Coming June 2027 - "P-47N Thunderbolt Units of the Central Pacific" by Jonathan Bernstein

[Edward]

P-47N Thunderbolt Units of the Central Pacific
(Osprey Publishing - 22 June 2027)
by Jonathan Bernstein. Illustrated by Gareth Hector with Colour Profiles by Janusz Swiatlon
96 pages - paperback

Other books on the P-47 Thunderbolt by Bernstein

P-47 Thunderbolt vs German Flak Defenses: Western Europe 1943–45 (Duel 114)
(Osprey Publishing 2021)
by Jonathan Bernstein. Illustrated by Jim Laurier
80 pages - paperback

"A detailed look at the tactics and techniques used by both P-47 fighter-bomber pilots and the German flak gunners charged with preventing their attacks. Analysis will focus on the employment of Allied tactical air power in Europe from 1943 and how German defenses struggled to counter the overwhelming air threat.

Since the end of World War 2, the tactical air war over Europe has been largely overlooked by historians and authors alike in favor of analysis of the higher profile strategic bombing campaign. Involving just as many aircraft as the daylight heavy bombing campaign, the fighter-bombers (principally of the Ninth Air Force) wreaked considerably more havoc on German ground forces. Indeed, Thunderbolt units undertaking such missions effectively complemented the strategic campaign, ensuring the defeat of Nazi Germany. P-47 pilots paid a high price to achieve this victory, however, as the German flak arm was well equipped (nearly a quarter of all war-related production was devoted to anti-aircraft weaponry) with weapons of various calibers to counter tactical air power's low to medium altitude threat. The USAAF four numbered air forces that saw action over the European continent suffered significant fighter-bomber losses to flak. The principle fighter-bomber from the summer of 1944 through to VE Day was the P-47D, with both dedicated ground attack units and squadrons that had completed their bomber escort tasking seeking out targets of opportunity across occupied Western Europe.

While heavy-caliber anti-aircraft fire was intended to both shoot down enemy aircraft and force bombers to drop their ordnance sooner or from higher altitudes, thus reducing bombing accuracy, low-altitude flak batteries put up a virtual 'wall of steel' for enemy fighter-bombers to fly through. Damaging a low-flying fighter-bomber made it easier for other flak gunners to track, engage, and destroy it. Innovations like lead-computing gunsights gave gunners a higher probability of intercepting low-altitude fighters. Conversely, the appearance of air-to-ground rockets beneath the wings of P-47s gave pilots better standoff range and a harder-hitting punch when dealing with low and medium altitude flak units.

This volume analyzes the tactics and techniques used by both P-47 fighter-bomber pilots and German flak gunners, featuring full-color illustrations to examine the Allied tactical air power in Europe from 1943 and how German defenses were overpowered by the air threat."

https://www.ospreypublishing.com/uk/...9781472846297/

P-47 Thunderbolt Combat Missions: First-Hand Accounts of P-47 Thunderbolt Ops in World War II
(Metro Books 2015)
by Jonathan Bernstein
160 pages - hardback

"The P-47 first flew on May 6. 1941, emerging as the largest and heaviest single-engine fighter ever made. Straight and level, it showed blistering speed and exemplary high-altitude performance, and it first went into combat in the spring of 1943 with the 4th Fighter Group in Europe. This was just the beginning of an extraordinary combat career. The P-47 flew and fought across Europe, the Mediterranean, the China-Burma-India (CBI) theatre, and the Pacific. What made it so useful to the allies was its sheer punch – the P-47 could take on both the air-to-air combat role and the fighter-bomber role with equal confidence. P-47 Thunderbolt Combat Missions explores every aspect of this aircraft, both operational and technical. The numerous first-hand accounts not only give an immersive insight into the combat experience of P-47 pilots, but also explore their day-to-day lives. Alongside their stories are numerous unpublished archive and memorabilia photos, the whole forming a detailed record of this stellar airplane and its crew."

P-47 Thunderbolt Units of the Twelfth Air Force
(Combat Aircraft, 92)
(Osprey Publishing 2012)
by Jonathan Bernstein. Illustrated by Chris Davey
96 pages - paperback

"The P-47 Thunderbolt, originally designed as a high-altitude interceptor, became the principle US fighter-bomber of World War 2. First adapted to the ground attack role by units of the Twelfth Air Force in early 1944, the strength and durability of the P-47 airframe, along with its massive size, earned it the nickname 'Juggernaut', which was quickly shortened to 'Jug' throughout the MTO and ETO. Twelfth Air Force fighter groups had done a superb job flying both tactical strike missions and bomber escort in the P-40F since late 1942. The sturdy and capable Curtiss fighter served well as a fighter-bomber, but still remained susceptible to ground fire due to its liquid-cooled inline engine. Alongside the Twelfth's P-40 units, an additional two fighter groups flew the A-36 dive-bomber version of the P-51 Mustang and several others employed the twin-engined P-38 and mid-engined P-39. By October 1943, with the creation of the Fifteenth Air Force, nearly half of the Twelfth's fighter groups would be re-tasked with strategic escort missions, leaving six groups to perform close air support and interdiction missions throughout the entire Mediterranean theatre. The remaining P-40 and A-36 groups began refitting with the P-47 in the early spring of 1944 and were the first to use the 'Jug' in the ground support role, creating many of the tactics, techniques and procedures that would become standardised throughout the USAAF's tactical air forces. The group's inflicted incredible damage on the enemy's transport routes in particular, using rockets, bombs, napalm and machine gun rounds to down bridges, blow up tunnels and strafe trains. Myriad firsthand accounts and period photography reveal the spectacular success enjoyed by the Thunderbolt in the MTO in the final year of the war."

The Author
Jonathan Bernstein is an aviation author, historian, former attack helicopter pilot and current director of the US Army Air Defense Artillery Museum. He is the author of three Osprey Combat Aircraft volumes, and has also had books published by Squadron / Signal Publications and Elephant Books. Jonathan is a frequent contributor to National Guard Magazine, Supply Line and Armor Journal.

He recently [2026] completed his fourth book on the P-47 Thunderbolt in World War 2. He has written a number of books on aircraft in the ground support role and has studied the applications of tactical airpower throughout the 20th century.

He is celebrating his 30th year as a museum professional in 2021 and is currently serving as the Arms & Armor Curator for the National Museum of the Marine Corps. He is also a former US Army AH-64 pilot, qualified in both the AH-64A and AH-64D.