Production P-47 Thunderbolts were in the air in early 1943, excelling in long-range escort and ground-attack bombing. More than 12,000 P-47s -- more than any other U.S. fighter before or since -- were flown by airmen from Australia, Brazil. France, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain. With archival photographs of WWII action and beautiful color shots of restored warbirds, this book shows in detail the legendary Jug, the big radial-engine fighter that could match the best German machines and wreak havoc in its ground support role.