Limited Edition
1400
Pieces Worldwide

The Mediterranean based 325th Fighter Group was the only P-47 group within the strategic Fifteenth Air Force. A major force within was the outstanding and popular fighter leader, Herschel 'Herky' Green, who was not only the ranking P-47 ace in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (MTO) but also the AAF's top scoring pilot-in-theatre. Green commanded the 317th FS from March through September 1944. This particular aircraft was his personal mount and like all his aircraft was numbered 11 and lacked embellishment other than 'ace' on the nose. The inspiration for this design was a Vargas calendar cowgirl, a very popular 'model' for aircraft nose art during the war. Periodically he was obliged to fly other aircraft if his was under repair and in one such P-47, 'Star of Altoona', he downed six aircraft on 30th January 1944. His final tally stood at 18 destroyed, 1 probable and 6 damaged.

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt

Designed by Alexander Kartveli meeting a USAAC requirement for a heavy fighter, the P-47 was first flown on May 6th, 1941. Later models featured a "bubble-top" canopy rather than the sharply peaked "razorback" fuselage which resulted in poor visibility for the aircraft's pilot. The P-47, a deadly pursuit aircraft, featured 8 x 12.7mm machine guns; all mounted in the wings. Even with the complicated turbosupercharger system, the sturdy airframe and tough radial engine, the P-47 ("Jug" or "Juggernaut" as it was nicknamed) could absorb damage and still return home. Built in greater quantities than any other US fighter, the P-47 was the heaviest single-engine WWII fighter and the first piston-powered fighter to exceed 500 mph.