Republic P-47D Thunderbolt (226671)  [@ RAF Duxford]

The featured Thunderbolt was built in 1945 at the Republic's Evansville factory in Indiana and built originally as a P-47D-40-RA. Detail of its service with the USAAF is not known, although it did serve with the Air Training Command during the last few months of the War, and was eventually stored at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma with the Air Material Command.

It was restored to full operational status at Hensley Field in Texas in 1952, after the Rio Pact had been signed by the USA, and was assigned to the Military Assistance Program in September of that year. In 1953 it formed part of a group of P47's which found their way to the Peruvian Air Force, who paid the princely sum of one dollar for each of the 25 aircraft it took from the USA. In the hands of the grateful Peruvians it gave good service until 1967, initially as a front line fighter and then as a fighter trainer, being numbered '119' and having had an all over silver paint scheme applied. The aircraft was very badly damaged in a forced landing accident at Tulsa, Oklahoma on 8th February 1980. When The Fighter Collection purchased it in late 1984 the restoration of the aircraft was about 70% complete.

Currently, the aircraft is sprayed silver overall, with D-Day invasion markings, and the features the black-and-white chequered cowling of the 78th Fighter Group, which had been based at RAF Duxford during the period 1943 to 1945. The serial no 226671 and codes MX-X were chosen, depicting the aircraft, “No Guts, No Glory”, flown by Lt Col Ben Mayo, CO of the 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group.