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Rating:  - Concise look at the P-47 with rare photos
P-47 Thunderbolt at War is a very classy addition to the Thunderbolt literature. Cory Graff exceeds expectations for a book of this length, packing its pages with useful information and outstanding images. The photos were especially fascinating; I was happy to see many shots from Martin Aviation Museum stalwart Stan Piet among Graff's choices.
I learned much about the details of the Jug's manufacture and its design heritage. A big plus for me was the coverage Graff gave to the Thunderbolt's overlooked use in the Pacific and CBI theaters. I corresponded a bit with the late Smithsonian columnist and author Edwards Park, who flew both the P-39 and the P-47 in the New Guinea area. He was greatly impressed with the ruggedness of his new P-47, and reported seeing a colleague flying low over the ocean accidentally dip his prop into the waves. Out of the resulting tremendous splash hurtled a P-47, battered but still flying.
Graff's book is a welcome complement on my shelf to the older P-47 works by Freeman and Bodie. I denied it a fifth star only because it left me wanting more; "Thunderbolt at War" could have easily been twice the length.
Rating: - Good Introduction to the P-47 Thunderbolt!
'Jug' fans will want to add Cory Graff's P-47 book to their World War II bookshelves. There are a number of Thunderbolt books out there - Warren Bodie's is the very best - but Graff's comprehensive, well-illustrated summary is hard to beat in terms of an introduction to Republic's heavyweight fighter.
To be honest, if you've already read a lot of books on the P-47, there's not much new in P-47 THUNDERBOLT AT WAR in terms of text or photos. However the main selling point of the book is that it brings together all aspects of the P-47's career - development, stateside production, WWII service in all theaters and postwar use - under one cover and illustrates that with a wealth of photographs. Although most of the photographs in the book have been seen previously, Graff's book brings them together to the tune of over 110 black & white and 50 color shots. Add to that mix an interview with 4th FG ace Steve Pisanos and you're getting great value for a price tag of $19.95!
Recommended.
Rating:  - Fascinating reading
I just finished reading this fine book about the P-47. It was written by an author who truly respected the abilities of this large and powerful fighter plane. The author gives background information about the pedigree of the P-47 with interesting narrative about Alexander de Seversky and Alexander Kartveli, the men who produced the design and the plane, men born in the same area in Russia and emigrated to the US. The P-47 ancestors included a variety of Seversky aircraft leading to the P-35. This company became Republic and produced the P-43 and the the P-47. Most of the rest of the book deals about the building of the P-47 followed by its introduction into the military and its use in the ETO and the Pacific as well as it use during World War II by France, Brazil and Mexico (as well as Britain and USSR). Mention was made of post-WWII use by France, Yugoslavia and many Latin American countries This was a book that I couldn't put down. It was well written, well illustrated and very enjoyable reading.
There have been other valuable sources of information on the P-47. Warren Bodie's 1994 book is the "gold standard" and is more academic, much more encyclopedic, and better illustrated. This does not detract from Cory Graff's book which although less complete, is more enjoyable reading for the readers generally interested in World War II and aviation.
William Hess (1994) and Roger Freeman (1978) have interesting and well illustrated books. Squadron is coming out with a P-47 in Action publication which will probably be great for those interested in the identification of the different P-47 models and colors.
Again, I found "P-47 Thunderbolt at War" enjoyable to read and recommend it highly.
Rating: - Excellent P-47 book
This book tells the story of the mighty "Thunderbolt" the way it deserves to be told, with lots of dramatic description, harrowing tales, and relevant, well-written technical and historical background. It's definitely the best P-47 book I've read.
Graff has a knack for uncovering and presenting the vivid details and backstories that made the P-47 unique. Beginning with company creator Alexander de Seversky (a rebellious, one-legged, exiled Russian war hero, no less) and designer Alexander Kartveli (former circus trapeze artist and math teacher), he relates how the US Army's seemingly unattainable wish list for a new fighter resulted in a plane that became the choice of 17 out of America's 21 top-scoring fighter aces.
Jaw-dropping pilots' recollections are interwoven throughout, graphically illustrating just how tough and powerful this beast of a plane was. There is a four page interview with retired Col. Steve N. Pisanos, who became an ace while he flew the P-47 with the 4th Fighter Group. Since Pisanos also flew the Spitfire and the P-51, his account of the "seven ton monster" in battle is especially insightful.
At 128 pages, the book does a surprisingly thorough job of covering the P-47 in combat as fighter, escort, and fighter-bomber in Europe, Africa and the Pacific. Graff sticks to topic, and each anecdote makes a point. Unique among P-47 books is an engaging account of the factory workers who produced the plane.
If you're looking for a good tech manual, this isn't it, although there is a 16 page "nuts and bolts" chapter. Essential characteristics are clearly detailed, accompanied by graphics, and related to the plane's performance in battle.
Every page has at least one image, and many have two or three. There is a good variety of color and black and white photographs, drawings, posters, and cartoons. The images are mostly from private collections, the National Archives, and the Museum of Flight, where the author is a curator. Far from being just stuck in (as is way too common in aviation writing), they add to the text nicely, making the book all the more entertaining and informative.
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