During WWII, the Republic P-47 and North American P-51 served alongside one another in almost every battle. Since the end of the war, and the retirement of the aircraft, people have wondered which was better, the P-47 or the P-51?
A while ago, we covered the Hurricane and Spitfire, by all accounts, the British equivalent to the dynamic duo of the iconic Thunderbolt and Mustang.
P-47 vs P-51: What is a Fighter?
Today, the term “fighter aircraft” has become a very term. Today, the general public believes that any small, comparatively fast aircraft is a fighter aircraft, when that is simply not the case.
For the most part, this is due to a few wildly successful aviation-themed movies. Perhaps the worst culprit of this is the cult-classic, Top Gun.
During the time of the P-47 and the P-51, the world was a very different place. The P-51 was a fighter aircraft during WWII, with it being solely used by the British and Americans for this purpose.
A fighter would fly from an Allied airbase and attack the enemy country. For the most part, WWII-era fighters were escorts for the larger bombers, which would level the city’s factories and occasionally, the residential areas.
Other aircraft (or variants of a particular aircraft) would act as interceptors, bombers and fighter bombers to name but a few. The Thunderbolt in particular, would act as a fighter-bomber for US forces.
P-47 vs P-51: The Basics
Before we can compare both the P-47 Thunderbolt and the P-51 Mustang, we first need to know some background on both aircraft. Not merely who built them, but why, and what purpose they were initially intended to serve.
P-47 Thunderbolt
In 1935, Russian immigrant Alexander P. de Seversky designed the Seversky P-35. This was one of the first full metal fighters in use with the United States Army Air Corps.
By the Spring of 1940, the P-35 had become irrelevant. Compared to newer fighters, the P-35 was slow, too light and wasn’t maneuverable enough to win in a dogfight.
As such, the USAAC began looking for a replacement for the P-35. At the same time, Georgian immigrant Alexander Kartveli, was working for Republic Aviation, where he was working on a design he called the AP-4.
When the USAAC contacted Republic, they offered the AP-4 design. However, the USAAC believed that the aircraft was underpowered, and would too become irrelevant within a couple of years.
As such, Republic and Kartveli began to work on a reengined variant of the AP-4, which it called the AP-10. The USAAC liked the reengined AP-10, and begun tests on it, designating it as the XP-47.
The XP-47 made its first flight on May 6 1941, with Republic making minor adjustments along the way. The USAAC were happy and designated it as the P-47 Thunderbolt, before it entered service in November 1942.
P-51 Mustang
In 1938, the British government established the Purchasing Commission with the US Government. This allowed US companies to sell weapons and machinery to Britain without congressional approval beforehand.
With this, Britain’s RAF decided that it wanted to expand its roster of monoplane fighters. To do this, they contacted North American Aviation, initially, they wanted Curtiss P-40s manufactured under license.
However, North American informed the RAF that not only could they produce a better fighter than the P-40, and at a cheaper price. The RAF were interested, and asked for North Ameircan to send over some drawings.
A few months later, North American sent over drawings for what it called the NA-73X. The British loved this design and ordered almost on the spot. The first NA-73 prototypes would enter production only 102 days after the RAF approached North American.
The British were initially impressed with the NA-73X. Although the frames were built in the US, the engines and much of the cockpit were British-made. After a few minor changes, the British were happy with the NA-73X.
However, the name NA-73X had to be changed. In accordance with the naming protocols of the time, the NA-73X was designated as the P-51 Mustang in British, and later American, service.
P-47 vs P-51: Specs
Prior to the war, the P-47 and P-51 were initially quite successful, as they replaced earlier biplane designs. During the war, the US Government and the Allies required more aircraft to fight the Axis.
As such, Republic Aviation and North American Aviation were contracted to build as many Thunderbolts and Mustangs as physically possible. On top of this, the Allies ordered numerous variants of the Thunderbolt and Mustang.
Due to this, we chose to compare the most built variant of both aircraft. For the Thunderbolt, it was the P-47D-40, formerly in use with the USAAC. For the Mustang it was the P-51D, also formerly in use with the USAAC (among others).
| Specifications | P-47D-40 Thunderbolt | P-51D Mustang |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 14 ft 8 in (4.5 m) | 13 ft 4.5 in (4.08 m) |
| Wingspan | 40 ft 9 in (12.4 m) | 37 ft (11.28 m) |
| Length | 36 ft 1.75 in (11 m) | 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m) |
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
| Maximum Speed | 426 mph (686 km/h; 370 kn) | 440 mph (708 km/h; 383 kn) |
| Combat Range | 1,030 mi (1,660 km; 900 nmi) | 750 mi (1,200 km; 650 nmi) |
| Service Ceiling | 42,000 ft (13,000 m) | 41,900 ft (12,800 m) |
| Rate of Climb | 4,900 ft/min (24.9 m/s) | 3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s) |
| Armament | 6 x 0.50 M2 Browning machine guns (380 rounds per gun); 2,500 lb (1150 kg) of bombs | 6 × 0.50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns (380 rounds per gun); 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of bombs |
P-47 vs P-51: Costs
After looking at the specs of both the Thunderbolt and the Mustang, it may be tempting to declare a winner. However, as with everything in life, we also need to look at costs too.
P-47 Thunderbolt
In 1945, the asking price for a brand new P-47 from Republic Aviation was hovering at the $83,000 mark. Today, this $83,000 would be worth a little less than $1.2 million, when adjusted for inflation.
As of the time of writing, there are only 15 operational Thunderbolts, mostly flying as warbirds. Due to this, they are extremely rare to find in flying, or even a relatively good condition.
The most recent auction for a flying P-47 was held in the Summer of 2015. Sadly, the auction was closed-door, meaning that we don’t know how much it sold for. With that being said, estimates place the value of the P-47 at about $3.5 million.
However, that isn’t the only way to purchase a P-47. If you don’t want to fork over the $3.5 million and wait for several years for a genuine P-47 to come to market, you could always consider buying a replica.
As a general rule, P-47 replicas comes in three distinct sizes- full, half and quarter-scale replicas. On the lower end, quarter scale replicas are often about $35,000 each, whilst half scales are about $50,000 with full scales being about $65,000.
Due to the P-47’s age, it is becoming increasingly harder to acquire parts for the aircraft, as they’re simply not made anymore. Many companies make modern-day replica parts for the P-47, but they still aren’t cheap.
P-51 Mustang
In 1945, North American Aviation listed the price of a brand new P-51D Mustang at $50,985. When adjusting for inflation, this $50,985 is worth roughly $730,000 as of the time of writing.
Assuming that you were qualified, and had the financial resources to do so, you could, in theory buy your own genuine WWII P-51. As can be expected, there are several factors influences price, including variant, service history and age.
On the low end, you can expect to pay around $1.5 million for a P-51 that saw action in WWII (or around $1.25 million for a P-51 that didn’t!) On the high end, you can expect to pay around $2.5 million for a highly decorated P-51.
However, for most aviators, this price tag is far too high, even if it is for an iconic WWII fighter. As with the P-47, homebuilt replicas of the P-51 have been devised, having been built from the original P-51 plans.
These replicas similarly comes in full, half and quarter scale replicas. Generally speaking, these replicas will set you back around $65,00 for a half scale replica.
As with the P-47, the P-51 also has extremely high maintenance costs- mostly for the exact same reasons. Thankfully, the P-51 is a little cheaper in this regard, albeit not by very much.
P-47 vs P-51: Operations
Both the P-47 and P-51 have had some of the most intriguing service lives of any aircraft in history. Although both aircraft were used in many conflicts, the most famous of them was WWII, where the two aircraft often flew alongside one another.
P-47 Thunderbolt
The first P-47s were sent to England in the winter of 1942. Here, they would perform long range sorties alongside the RAF’s Spitfires. On these sorties, the P-47s would escort the RAF and USAAC’s P-38 Lightnings.
When the P-47 was first entered service, it was considered the British and American match for the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. The Fw 190 would be the aircraft that the P-47 would receive the most victories against.
As the P-51 entered service in the USAAC and RAF, the P-51 slowly began to replace the P-47 as long range escort aircraft, used to bomb Germany. Instead, the P-47 served in the smaller European Theaters like Malta.
WWII ended in 1945. From there, the USAAC had no reason to have all these P-47s. As such, they sold them to their former pilots, as well as to the air forces of other countries.
Over the course of the 1960’s, the Thunderbolt would be retired by the third world countries that bought them. The last air force to operate the Thunderbolt would be the Peruvian Air Force, who would retire the P-47 in 1966.
Today, there are only 15 airworthy P-47s. Many of these continue to fly regularly as warbirds at airshows. A few also act as museum displays for most of the year, and conduct flybys intermittently.
P-51 Mustang
The first Mustangs entered service with the RAF in January 1942, before entering service with the USAAC later on the same year. Here, they would replace the RAF’s and USAAC’s P-47s on long range escort routes.
Most Germans and later, the Japanese, viewed the Bf. 109 and the Mitsubishi Zero as their contender to the Mustang as these were the aircraft that most commonly engaged the Mustang in combat.
When WWII ended in 1945, the USAAC kept the vast majority of their P-51s in storage. A few were sold to their former pilots, but the vats majority stayed in USAAC (and later USAF) storage.
In June 1950, the US was embroiled in the Korean War. Here, these stored P-51s were brought out of storage and placed on aircraft carriers bound for Korea. Here, they would fight the first part of the war, before being retired and sold to other air forces.
Over the course of the Cold War, the last remaining P-51s were retired from service with various third world nation’s air forces. The last operator of the P-51 officially was the Dominican Air Force, who retired the P-51 in 1984.
Today, there are around 50 to 100 airworthy Mustangs (sources differ). As with the P-47, many of them continue to fly as warbirds. Even then, many more act as museum displays, in both flying and static conditions.
P-47 vs P-51: Opinions
As usual, we asked several different groups about their opinions on the matter of “P-47 vs P-51?”
Pilots
Sadly, the number of WWII fighter pilots is dwindling each week. Despite this, I was able to interview a number of former P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang pilots about their experiences in each aircraft.
Luckily, I was able to interview two former RAF pilots who’d initially been trained on the P-47 early in the P-47’s service before being retrained to fly the P-51 in the mid-1940’s.
Both men preferred the P-51 over the P-47. According to both men, the P-51 was noticeably faster and more nimble than the larger, slower and bulkier P-47. This often aided them in dogfights, or when the Germans pursued them.
However, they did also talk about how the P-47 was able to take a lot more hits than the P-51 could. Due to the aircraft’s large size, a few holes didn’t make that much of a difference, where it did on the smaller P-51.
Avgeeks
As per usual, I asked the aviation community about their opinions on both the P-47 and P-51. As per usual, it created a 50-50 split between the P-47 and P-51, with most preferring one over the other.
For many who preferred the P-47, they highlighted the Thunderbolt’s immense initial contributions in both the European and Pacific Theaters. On top of this, they also pointed out that the US’s first WWII aces, flew the P-47.
As well as this, many initial dogfights between the P-47 and German fighters would help to develop tactics that would still be in use during Vietnam!
Those who preferred the P-51, they pointed out that during WWII, the vast majority of fighter aces were P-51 pilots. On top of this, the P-51 was so good, they they kept it around for the Korean War too!
Public
As per usual, I asked members of the general public- those with no aviation-related background whatsoever, about their views on the P-47 and P-51.
Rather surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of the general American public had a preference for one particular aircraft: The P-51 Mustang. The same was also true for the British and Australian publics too.
According to many of them, without the P-51, the Allies may have never won WWII! After all, the P-51 was at the heart of all of the US’s propaganda during the war and afterwards.
Me
Prior to writing this article, I had personally never given much thought to which of the two aircraft I preferred. However, over the course of writing this article, and interviewing people for it, I have found myself having a natural preference.
Over the course of this article I have begun to prefer the P-47 more and more. Yes, the P-51 may have replaced it almost in its entirety by the end of the war, but it was instrumental at the beginning.
Without the P-47, the US Army Air Corps would have had to send squadrons that were all using different aircraft, to the UK. This would’ve made co-ordination and maintenance rather difficult for the ground crews.
On top of this, it was the P-47 that provided the Americans with their first victories against the Axis in Europe. The P-47 was originally the aircraft that scared the Germans the most, before being replaced by the P-51 later on in the war.
Summary
Overall, the P-47 is the larger aircraft. The P-47 sits higher of the ground than the P-51 does, whilst also being longer in length as well as having a much wider wingspan.
Due to this, the P-47 is also the heavier aircraft. Part of this extra weight is also due to the P-47’s ability to carry almost twice as many bombs as the P-51. This higher weight, also gives the P-47 a higher climb rate than the P-51.
On top of this, the P-47 can also fly at a higher altitude than the P-51, although not by enough to make a difference if the two aircraft were ever in a dogfight against one another.
The P-51 is noticeably faster than the P-47, however sacrifices range for speed.
Both Republic Aviation and North American Aviation made around the same amount of P-47s and P-51s, meaning that if the two types were to ever fly against one another, neither aircraft would have a numbers advantage.
P-47 vs P-51: Which is America’s best WWII fighter? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Steven Martin via Flickr.