P-47 Thunderbolt Aces of the Eighth Air Force

The US aviation industry produced three great fighter designs to equip its burgeoning army air force during World War 2, and of this trio, Republic's P-47 Thunderbolt was easily the heaviest. Powered, crucially, by a turbocharged Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine that produced 2000 hp, the first production fighters reached the 56th FG in June 1942, and six months later the group joined the Eighth Air Force in Britain. This book charts the way combat tactics evolved in units like the 56th and 78th FGs, and pilots learnt how best to fly the Thunderbolt in order to effectively counter the more nimble Luftwaffe fighters.