Nicknamed the "Jug" for its bulky shape, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was considered a monster of a machine. Despite its size, the Thunderbolt proved to be a fast and maneuverable warbird able to hold its own in combat. In fact, when Allied pilots climbed aboard a P-47, they knew the were in control of a fighting machine with enormous power. More importantly, they knew that if their aircraft was hit by gunfire, they had an excellent chance of making it home.

This particular 1:72 scale replica of a P-47D Thunderbolt, nicknamed "Boche Buster", was attached to the 62nd Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 6-3/4-inches
Length: 6-inches

Release Date: May 2007

Historical Account: "Boche Buster" - Fred Joseph Christensen Jr. was a fighter pilot and ace with the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. A member of the 56th Fighter Group in England, Christensen scored 21.5 aerial victories. He later served 24 years as a command officer with both the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve, retiring as a colonel.

Promoted to first lieutenant in February and captain in April, Christensen shot down his 16th aircraft on July 5th, and also that day incurred the first battle damage of his tour. On July 7th, leading the 62nd FS, Christensen was returning from a bomber escort mission and overflew Gardelegen Airfield, assessing it as a possible strafing target. Christensen noted numerous parked aircraft dispersed on the field, but then observed a flight of Junkers Ju 52 transports in trail at very low altitude, approaching to land.

Christensen dove on the landing pattern from 10,000 feet and shot down the next-to-last transport with hits on the left side. He quickly overtook and fired at a second target, which burned and crashed. A third transport attempted to evade to the left but he downed it with a deflection burst, setting its fuel tanks on fire. The German pilot attempted to land but crashed short of the field.

As Christensen maneuvered for a fourth interception, his engine quit from fuel starvation. Christensen switched tanks, air-started his engine, and barely 100 feet off the ground, fixed another Ju 52 in his sights. He scored several hits, and in its attempt to evade, the transport flew into the ground. Christensen attacked a fifth airplane, observing strikes on its fuselage and wing root, and shot it down before it could land. He then destroyed a sixth Ju 52 to become an "ace-in-a-day" in an engagement that had lasted less than two minutes. In all, 10 of the 12 transports were shot down by the 62nd FS.