P-47D ThunderboltRepublic P 47 Thunderbolt airplane model. The P 47 Thunderbolt was one of America's leading fighter airplanes of WW II. It made its initial flight on May 6, 1941, but the first production article was not delivered to the AAF until March 18, 1942, more than three months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. On April 8, 1943, the P 47 flew its first combat mission, taking off from England for a sweep over western Europe. During the next several months, AAF