P-47 Pacific Theater Missions 

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

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.

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.

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.

Awesome work! AND acknowledging Australian contributions, something 3 generations have waited for. Seriously. And maximum bonus points for correctly pronouncing Brisbane.

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.

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

That was a home run in my opinion.

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

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

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.

The Bomber Mafia should stand as a case study of the dangers in allowing doctrine to become dogma.

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.

Catalina is like that movie extra that shows up in every movie.

I love how Greg just keeps shoving salt in the wound 😂

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

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

Some of your best work here. "Pacific 360º: Australia's battle for survival in World War II" by Roland Perry is an excellent book and shows the New Guinea campaign from non-American eyes. MacArthur does not come out well, but Kenney does. MacArthur seems to be more interested in optics than reality, and influenced history to make his efforts seem more important than they were.

I always appreciate the Jug getting some love. She always seems to get overshadowed by the Mustang.

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.

I read a very interesting account of a P-40 pilot who bailed out over New Guineau, in a book called "War Pilot". He experienced malaria, capture by head hunters and being carried through jungles tied up like a tiger on a pole while in a malaria fever hallucinatory state. Finally, being bought for a bag of rice by friendly natives who took him to Australian planters. He was never shot down, just lost in severe thunderstorms which disoriented him and caused him to run out of fuel.

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...")

Charles Lindbergh worked for a time as a test pilot for Ford which was building R-2800 engines and flew test flights in the P-47. One he almost lost his life in as his oxygen system failed at high altitude and he had only managed to trim the plane for a slow decent before he passed out. He revived at about 5000 ft. and got the plane back under control. He then worked to design a visual indicator of the flow of oxygen in the crew oxygen system to help others avoid this hazard. When he went to the Pacific it was to help operations of Marine fighter squadrons flying F-4U Corsair and then he was asked to spend time with the Air Force Squadrons in P-38. He did that for a while before he was told to report to MacArthur whom he expected to end his unauthorized activities but from whom he got approval and support in the theater. Washington (FDR) had Lindbergh on a 'black list' and refused to sanction his activities, had prevented him from being employed by aircraft makers and only Ford was willing to buck the Pentagon and hire him. The South West Pacific was a long way from Washington and he had found friends there.

My dad did a lot of hiking, mountain climbing, and arctic trips. He was able to get prescription morphine for the expeditions with no problem. If you break your leg, it's the difference between being able to walk out and dying.

I'm so glad you're continuing your brilliant appraisal of the Thunderbolt. As to the range and escort debate, for me the case was made at the 'conclusion' of the first series. The very fact that droptanks had to be sourced from us Brits in the eto and from the Aussies in the pto says it all for me. Considering that the first Schweinfurt raid was conducted soon after the Pointblank directive, the powers that be were obviously still convinced that 'the bomber will always get through'; although there was also a political question as to whether Hap Arnold thought that RAF Fighter Command should bear the load of the daylight escorts, following extensive modifications to the UK's defence interceptors. A real show of allied force would have been perfect, but for the US's reluctance to reciprocate in the dark. No droptanks for the 8th, but serious modifications to RAF Fighter Command are fine, apparently.

Once again. My father, who was a lifetime bomber man. He flew B-17 's in WWII and was shot down shortly after the Stuttgart/ Regensburg raid. When he retired in 1968, he was in charge of MMS at Andersen Air Base. When asked about this, he would say; " after they crossed the Channel the Germans would jump the fighters and dive away making sure belly tanks would be dropped ". Have you ever hear that the fighter pilots had complained they were not allowed to follow them down? Thank you Doolittle.

Australian Michael John Claringbould has written (and continues to write) several books on the air war in the south and southwest Pacific. His books include data from Japanese sources, mostly official records, that document Japanese losses and are an invaluable reference source. Also, note that the Fifth Air Force (and Naval and Marine units) flew against Japanese Naval Air Forces as frequently as Japanese Army Air Force Units. Indeed, Army units did not arrive in theater until May 1943. Fifth Air Force did abandon daylight raids on Rabaul for a period during 1943 due to excessive losses. I share your admiration for Kenney as an operational commander, however, he was also a publicity hound who frequently overstated Fifth Air Force accomplishments even when he had accurate data. Granted he felt that was necessary to get additional assets in an under resourced theater.

The fact that the PTO was far, far away from Washington....or Dayton...aided in the production and use of drop tanks. It also helped the ETO...but not as much. It has been my experience that things can get done VERY quickly in the military, if the military wants it. But the hidebound pre-war mentality prevailed too much of the time. By the way, it was to the better that Jimmy Doolittle was not selected to command the 5th AAF. It left him available to do great work elsewhere.....like in the 8th AAF. The last two Jug videos are outstanding. I wonder if the P-47 pilots had been schooled in cruise control, like what Lindberg did with the P-38?

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.

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

My grandfather had some choice words for "Bunker Doug" as did may other pacific WWII vets. He clearly did make good choices on occasion. He managed to win the peace in post war Japan, and he selected Kenney. Perhaps that makes up for his shortcomings.

Greg, One of your best episodes. Loved all the detail about a little addressed topic.

I just wanna say you do such a tremendous job at this subject matter… I would love to hear an episode of Unauthorized History of the Pacific War that brings you on to really shed some light on this little known sector of the war effort.

General Kenny really does deserve a review from historians and the aviation community. I assume part of his lack of exposure in the WW2 story is he was a Pacific General. On top of that he was part of SW Pacific Command. Which was at the bottom of the allied supply chain with the possible exception of the China-Burma-India Theater. There’s also the fact that he was part of Douglas MacArthur’s staff. MacArthur is arguably the most controversial theater commander US general of WW2. The only possible exception being “Vinegar” Joe Stillwell of the China-Burma-India theater who ruined cooperation with our major ally China. MacArthur is more controversial due to his talent as a strategic planner juxtaposed to his inexperience commanding at a lower level. He was army royalty his father Arthur MacArthur won the Medal of Honor leading a charge up a mountain that broke the Confederate lines in The Battle Above the Clouds the decisive moment of the Chattanooga Campaign. Douglas MacArthur led the rainbow division in WW1 but he was quickly promoted partly due to his bravery and partly due his talent as a political general. His lack of experience at small unit tactics and logistics showed during the early days of the battle of New Guinea. MacArthur forged a political alliance with the Australian Prime Minister who wanted more control over the Army and MacArthur got political power to run the war his way. Some of the real hero’s of the Kakota Campaign were fired while winning the battle due to MacArthur believing the Australians lacked élan. The same debunked theory that fighting sprit can over come any odds. The French Army paid dearly in the early days of WW1. Despite the Japanese fighting spirit being second to none it led them to make self defeating attacks into the teeth of strong American positions. Though despite this MacArthur always managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat partly due to his deep understanding of grand strategy, but also due to luck. George Marshall made the only trip of a senior US military official after finding out he was passed over for D-Day command. Arguably having Marshall direct the whole war in DC was a good choice but he understood what it would mean to lead Overlord. He also felt he paid his dues running the war in DC and wanted a real command not only that but everyone at the time saw him as the clear best choice. So Marshall goes to visit MacArthur and tells him Nimitz is maneuvering to get SW Pacific folded into his command and it’s going to happen. Arguably a divided command is bad military strategy and Nimitz central Pacific drive was wildly successful. However MacArthur had been doing a dry run for his fall from grace in Korea. His personality was odd he would be bad mouthing his superiors talking about conspiracies to shut him down and Marshall and his cabal being at the head of it. To MacArthur’s surprise Marshall comes to visit him and MacArthur does his thing where he pulls out the red carpet and is your best friend. Marshall tells MacArthur that he is about to be shut down and he won’t get to the Philippines but if he acts now he can steal a march on Nimitz. So all of a sudden MacArthur brings his attack forward on the Admiralty Islands opening the door to the Philippines just as his resources are about to be combined into a single attack towards Taiwan and then Okinawa. All this aside Kenny was on MacArthur’s staff and after MacArthur’s debacle on the Yalu and politicization of his command he’s been extremely polarizing. General Kenny achieved amazing feats that mirror legendary feats in the European Theater achieved years later and with maximum resources. The Battle of the Bismarck Sea which set the stage for the Japanese defeat in New Guinea & the Solomon’s was a masterpiece. Kenny saw one of his top pilots practicing skipping a bomb with a B-25 into a wreck off Port Moresby. Kenny sets him to work to train his squadron to learn how to skip bomb a way to hit and sink fast moving warships. He sets up a multi layered attack which combined subterfuge with outstanding tactics all the while using a majority of nearly obsolete aircraft. He first attacked up high with B-25’s on a major Japanese fast transport run to reinforce Lay as the front was collapsing. It roused Japanese air cover who saw what they thought were Bristol Beauforts coming in for another high level bombing run. However Kenny used Beaufighters which had a very similar profile & they dove unexpectedly on the Zeros destroying Japanese air cover. Then A-10’s came in bombing and strafing the anti-aircraft defenses of the escorts and destroyers used as fast transports. After Japanese air cover was destroyed driven off or engaged and anti aircraft batteries were knocked out then came the B-25’s low and slow. The whole operation was to set up to open this opportunity for the B-25’s to be able to come in and skip bomb. The technique required a precise release to get the bomb to reach the ship just as it was running out of speed. The detonation on the ships side underwater with these I believe 500lb bombs was devastating due to the unique effect of underwater explosions. The Battle of the Bismarck Sea opened up Rabaul the major Japanese base in the area to be neutralized by air and bypassed. The bypassing of Rabaul was arguably MacArthur’s greatest achievement as there was a huge heavily fortified Japanese Army that was left to wither. Lay was abandoned and the last remains of the Japanese troops that stormed Malaya and The Dutch East Indies (The South Seas Detachment) fled into the jungle and was for all intents and purposes destroyed as a fighting force. The way was also clear to land and Finchaven. The shaping operations to take Lay are just as interesting as well. It’s really a shame that so little primary source documentation is left. While it’s not ideal it would be awesome if someone who is fluent in Japanese could look into their records. There’s is a good chance more is out there that hasn’t been translated into English. It would be really cool if there is a (relatively) easy way like that to get new English primary source data on the 5th Air Force. General Kenny is one of the most interesting leaders I’ve come across in a while. I’m sure I’m getting this quote slightly wrong but on the eve of the Battle of the Bismarck Sea Kenny said “Get ready boys this isn’t no varsity game we’re going up against the pros, we’re taking on Notre Dame”. *Speaking of Rabaul that map in front of him on the last frame of the video is it. It’s a city in the caldera of a great volcano next to 2-3 smaller volcanos over looking the town on the flat land. That would have been a bloody grinding battle to try and storm a full fledged Japanese army group base and naval base. I’d like to think he looking down and thinking of all the lives he saved by not having to take that.

Greg, you have really expanded my knowledge of the P-47. This presentation brings back OLD memories of a project I did as a junior in high school in '57 - '58 on the 5th Air Force. As a retired Naval Aviator, airline pilot, corporate pilot and current CFI and air taxi pilot, I am and have been a military history buff with particular interest in the Pacific theater and more recently the "Great Patriotic War." Your videos greatly enhance our appreciation for the aircraft in particular and their roles in the prosecution of the war. BZ

The book "General Kenny Reports" is a great read.

Great video Greg, I'm glad you mentioned the Pacific Wrecks site. After watching this video I looked up my great uncle 2nd Lt. Dale F. Arnold and found a record of where he went down and the aircraft he was flying in April '44 near Wewak. I'd previously only heard snippets and rumors from my dad's generation and that he was MIA presumed KIA.

I think delving into these warbirds after the war as race planes at Reno would be a good evolution of your videos and the work done to truly maximize these airframes and engines.

I would enjoy your thoughts on the lack of drop tanks for the Emil during the Battle of Britain. In my humble opinion this underscores how the woeful inadequacy of the Wermacht and Luftwaffe in particular early on.

Nicely done Greg. The combination of technical detail, narrative story telling, and in an AO that gets very little attention, combined to make this an outstanding documentary!

Excellent documentary information! Thanks Greg. There is no doubt that faulty doctrine, strategy snd tactics cost many lives over Europe. Largely due to the obstinacy and pig-headedness of those in charge. Proof-positive lays in the fact that they eventually did realize the necessity of escort fighters and the value of the P-47. The excuse regarding the lack of appropriate drop tanks fails entirely upon objective scrutiny as you so ably have proven. I recall when I was a teen in Canada reading about the losses incurred by the B-52's flying the same routes trip after trip. Proof that sometimes in the military, obstinacy is ageless.

It's great to see posts about Fifth Air Force in Papua New Guinea. Lindberg visited as a consultant to extend the range of the P-38s for those long missions. The P-47s did great work. I'm currently a historian in 5AF. Tsili Tsili was set up as a refueling point to facilitate fighter escort on Wewak strikes. Aviation fuel was flown into an older mining airstrip a few miles away that could handle C-47s. I met a lieutenant who in 1943 was the guy who figured out how to modify a 2-1/2 ton truck to be able to be broken down into two halves, each that could just fit through the cargo door and not exceed the rated payload of the aircraft by too much. They used the trucks to haul the barrels the few miles to establish a fuel depot. Fifth AF was always making do with what little they had in an austere theater. Happy to discuss if you want to do the story.

Thanks Greg for this great account of the fabulous P47 in the PTO. I knew the Jug was at the Marianas off carriers but little else.

Great video Greg. Overwhelming evidence. Rock on!!!!!

Thank you for educating me regarding P47's participations in the SouthWest theatre. I've hardly heard anything about P47's in the Pacific.

First, terrific video Greg! Very informative. Second, I'm glad that you gave much credit where it is due to General Kenney. His innovative approach to types of aircraft ordered by the Fifth Air Force was essentially, "I'll take anything!" He made great use of A-20's and Lockheed Hudsons when no other theater commander wanted them. Third, I'm a bit surprised that Colonel Paul "Pappy" Gunn was not mentioned. An enlisted aircraft mechanic, and Naval Aviator, he changed services at the beginning of WW2 and was commissioned as a Captain in the Army Air Force. His approach to fabrication and maintenance on Fifth AF aircraft was extremely innovative, and his background of being a "tool user" was instrumental in his skills and thought process. He was not a "The book says you can do that" or "Let me see if we can get approval for that alteration" kind of guy. Instead he said, "Let's try it and see if it works." He was the guy responsible for mounting six 50 caliber machine guns and a 20 mm cannon into the nose of B-25's just to see if it worked. And it was a huge success. One A-20 or B-25 could easily sink a lot of merchant shipping with that one idea, and it was just one of the dozens of ingenious changes that were made after delivery of aircraft into the theater. I'm pretty sure that he and his mechanics "engineered" and fabricated the Brisbane tank.

Greg- Charles Lindbergh invented (?) running gas aircraft Lean of peek; setting fuel ratio off the exhaust gas temperature. Normally set rich of peek to avoid detonation, he would lean to peek and then several hundred degrees leaner. At low power settings this could give incredible fuel burn rates. But was somewhat dangerous.

39:00 Benzos and morphine is a helluva combo

It seems incredible to me how the USA was able to improve the performance and combat range of the P47 during WW2. Incredible engineering and of course production capacity.

The 58th Fighter group was an all P-47 group in the 5th Air Force. Their unit history is titled "No Glamour, No Glory", which pretty much sums up the P-47 experience in the Pacific. My father was assigned to the Headquarters detachment of the 58th Fighter Group.

Greg, I love that you have done so much work to defend the P-47s reputation. I just wish you'd been in a command position in the USAAF in 1942. The P-47 has long been my favorite since I was a kid in the 1970s. Much like you, I think. I had all the popular books by Gunston and others back then, and I never really understood why the P-47 didn't get more love. I think you've done a fantastic job of showing that it was mostly misunderstandings, prejudice, and not just a little incompetence that held the P-47 back. About the only thing the P-51 had on the P-47 is that it was cheaper to procure and operate. But, the P-51 wasn't there early-on when things were critical, the P-47 was, and the odds stacked against it weren't just from the enemy.

The P-47 is my favorite airplane , my son's and I always argue because they love the P-51. I got them into watching Greg's videos and of course they make fun of his audio, but they respect his opinion and I can't wait for them to watch this one !

Really enjoyed this episode. Well done Greg.

I really like your videos on the P47. Too often overlooked because of the P51.

I never doubted Greg’s interpretation of this issue - to me the most salient point made here is that considering the amazing pace of technological advancement and industrial mobilization during the war, it’s impossible to believe that American engineers couldn’t figure out how to hook up an extra tank of gas to a fighter plane. Any reasonable person has to conclude that deliberate choices were made to prevent this. But in doing these painstakingly researched videos he removes all reasonable doubt. Incredible work. It’s a great example for how honest people can push back on false narratives advanced by the “official” sources.

I've never flown a p-47 but I can attest to the fact that morphine and speed makes a long drive go by easier

The 'Jug' was so ugly she was beautiful. My favorite WWII fighter. So fast, so powerful, so deadly. It was, in fact, their performance in the Pacific Theater of the war that endeared them to me. The men that flew them must have huge bal...well, you know. Thanks for bringing this interesting and informative video forward, Greg!

"Why did the name Tsili Tsili persist?' A photo of Aussie Vultee dive bombers accompany this question. Those cheeky ANZACs

Any of y’all ever read about the “dot on sheet of paper” incident between Kenney and MacArthur?

Dear Greg, Thanks for highlighting General Kenny's contributions to the victory against the Japanese military. His autobiography is both a fine history of the war, and also a great textbook on operations and management. Gregg

As cited in comments by others , these two P -47 videos are among some of your best . Thanks

58th FG was a P-47 group. Operations started in 1944 and were predominantly ground attack. The Mexican squadron operated with the 58th.

Excellent! I'm proud again to be an Okie!

what an excellent video, my two fav US fighters, Thunderbolts and Corsairs and this video really illustrates how good the P47’s really were - thanks so much Greg 🇦🇺

I read a book about Operation Cartwheel and what was called MacArthur's Navy did and it seemed MacArthur had a knack for finding those leaders who could improvise, adapt an overcome. The Navy side of the SWA theater, especially early on, used every means available from local boats to captured barges to make actions that no one else would have tried. Amazing stuff.

I read some of that General Kenney book. Great stuff, thanks for the recommendation and historical videos you made.

Currently the US Air Force is establishing an enhanced air base in Basco Island about 330 miles from Tiawan. The distance by air thing, is still a thing.

I heard somewhere that Lindberg helped the p38 range with that higher boost low rpm setup aswell.

Beautiful plane at 9:20.

Even as a kid reading about WWII, I realized the P47 was a great airplane but... I would still want to fly the P51 Mustang! Probably like British kids preferring the iconic Spitfire over the Hurricane, which was (also) a great plane and did most of the work in the Battle of Britain.

Great timing, I just started reading "General Kenney Reports: A Personal History of the Pacific War". This vid dovetail's perfectly with this book concerning range issues the General dealt with as soon as he hit the ground and took charge of the air campaign in that part of the world back in 1942.

You’re spoiling us Greg

One comment by Gunther Raul when asked how the P47 compared to the P51, he basically stated the thunderbolt was fearsome, but the Mustang there was so many of them. It was an interview with a British pilot when he said it.

Re that common belief that air combat in the SW Pacific theater was at a lower altitude than the European theater. Some years ago I read the book "Darwin Spitfires". Some of the RAAF pilots tell of being bounced at around 30,000 feet.

Greg, thank you. I'm an old nerd, but you provide insight on the old war birds that my total experience with was lovingly building plastic models, and the P-47 in 1/48 scale was one of my favorites. WAY bigger than other fighters, and it had the reputation of doing things like survivable crashes into chimneys. It's not pretty like a P-51, but it was a great answer to pretty much every opposing fighter.

Great video. Please do one on the relative merits of inline vs rotary engines (seems to me warplanes would be better off with the latter, unless perhaps they are flown over friendly territory). Would be even better if you could include the history of which plane got what, and why.

General Kenney did some fantastic work out on a string in the Pacific. The B-25 Mitchell is another success story George Kenney is a part of. The supply lines had to have been perilous most days.

Great work mate, and as an Aussie, we really appreciate and honour the commitment. But the 8th...more and more it sounds like B-17 crews were subjected to sheer bloody murder.

Btw - very funny line about asking to use morphine on your long flights!🤣

Bravo, Greg! You can move to the ranks of ww2 historians. When I saw photos of p47 in ground attack configuration, I wondered, why that weight (3 bombs + 10 rockets) cannot be substituted with drop tanks. Now, everything is clear! Please consider writing a book. Your videos deserve much wider audience!

I love watching your videos, it set many a conversation with my late father, an avid history buff and aviation enthusiast. When I was young I was obsessed with the P51 but as I got older, learned engineering, my appreciation for the P47 grew and I can say was capped off by your series. One of my father’s gifts for me when I moved home was a model he built of Bostwick’s P47 M. Thanks for all these years of videos I hope there are many more.

General Kenney also was an innovator in the bomber area as well. Skip bombing, the B25's with gun noses and 75 mm cannon. On another note my wife's uncle was killed on Noomfer island helping land a P61 as there was no tower and the cross winds were really bad along with rain. He stayed in his P61 and the other pilot lost control after landing and ran into his plane and killed him. That would be a great plane to talk about as well, it was maligned as being too slow.

Great video! My dad flew in the 13th AF and operated from several of the airfields mentioned. His missions started in early '44' and continued into 1945. His missions were almost always low altitude and using para-frags and napalm ordinance mostly against Japanese airfields in line abreast. His B-25J 27 had 14 fwd firing 50 cals. and yet, because the surrounding jungles were so dense. he hardly ever saw what he was shooting at.

Another excellent video, thanks, Greg. I'll make sure to check out the Patreon materials later. Question: was the P-47N the longest-ranged single-engined fighter of WW2?

I recall that Pappy Gunn, who had developed the commerce-raiding B-25 with General Kenny''s blessing and encouragement, had to travel to the North American factory to convince company engineers that it could be done and show them how. Sometimes there is also "not invented here" resistance to innovation, and it takes field modifications by the guys who have to do the actual fighting to do the innovating. Not the case here, as Republic engineers had developed their own effective drop tank, but sometimes.

Greetings from AU Greg, this series has been very interesting.

Thanks as always. My two main takeaways (profound things I did not know before) are: 1) internal fuel, the stuff you need for combat and getting home after dropping tanks, is a binding constraint on combat radius. Drop tanks are only a constraint up to a point. 2) USAFE could have T-Bolt tanks that go up to 28-30K a year before they did. Yes, there are always mistakes in war, but this is a big one. Wow! Great lessons.

Incredible video which undeniably shows that the P-47 was far better than the Bomber Mafia gave them due credit. Thank you Greg!!!

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.

Thanks Greg, these last two videos have been awesome.

Awesome video and love the detail and tech data.

Once again, another great video. Thanks Greg.

Thank you again for another excellent, well researched video. I think I'm going to have to look up general Kenney's book.

That was qutie interesting. Made me realize that USAAF actions in the pacific is overlooked in the media I consume.

Besides the information about the Jugs specifically, thanks for highlighting the activities of the 5th AF!

Another enlightening and interesting video. You never disappoint.

Wow! You really do dig into the details. A great video, thank you.

I had a friend who flew Hawker Hurricanes and Thunderbolt IIs (P-47Ds) with No. 30 Squadron RAF in Burma, which included some escort duty with lots of glide bombing/strike missions. He LOVED flying the Thunderbolt, with its roomy cockpit and rugged construction. One of his observations that always stuck with me was the subject range. He claimed 6 - 8 hour missions... stating that the RAF made fuel modifications in the wings for longer range flights. More than once he stated dismay as to why the USAAF didn't do the same in Europe. While I couldn't find any reference to RAF internal fuel tankage modifications, if one looks up the No. 30 Squadron RAF Wikipedia webpage... there is an early model Thunderbolt II equipped with what apper to be HUGE wing drop tanks fitted. PS, great video Greg!

Man I would hate to have to bail out over that jungle.