<article><hdr>A pair of P-47 Thunderbolts in flight</hdr><body>
<hi style=afpcap>The final production variant of the Thunderbolt was the P-47N which saw some 1,800 produced before VJ day when a further 5,900 were cancelled. The P-47N was designed specifically for the Pacific theatre , having been modified from the P-47D with an increased wing span housing two 93 gallon fuel tanks giving a range of more than 2,300 miles . Total P-47 production was more than 15,000 of which approximately two-thirds were assigned to operational commands overseas. Understandably some 5,200 were lost during combat operations, while a further 1,700 were lost to operational accidents. These figures may seem quite high, but were actually one of the lowest combat rates for fighter aircraft during World War Two at 0.7 per cent for the 1.35 million combat hours flown !</hi>
