Blitzkrieg 2 team member, Biohazard posted up a bit of history on the P-47 at the mod's website. Here is part of it;
Biohazard wrote: First conceived as a lightweight interceptor, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt evolved into a heavy fighter during development. The first prototype flew on May 6, 1941 and was an immediate success. By early 1942, P-47s were rolling off the production lines and were flying combat missions a year later. Weighing over 20,000 pounds and packing a Pratt & Whitney R2800, Turbo-Supercharged, 18 cylinder air cooled radial engine rated at over 2,000 horsepower, the "Jug" as it was soon affectionately nicknamed was able to outdive any aircraft of the war. Fast and maneuverable,...
To read the rest of it, and check out some images of the P47 head to the Blitzkrieg 2 mod site by clicking here or the images below.
Awesome. :)