The Fighter Collection

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*NEW*

The Fighter Collections’ Curtiss (Republic) P-47G-10-CU Thunderbolt/42-25068(G-CDVX) was rolled out the temporary paint bay that was erected in the western part of Hangar 2 and into the bright early morning sunshine of the 14th June 2011 to show off its new camouflage and markings. It was back in the hangar for these photos. Having arrived at Duxford in 2006 as ‘Little Demon’ it’s now finished as P-47D-06-RE Thunderbolt ‘SNAFU’/WZ-D/42-74742 when flown by the 8th Air Force Fighter Group/78th Fighter Group/84th Fighter Squadron when they were based at the 8th Air Force Station F-357/Duxford between April 1943 and October 1945.
As WZ-O, 274742 was originally named ‘War Eagle’ and used as the personal mount of Captain Julius Maxwell Commanding Officer A Flight, 84th Fighter Squadron. The code letters changed to WZ-B and assigned to 1st Lt Severino B Calderon before becoming WZ-D/SNAFU. There is a published USAAF photograph of ‘SNAFU’ taken after it had made a wheels up landing at Duxford on the 15th December 1944 when flown by Captain Earl L.Steir. 27472 is credited with two-half aircraft kills and a steam engine when involved in various ‘sweeps’ across Europe, denoted by the broom tally painted just forward of the windscreen. If bombs were dropped on a sweep, they were annotated as well. The TFC machine retains its original serial of 225068 rather than that of 274742.