World War II AircraftThe Republic P-47D Thunderbolt was the largest and heaviest single-engine fighter to see combat during the Second World War. Its Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine of 2;600 hp with water injection gave it a maximum speed of 430 mph at 29;000 feet; combat range was 800 miles; and service ceiling was over 40;000 feet: the P-47 performed best as a fighter at high altitude;but was also a very effective ground-attack aircraft; with its fixed gun armament of eight 0.5" Browning M2 machine guns and a maximum underwing load of ten 5" rockets or 2;500 lb of bombs. The aircraft shown is a P-47D 'Razorback' that served with the Eighth USAAF over Europe; later D models had a 'bubble' canopy and a cut-down rear fuselage that greatly improved the pilot's outlook.Illustration (Tim Brown); 2019.