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The P-47 Thunderbolt proved to be an outstanding combat plane both in bomber escort and ground attack duty. It was the largest and heaviest single-engine one-seater built during World War II. A total of 15,883 planes were built in several versions. The 'T-Bolt' or 'Jug', as it was called by pilots and ground personnel, was employed intensively from early 1943 on all fronts. When the P-47 design was submitted to USAAC authorities on August 1, 1939, it was rejected and the designer was asked to develop a larger and more powerful version. In November the company signed a contract for two prototypes (the XP-47 and the XP-47A) to be powered by liquid-cooled Allison engines. The Allison engines turned out to be a mistake. The first military experiences in Europe had made it clear that planes must be better armed and better armored. The Allison engine was not powerful enough, nor could it provide satisfactory performance at high altitude. Therefore an alternate project was developed in terms of the most powerful engine then available, the new 2,000-h.p. Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp radial. The plane was literally designed around this large engine and its complex exhaust-gas-powered feeding system. It was again submitted to USAAC authorities in June, 1940, and this time the project, the XP-47B, was accepted without hesitation. A first order for 773 planes, at a value of $56.5 million, was placed while the plane was still on the drawing board. Of these, 170 were built as P-47Bs, 602 as P-47Cs, and one as the XP-47E, with a pressurized cabin.
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