The Republic Aviation P47 Thunderbolt was one of the first of the new designs to see service for the
 United States in World War II, and saw service throughout the war in all theaters. Like the Corsair
 the Jug was built around the famous Pratt & Whitney Double-Wasp radial engine. In fact it was
  the prospect of this great engine that spurred on the development of the biggest and heaviest 
 single engine fighter to see  service in World War II. It was the most heavily produced U.S. fighter
 of the War. The "D" variant was the  most heavily produced sub-variant of any plane, with well over 
 10,000 being produced. 

Even in those days the U.S. Military establishment put heavy emphasis on "lessons learned". The air
 battles in Europe were closely watched by aircraft designers and theorists in the United States.
  The factors which were seen to determine the difference between victory and defeat were:
  speed, durability, and firepower.  Maneuverability, which had always been rated highly in fighter
 design since the days of WWI was no  longer considered to be an overarching requirement
 in fighter design. The P47's design threw away  dogfighting ability - but it was loaded in abundance
 with speed, durability and firepower. 

The designers of the Thunderbolt took these "lessons learned" at face value - in fact they threw
 out any attempt to build maneuverability into the Thunderbolt's design specifications. 
 The British in particular hought that American designers had "thrown out the baby with
 t the bathwater" in their design of the P47. They didn't really care for the Jug. Pilots too were leery. 
 They wanted a "sexy" fighter not some behemoth the size of some bombers. 
 

In essence the designers at Republic were proven correct. The P47's battle accomplishments were
 impressive. The plane was not a graceful sleek fighter, but a war-winning Juggernaut which proved
 surprisingly effective in air-to-air combat and was a fighter-bomber without peer. The P47's
 effectiveness  in air-to-air combat in the ETO as an escort fighter largely revolved around its
 excellent high altitude  performance and speed. The two stage Turbo-Supercharger of the 
Double-Wasp engine gave the P47  superb high altitude speed and performance, allowing it to
 compete on equal terms with the more maneuverable Axis planes it faced. In the rarefied atmosphere
  above 25,000ft the P47 was very  dangerous. Its eight .50 caliber machine-guns gave it a
 powerful punch, and it could absorb a tremendous  amount of damage and keep flying. Its dive 
acceleration was incredible. The Luftwaffe pilot who had routinely eluded P38F's with a Spit-S and dive
  found out quickly that tactic didn't work against the P47. Some of the highest scoring  Fighter Groups
  in the ETO flew the "Jug". 

The P47 was superseded by the longer range Mustang as an escort plane, but then really came into its
 own as a ground attack fighter-bomber. The P47 was probably the best fighter-bomber of the War.
 While the IL2/10 Shturmovik might lay claims to being a better ground attack aircraft overall, it was a
 dedicated ground attack tactical bomber - not a multi-purpose fighter-bomber. 

Strengths:

The P47 is an extremely durable aircraft. It is fast and has the fastest initial dive acceleration of any
 fighter. If the P47 has any type of altitude to play with almost any fighter can pretty much say
  goodbye once it unloads the airframe in a dive. Its high altitude performance is excellent.  
It is one of the fastest planes ver 30,000ft. Its roll rate is respectable, and its zoom climb is good.
 o Its eight .50 caliber machine guns  give it a respectable punch - 33% more firepower than most othe
r U.S. fighters. The P47's ammunition load  is massive. Its 400 rounds per gun give it an eternity of fire.
 Its ability to sustain damage and carry a big  bomb/rocket load make it a great ground attack
 fighter-bomber.