Quote Originally Posted by LongRanger View Post
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt...

Dunno about its high-altitude performance. It's biggest attractions were . . .
1) phenomenal fire-power --- 8x .50 machine guns = 100 rounds/sec would literally vaporize any target
2) excellent range --- 1st Allied fighter capable of escorting bombers all the way to Berlin; P-47N had a ~2k mi range and was specifically designed for escorting B-29s over the Pacific

Mustang was a better performer, though --- especially in air-to-air . . . so the 47s were put to use as ground attack aircraft --- in addition to their punishing armament, they could carry all kinds of bombs + rockets, and survive damage that liquid-cooled aircraft couldn't. Especially notorious as train-busters...
The P-47 did have exceptional high-altitude performance, due to its unique turbo supercharger system, but it didn't maneuver or climb well at lower altitudes. The P-51 B and D models, by comparison, did everything well.
The P-47 was also very expensive to produce, costing $83,000 per plane, compared to the P-51 at $51,000 per plane.

Jon B.
Vista, CA