Air Force Museum (part 3)

This was one of the monuments I don’t remember seeing before. It these etchings of the more prominent planes from WW II. I’ve always had an interest in the P-47 Thunderbolt (seen on the right) because many of them were manufactured in my hometown. Although it’s hardly considered a center of manufacturing might today, Evansville was an important part of the war effort during WW II. It was the largest inland producer of LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank) during the effort. And it was one of two cities to produce a particular line of P-47 Thunderbolts. According to Wikipedia, Evansville produced 6,242 P-47s and 167 LSTs during the war.  Partially because of the tie to local history, I’ve always been infatuated with the ‘flying jug.’

If I understand correctly, the P-47s built in Evansville were similar to this one above. The cockpit cover is the ‘razorback’ style, different than the cockpit in the P-47 below. Evansville made the razorbacks. Last time I was at the Museum, I think there was only one P-47 on display. I was happy to see two this time.

Of the more modern aircraft, I think the A-10 is one of my favorites. Maybe it’s partly because it’s known as the Thunderbolt II, paying homage to the P-47, which was also considered a highly effective ‘tank-killer.’