The P-47D was a workhorse of the U.S. Army Air Force during the last half of World War II saw action in both the European and Pacific theaters of the war.
Although its 2,000 horse power R-2800 "Double Wasp" engine and exhaust turbine made the aircraft necessarily large and heavy, these proved to be no barrier to high performance, and it was utilized not only as an escort to U.S. bombers but its bomb load capacity made it outstanding in the ground attack role.
Nearly 12,602 'D' models were built, which is the largest total of one sub-type of any fighter in history, and total production of the Thunderbolt amounting to 15,660. Even after World war II, the P-47 was popular with many air forces until well into the 1950s.