Warbird Information Exchange

gotta love LIFE Mag

http://images.google.com/hosted/life/f?q=ww2+p-47+aircraft+source:life&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dww2%2Bp-47%2Baircraft%2Bsource:life%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den&imgurl=4e0daaffe7b226ac

"American P-47 Thunderbolt getting some maintenence in the dispersal area of a makeshift airfield in the French countryside following the Allied invasion of Normandy." August 1944


Shay
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Semper Fortis

That is a VERY cool shot! Notice the over sized stars and bars under BOTH wings. Things like WW2 Weekend in Reading are cool, but no matter how hard you try, you can't make it look like the French countryside unless you're really in France.

cool pic, it looks like a diorama!!

I like the Cletrac M2 High Speed Tractor too! We are slowly restoring one here. In fact the engine just came back from the overhaul shop today.

The Cletrac has a high pressure (adjustable up to 2000 psi) engine driven air compressor on the back for tires, air tools and servicing the struts, which looks exactly like what he is doing. The line he is holding leads to the receiver cylinder and controls that are mounted on the left front fender.

The large bottle on the right front fender is a modification. I have seen other Cletracs with oxygen bottles mounted on the right side for servicing the O2 systems so I would wager that's probably an oxygen cylinder.

The Cletrac also had an engine driven generator on the right front fender which put out 115 volts DC for running lights and certain power tools. This tractor was quite the service vehicle for the AAF and went on into Korea.

Sorry if I hijacked a thread about the P-47. I think the Cletrac and the jug were probably designed by the same folks since they were both built like a tank!

I really like the nose art on the 500 pound GP's on the wing racks. I wonder if they did this for the Life photographer or was it just the normal routine?

Is it me, or do the guns on both wings look misaligned?

Port wing, third gun out from the fuselage looks to be pointed more down than the other three. Starboard wing, inner two guns appear to be pointed to the right relative to the outer two.

Looks like they are servicing the guns so they may have the barrels out or are in the process of removing/reinstalling the entire gun.

Thanks for the Cletrac info, Taigh. I guessed something like that was happening and you confirmed it. Thread drift is often as interesting as the original subject, sometimes more so!