Hobby Master HA8408 P-47D Thunderbolt 226785 "OH JOHNNIE", 1st Lt. Raymond Knight, 346th FS/350th FG, Pisa, Italy, 1945
£104.99
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Hobby Master Air Power Series 1/48 Scale
HA8408 P-47D Thunderbolt 226785 "OH JOHNNIE", 1st Lt. Raymond Knight, 346th FS/350th FG, Pisa, Italy, 1945
Limited Edition
Released in 2015
The Republic Aviation P-47 “Thunderbolt” entered service in May 1942 with the introduction of the P-47B. It had a “Razorback”, a high dorsal spine behind the side-ways opening canopy that reduced visibility. As improvements were mad,e a “D” variant was produced with 12,602 being manufactured. The British developed a sliding bubble canopy for their Typhoon and this was adopted by the USAAF starting with the P-47D-5. With its ability to survive enemy fire, along with impressive armament and bomb load, the P-47 excelled at ground attack roles.
On April 24, 1944, 1st Lt. Raymond Knight volunteered to lead two other P-47s on a raid of a German airfield at Ghedi, Italy. Knight kept the other P-47s high while he flew at tree-top level to reconnoitre the field. He spotted 8 aircraft and during the following strafing runs, he destroyed 5, and the other P-47s accounted for two more. Later that day, he led a raid on Bergamo, making ten strafing passes, destroying six twin-engined aircraft and two fighters, while the other P-47s destroyed 5 twins and one fighter. On April 25, 1944, Knight attacked Bergamo again and destroyed three more German aircraft, but this time “Oh Johnnie” was critically hit and crashed, killing the 22-year-old 1st Lt. Raymond Knight.
Republic Aviation P-47D specifications Number Produced - 12,602