P-47 Thunderbolt — Why Japan Called It Unstoppable

P-47 Thunderbolt — What Japan Really Thought (the “Flying Tank”) Declassified reports and pilot testimonies reveal how Japanese forces first mocked the P-47 Thunderbolt as “too big, too slow”—then issued orders to avoid combat after brutal encounters with its R-2800 + turbo-supercharger power, energy tactics, and 8×.50 cal wall of lead. Watch next Newest upload - Douglas A-1 Skyraider - The Plane That Wouldn’t Die →    • Douglas A-1 Skyraider - The Plane That Wou...   F4U Corsair — “Whistling Death” →    • F4U Corsair - “Whistling Death” Japan Coul...   • B-29 Superfortress — Why Japan Called It Unstoppable →    • B-29 Superfortress - Why Japan Called Them...   • P-38 Lightning — The Early Pacific Shock →    • Video   Series playlist →    • Impossible Aircrafts in History   Subscribe →    / @militaryhistorydebrief   What’s inside – April ’43 memos calling the P-47 “overweight… unsuitable for Pacific ops” – How vertical energy fighting and 500+ mph dives broke Zero/Oscar doctrine – Field logs of bullet-soaked Jugs limping home (armor & self-sealing tanks) – Japanese engineers dissecting the turbo-supercharger—“impossible power” at altitude – Order 219 (Feb ’45): “Avoid extended combat with Thunderbolts” – Why mass, metallurgy, and production flipped the psychology of the air war Sources & notes Drawn from Allied after-action reports, Japanese pilot diaries/technical briefs, unit histories (348th FG, New Guinea/Solomons), and declassified intelligence summaries. 0:00 – Japan Calls the P-47 a “Flying Tank” 2:10 – Dismissing the Thunderbolt in 1943 Memos 4:45 – U.S. Armor vs. Japan’s Agility Doctrine 7:20 – First Encounters: New Guinea & Solomon Skies 10:15 – Vertical Energy Fighting and Impossible Dives 13:05 – Surviving the Unthinkable: Jugs That Wouldn’t Fall 15:40 – Order 219: “Avoid the Thunderbolt” #MilitaryHistory #WWII #Thunderbolt #P47Thunderbolt #WWIIaviation #PacificWar #WWIIHistory