the achievements mentioned here, he also promulgated the idea of using medium bombers as strafers and skip-bombers against shipping, which annihilated Japanese shipping in the battle of the Bismark Sea. He also used parachute retarded fragmentation bombs, ie para-frags, which no else in the USAAF knew what to do with or wanted, against airfields, Which decimated the IJAAF at Wewak, on a raid they never recovered from.

[SharkVsTree]

I'm really enjoying this series on the P-47 in the Pacific, Greg. Thanks again!

[stevenphillips]

Always glad to see Oz get a shout-out! I wish that Australia would get more credit for all they accomplished in the PTO.

[jimmahon]

Quality work, Greg - thank you! As to your closing remarks about the 5th AF, BOY, you said a mouthful! My father flew B-24s for the 13th AF, 5th Bomb Group under Kenny's theater command (i think it was just prior to Wurtsmith getting command of 13th AF; Kenny by then commanded all of FEAF, so 5th and 13th Air Forces at that point.), and he always sang Kenny's praises, even though he was out of the "stepchild" AF. Dad got wiped out in a blown tire overweight takeoff on Morotai in late 1944 IIRC. He didn't discuss it much because most of the crew didn't survive when they cartwheeled into a flak bunker off the runway and the fuel cooked off - he bore the burn scars for the rest of his life. I imagine you'll get around to Pappy Gunn and the B-25 strafers eventually - there's a tale. Chuckled at that story in Kenny's book ("The CG - oh, we threw that out to lighten the ship...")

[michaelmonfils]

Amen, Greg! We are living in a time where biased and sloppy research, slanted journalism, political narratives and Hollywood fantasies define so-called "reality." I can't thank you enough for the sincerity, integrity and rigor which you put into your work. Carry on!

[petervollheim]

Superb video Greg. I knew a 361st P-51 pilot who's group was attached to Patton's drive - meaning he did a lot of ground pounding. He told me several times that he wished he had gone to war in a P-47. He trained in one, in fact stuffed one into the everglades during an engine failure. He loved the P-51 - but loved the P-47 a lot more.

[JohnSmyth-li]

As an Australian ww2 enthusiast, I congratulate Greg for producing this superb description of the contribution of usaaf to the New GUINEA campaign. Unfortunately General Kennys leadership hardly rates a mention in AUSTRALIA. My interest was initiated many years ago when I stumbled on a book titled "Angels Twenty " authored by Edwards Park who as a young American pilot found himself learning to be a combat pilot flying a P 39 Airacobra out of Port Moresby when the Japanese were still at their peak.

[Tinbender-zrjd]

I found these videos on the P-47 in the Pacific fascinating since my father was a gunner in a B-24 flying from New Guinea at the time. He was assigned to the 22nd Bomb Group, 19th Bomb Squadron. He was on some of the raids you mentioned because I have all his military records including his flight records and two very detailed books on the 22nd Bomb Group. I wonder if things are such that he survived the war and I am here due to those P-47 escorts, their drop tanks, and General Kenney? No way to ever know for sure. Thank you so much for your research and the video.
As a side note, I was once assigned to the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman AFB, NM, which was once part of 5th AF in WWII.

[flutter]

This part of ww2 is often forgotten, thank you Greg for covering this