Brazilian P-47s?

[Geoffrey Sinclair]

Brazil 68 P-47D.  The following format is ADT-15 Delivery Log page, month in 1944, number of aircraft the delivery report has, then the serials the delivery logs have for the month

 

P174, April, 0 a/c, 42-26450 P-47D-25.

P180, May, 37 a/c, 42-26752 and 3, 42-26755 to 773 P-47D-25, 42-26775 to 789 P-47D-27 (36 a/c serials)

P180, June, 1 a/c, 42-26774 P-47D-27

P76, July, 10 a/c, 44-19659 to 668, P-47D-28

Sub total 48, but a slight disagreement between delivery logs and delivery report.  Also 44-19664 and 668 to USAAF later (March 1945?), there are probably others.

 

P90, September 9 a/c, 44-20338, 339, 341 to 347 P-47D-30 (also 44-20293 in 1946?)

P90, October 1 a/c 44-20340 P-47D-30

P99, November 9 a/c, 44-20798 to 801, 803 to 807 P-47D-30

P99, December 1 a/c, 44-20802 P-47D-30

Sub Total 20

 

P100 to 106, Also 44-20850 and 854 diverted to Brazil in December 1944, 44-21022 and 093 to Brazil April 1945, there are probably others. 

 

All the above from Farmingdale, the following in 1945 from Evansville

 

P40, June, 19 a/c, 45-49228, 231, 234 to 240, 243 to 247, 249, 251, 252, 256, 262, P-47D-40.  This batch is a form of compensation for the reported 17 remaining reserve aircraft in Italy being reassigned to the USAAF post war, and probably 2 other such transfers.  25 of the original allocation went with the unit to Brazil post war, the remainder of the 68 had been lost according to Air Arsenal North America.

 

Mexico allocation of 58 P-47D, reported as 25 new lend lease and rest from USAAF theatre stocks.  Then another 25 post war.

 

P138, February, ADT-16 (not 15), 25 a/c 44-33710, 711, 713 to 723, 725, 727 to 733, 735, 737, 738, 741 P-47D-30, all initially delivered for USAAF, then to Mexico then diverted to USAAF 7 December 1945.

 

To compensate for the return of the above 25 aircraft, presumably shipped to the Philippines, Mexico received 25 P-47D-30 originally delivered to the USAAF in March (first two) and April 1945 (other 23), all marked diverted to Mexico 7 December 1945.  P147 to 152, ADT-16 (not 15), Serials 44-89945, 92, 90008, 049, 165, 170, 180, 183, 185, 190, 192, 194, 196, 198, 199, 202, 204, 205, 208 to 211, 214, 217, 226

 

As I read it Brazil received 68 new P-47D during 1944 for Italian operations and probably only used that allocation, receiving an extra shipment in 1945 as replacements for aircraft transferred to the USAAF in Italy.  After 1945 additional P-47 were acquired.  Mexico received 25 new P-47D during the war but also used USAAF theatre stocks, all 25 P-47D survived and were transferred to the USAAF in the Philippines with Mexico receiving 25 P-47D from USAAF stocks as replacements.

[Duggy]

Lots of photos of the Brazilian Air Force 1st Fighter Group, can be seen here -- http://axis-and-allies-paintworks.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=13528

[JWM]

On 3/3/2024 at 11:45 AM, Duggy said:

Lots of photos of the Brazilian Air Force 1st Fighter Group, can be seen here -- http://axis-and-allies-paintworks.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=13528

Many thansk, some of them are the same as in the link I found recently. However here is interesting belly drop tank 

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii120/Duggy009/1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron/P-47D-25-RE 42-26766 B4 1st Brazilian.jpg

At first moment it looks like a standard US drop tank like those carried by P40s or P39s, however the halves of this tanks are separated by a metal belt, which makes that the cross section or frontal view on it is of a stadium shape: two half circles and a straight lines between them. Do I see it correctly? I think it must be a field modification since it was not quoted on any known to me drawings of drop tanks 

  

Edited March 5 by JWM

[KRK4m]

Indeed, the photo shows something strange, although the 5 designs you showed absolutely do not exhaust the variations of external P-47 tanks. There were a total of 11 of them and you can compare them (all drawings are in scale - it was supposed to be 1:48, but the printing house made it 1:52) on page 20 of my P-47 brochure (TBU #158). Under the fuselage there were American metal tanks with a capacity of 200 USgal (semi-drop, adjacent to the fuselage, for ferry flights or flat, box-shaped), 150 USgal (cylindrical), 110 USgal (drip), 75 USgal (drip) or British ones made of reinforced cardboard (all cylindrical) with capacities of 90, 125 or 165 ImpGal.

Starting with the D-15 variant, almost all of them (the exception was this 200-USgal semi-flush ferry tank) could also be carried under the wings. It was also possible to install there (not limited by the low ground clearance of the fuselage) two other types of metal American teardrop tanks with a capacity of 150 or 165 USgal (from the P-38). The record holder was the P-47N - the only variant cleared with 310 USgal underwing tanks (from the P-61).

Cheers

Michael

[Tbolt]

21 hours ago, JWM said:

Many thansk, some of them are the same as in the link I found recently. However here is interesting belly drop tank 

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii120/Duggy009/1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron/P-47D-25-RE 42-26766 B4 1st Brazilian.jpg

At first moment it looks like a standard US drop tank like those carried by P40s or P39s, however the halves of this tanks are separated by a metal belt, which makes that the cross section or frontal view on it is of a stadium shape: two half circles and a straight lines between them. Do I see it correctly? I think it must be a field modification since it was not quoted on any known to me drawings of drop tanks 

  

 

I believe this tank was made by using two 75 gal tank halves and extending them for a larger capacity. You can see the top of the tank in this photo.

 

There's a 1/48th scale resin one available here - https://thundercals.com/resin-tanks/

 

[JWM]

3 minutes ago, Tbolt said:

There's a 1/48th scale resin one available here - https://thundercals.com/resin-tanks/

 

I will do it in 1/72 by a home made scratch conversion. Interesting, it is named MTO tank, so it was a in-field modification. likely made at one of the MTO air base (?). 

[Tbolt]

2 minutes ago, JWM said:

I will do it in 1/72 by a home made scratch conversion. Interesting, it is named MTO tank, so it was a in-field modification. likely made at one of the MTO air base (?). 

 

Probably yes, I don't have any other detail on it. Note the resin description is MTO and PTO, though I don't recall seeing them in the PTO.

[Tbolt]

12 minutes ago, JWM said:

I will do it in 1/72 by a home made scratch conversion. Interesting, it is named MTO tank, so it was a in-field modification. likely made at one of the MTO air base (?). 

 

Here's some pictures of one I've got from a museum which might help. Note this type seems to have a seam down the middle. Not sure the description is accurate though.

 

 

 

 

[JWM]

This thread was very useful in my build of Brazilian P47. The result is  on RFI now : 

 

Many thanks and regards

J-W