Fate of each P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt

[Peter Randall]

Faenor, of all the serials listed in the above post, only two relate to the P-47M which was the subject of your original question.

The identification and fate of all P-47M aircraft has long been the quest of many historians but unfortunately, remaining records do not help in fulfilling this aim. For example, on 10 April 1945, I have a note of three incidents that are lacking in detail. Firstly, Paul W Stitt, 62nd FS was killed in a crash-landing in Belgium and Clarence A Tingen also of 62nd force-landed at B-70 Antwerp-Deurne in Belgium. In both instances neither the serial number nor the code letter is known. On the same day, there is a report of a possible second crash-landing in Belgium where the squadron, serial, code and pilot are all unknown. However, such is the shortage of information that it could well relate to the Stitt crash-landing. This is just the "tip of the iceberg".

As far as I know, the listing of P-47M's that I currently have on site is the most comprehensive available to date, unless I can eventually get my hands on the late Roger Freeman's notes, as he was also trying to compile such a list, along with identuifying all of the "Snow White" and "Dogpatch" aircraft from the earlier P-47D's in the 61st and 62nd squadrons. Similarly, I have no idea of what happened to the remaining M's when the 56th rotated back to the ZI, but suspect that like many other aircraft, they were scrapped in the UK.

Peter