republicthunderbolt

Modified from a P-47D-15-RA Thunderbolt, sources disagree on whether 42-23297 ever achieved 490 mph or was just projected to hit that speed with the Chrysler performing as advertized, but at any rate, the a/c didn't fly until July '45, and by then, the USAAF was more interested in faster jets. Probably scrapped in late '45. Here's a better version of the picture of the 1st a/c from the NMUSAF: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_P-47_Thunderbolt#/media/Fi...

Since you don't finish your sentence I would like to know if the second pilot was Col Benjamin Mayo? He is known to have flown another 'No Guts-No Glory', a P-47D 42-26671 also coded MX-X. Oberhansley used a lot of Bolts named Iron Ass Stig

Stig Jarlevik Republic P-47D-28-RE Thunderbolt 'Iron Ass/No Guts-No Glory', 44-19566. 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force. This plane had two different assigned pilots and two different names while serving with the 78th....both of them big brass. Lt. Col. Jack J. Oberhansley was the C.O. of the 82nd Fighter Squadron and named the plane "Iron Ass". Col. Benjamin I. Mayo was the 78th Fighter Group's C.O. and named the plane "No Guts - No Glory".

SDASM Archives Thanks for the confirmation! Stig

From a book review of "The Flying Greek": "Col Pisanos recounts his combat record, from fighter sweeps and bomber escort missions to dogfighting, flying the Spitfire, the P-47, and the P-51. While flying a P-47 named Miss Plainfield, he scored his first aerial victory on May 21, 1943. By January 1, 1944, he had become an ace. After his tenth confirmed kill, he crash-landed his P-51 in France and spent six months with the French Resistance, successfully evading capture. Because of his exposure to the French operations, the Air Force could not risk his capture again, so he returned to the U.S. and became a test pilot at Wright Field where he also attended the Air Forceʼs test pilot school. Retired in December 1973."