Republic Aviation Corporation Evansville Plant in World War Two

Republic Aviation Corporation in World War Two
Indiana Division
Evansville, IN
1942-1945

This page updated 9-20-2022.

Back home again in Indiana. It is for this P-47D Thunderbolt Army Air Force Serial Number 44-90368 that was built in Evansville, IN in May 1945. It is now owned by the Evansville P-47 Foundation, Inc. and currently the centerpiece attraction at the Evansville Wartime Museum at the Evansville, IN airport. Now named "Hoosier Spirit II," it is located a mile north of where it was built at the former Republic Aviation Corporation, Indiana Division plant.

Delivered to the Army Air Force on May 7, 1945, it first served at Independence Field, MO where it was re-designated as a TP-47D. It then served at Kelly Field in San Antonio, TX and then was part of the America's Republic Project as part of the Caribbean Command. On October 28, 1947, it became part of the Venezuelan Air Force, serving there until 1971 when it was purchased by a private owner and returned to the United States. It then was purchased by a French owner in 1975 and was placed into storage where it remained until 1987. Charles Osborne of Louisville, KY purchased it and returned it home again for the first time, as Mr. Osborne kept his collection of warbirds at the Sellersburg, IN airport. It took four years to restore the aircraft to flying condition; and in 1991 it made its first flight as N4747P. In July 1998 it was sold to the Lone Star Museum of Galveston, TX which later moved to Houston, TX. On Thursday, October 15, 2020, P-47D 44-90368 landed at the Evansville, IN airport after the Evansville P-47 Foundation purchased it from the Lone Star Museum for $3.5 million.

The ferry flight of P-47D 44-90368 may well have been its first flight. On my first visit to the Evansville Wartime Museum in 2021, a conversation with a docent indicated that the Evansville P-47 Foundation was interested in keeping the aircraft airworthy. However, the docent also noted that most likely the aircraft would remain a static display at the museum. In order to keep it airworthy, the Foundation would need to find funding each year to perform the annual inspection of the aircraft. This would either entail the aircraft being removed to another hangar for the inspection or the inspection being done in the museum.

After spending $3.5 million to bring P-47D 44-90368 back home again, it seems unlikely the Foundation is going to risk damaging the aircraft in flight operations. Most likely this P-47 has flown for the last time.

Author's photo.

They told the kid, a '38s the thing
It's got two props and guns that sing.
It's got plenty of range, and can carry a load
And its a friend to have on a combat road.
But the kid looked up and said in revolt,
"You take your '38, I'll take a Thunderbolt."

Then they said, "The Spits mighty sweet
And for maneuverability it can't be beat.
It met the Luftwaffe at its best
And records show it passed the test."
But the kid just answered, with a smile and a shrug
"You take the Spit, I'll take a 'Jug'."

Then they said, "Those two are pretty hot,
But they don't have what the '51's got.
It's got the guns and it's got the speed
And more damned gadgets than you'll ever need."
The kid looked up and shook his head
"Keep them both, Mine's a jug instead."

The kid spoke, "Your '38s sweet,
Your Spits pretty hot, and the 51's neat,
But, listen fellows, I'll make a bet
Just fly those ships, they'll kill you yet
And when you're up in "Pilot Heaven"
I'll still be here in a P-4-7."
Unknown Author

On October 22, 2020, P-47D 44-90368 was put on display in the Evansville Wartime Museum. Placing the aircraft on display was the end of a twenty year endeavor to bring an Evansville-built P-47 back home. Author's photo.

While 44-90368 was part of the Lone Star Museum, it was known as "Tarheel Hal." Here it is taxiing out to fly in the 2009 Houston Air Show. Author's photo.

The Republic Aviation Corporation's Indiana Division won the Army-Navy "E" flag three times during World War Two.

Employees of the Evansville P-47 plant stopped working in order to listen to the proceedings for the winning of the first Army-Navy "E" award. This was May 22, 1944.

Republic Aviation Corporation's Indiana Division World War Two Products: The P-47s that came off the Republic Evansville, IN production lines were used in all theaters of operation during World War Two. They were the workhorse fighters of the United States Air Force from 1942 through 1945. In 1943 and early 1944, the Thunderbolts were used extensively as escort aircraft for the B-17s and B-24s in their bombing missions into Europe. The top two aces in the European Theater flew P-47s. When the more advanced and higher performing P-51 began arriving in that theater later in World War Two and had more kills of enemy aircraft than the P-47, more than one P-47 pilot remarked that the P-47s had already shot down the best of the German pilots and done all of the hard work.

The P-47 was a tough aircraft. The ten top P-47 aces of World War Two all survived the war. This cannot be said for the top ten aces of the P-38 and P-51.

After the arrival of the P-51, the P-47 became famous as a low level bomber. It was the most heavily armed American fighter of World War Two with eight .50 caliber machine guns. While many of the P-47s were lost to combat and accidents in the early stages of the war, two-thirds of them still existed when hostilities ceased.

In December 1944 it was announced that the Evansville plant would begin the production of the P-47N and B-29 engine cowls in early 1945. However, delays in the B-29 engine cowl program delayed the proposed production until September 1, 1945, two weeks after the end of World War Two. As of May 1, 1945, tooling for the B-29 engine was 80% complete. While the plant was tooling up for the production of this product, the end of the war resulted in none being made in Evansville.

The last P-47D model was scheduled for June 30, 1945, and the start of production of the new P-47N on July 1, 1945. P-47N production actually started earlier than planned and the first one was test flown on June 22, 1945.

Republic also planned to start the production at Evansville of its new air-sea rescue aircraft called the Seabee. This never occurred due to the end of the war.

Table 1 - Republic Aviation Corporation Indiana Division's Major World War Two Contracts The information below comes from the "Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply Contracts, June 1940 through September 1945." This was published by the Civilian Production Administration, Industrial Statistics Division.
Product - Customer	Contract Amount	Contract Awarded Date	Completion Date
Fighter Airplanes P-47D - Army Air Force	$86,166,000	1-1942	12-1943
Fighter Airplanes P-47D - Army Air Force	$41,952,000	4-1942	2-1944
Fighter Airplanes P-47D - Army Air Force	$165,241,000	4-1943	10-1944
Fighter Airplanes P-47D - Army Air Force	$111,628,000	11-1943	3-1945
Fighter Planes P-47D - Army Air Force	$32,520,000	4-1944	5-1945
Fighter Planes P-47D - Army Air Force	$32,532,000	12-1944	7-1945
Airplane Parts - Army Air Force	$17,000,000	12-1944	8-1945
Fighter Planes P-47N - Army Air Force	$3,782,000	1-1945	7-1945
Total	$490,461,000

The contract amounts for the P-47s were for only the airframes. Items such as engines, propellers, and radios were supplied by the government and not included in the dollar values in Table 1.
The $17,000,000 "Airplane Parts" contract was for the B-29 engine cowls which never went into production due to the war's end.

Table 2 - Republic Aviation Corporation Indiana Division's Monthly and Yearly P-47 Acceptances The information below is from "Official Munitions Production of the United States: By months July 1, 1940 - August 31, 1945."
Month	Number Accepted
1942
October	2
November	2
December	6
1942 Total	10

1943
January	12
February	21
March	50
April	52
May	80
June	82
July	65
August	90
September	133
October	136
November	190
December	220
1943 Total	1,131

1944
January	253
February	254
March	256
April	258
May	251
June	250
July	250
August	250
September	250
October	250
November	275
December	290
1944 Total	3,087

1945
January	310
February	290
March	310
April	310
May	318
June	250
July	152
August	57
1945 Total	1,997
Grand Total	6,225

In April 1944, P-47 production switched from the razorback canopy to the bubble canopy.

On March 5, 1945, at 4pm, the 5,000th P-47 built at Evansville rolled off the assembly line.

There is a difference of 17 units between Tables 2 and 3. The historical record shows that production of the P-47N continued until September 14, 1945, when the last one was delivered. The next day, on September 15, 1945, the Evansville Republic plant was given the official stop production order. While there were about 100 P-47s on the assembly line in various stages of completion, they were all scrapped.

Table 3 - Republic Aviation Corporation Indiana Division's P-47 Production The information below was obtained from http://www.joebaugher.com/.
U.S. Army Air Force Serial Numbers	Block Numbers	Quantity	Evansville Serial Number	Comments
42-22250/22253		4	1-4	Originally all Evansville P-47s were going to be designated as P-47Ds. These four aircraft were Evansville-built pre-production aircraft. These P-47s had an R-2800-59 engine that produced 2,300 hp. They also had an A-17 turbo supercharger.
42-22254/22363	Republic P-47D-RE Thunderbolt	110	5-114	Normally the RE designation is associated with the Republic home plant on Long Island, NY. These 110 Thunderbolts were designated REs. This block of aircraft were used by the Air Force Training Command in the United Stales. These P-47s had an R-2800-59 engine that produced 2,300 hp. They also had an A-17 turbo supercharger.
42-22364/22563	Republic P-47D-2-RA Thunderbolt	200	115-314	This is the first block where Evansville is designated as RA. While it would seem to make more sense to have Evansville-built P-47s designated as REs with the "E" representing Evansville, this made too much sense for the U.S Army Air Force to implement. Starting with aircraft 42-22454, serial number 205, Evansville P-47s began to arrive in England. The first combat mission by an Evansville-built P-47 was 42-22462, serial number 213. This was flown on August 9, 1943. Most of the P-47s between serial numbers 205 and 242 were destroyed in combat or lost in accidents. Starting with 42-22496, serial number 247, Evansville P-47s began combat operations at Port Moresby, New Guinea. This was September 1943. These aircraft had additional cowling flaps, a different radio mast, and more armored plate to protect the pilot.
42-22564/22663	Republic P-47D-3-RA Thunderbolt	100	315-414	This block of aircraft was used for training or served in combat in New Guinea. These P-47s had fuel system upgrades.
42-22664/22863	Republic P-47D-4-RA Thunderbolt	200	415-614	Most of the aircraft in this block served over Germany and Italy. Many were destroyed in combat and accidents. These P-47s had modifications made to the hydraulic and fuel systems.
42-22864/23113	Republic P-47D-11-RA Thunderbolt	250	615-864	P-47s from this block served in New Guinea, Australia, and Saipan and the United States as trainers. There were many upgrades made to this series of P-47s built in Evansville. The R-2800-59 engine was replaced with an R-2800-63 engine with 2,300 hp that was equipped with water injection. The A-17 turbo supercharger was replaced by a C-23 model. The fuselage was modified to be able to hang a fuel tank or bomb to it. More improvements were made to the hydraulic system.
42-23114/23142	Republic P-47D-16-RA Thunderbolt	29	865-893	P-47s from this block served in New Guinea and in the United States as trainers. These P-47s could run on 100/150 octane fuel.
42-23143/23299	Republic P-47D-15-RA Thunderbolt	157	894-1050	P-47s from this block served in New Guinea, China, and the Philippines and the United States as trainers. This group of P-47s had attachments added to each wing for a drop tank or bomb. This allowed these aircraft to carry two 10,000 pound bombs or three 500 pound bombs if the fuselage bomb station was also used. The Evansville-built P-47s were equipped to become the fighter-bombers for which the P-47 was famous.
42-27389/28188	Republic P-47D-23-RA Thunderbolt	800	1051-1850	P-47s from this block served in Burma, China, India, Philippines, Italy, France, New Guinea, Yugoslavia, and the United States as trainers.
42-28189/28438	Republic P-47D-26-RA Thunderbolt	250	1851-2100	P-47s from this block served in France, Germany, Italy, and the Philippines and in United States as trainers. These P-47s were the first from Evansville to replace the razor-back canopy with the teardrop canopy. This allowed the pilot to have significantly better visibility. The oxygen supply was increased and the internal fuel capacity was increased to 270 gallons.
42-28439/29466	Republic P-47D-28-RA Thunderbolt	1,028	2101-3128	P-47s from this block served in Europe and the United States as trainers. These aircraft also had the teardrop canopy and increased oxygen and 270 gallon fuel capacity.
43-25254/25440	Republic P-47D-20-RA Thunderbolt	187	3129-3315	P-47s from this block served in United States, the Marianas, and Europe. These P-47s again had the R-2800-59 engine installed. These engines were equipped with GE ignition systems with Briggs & Stratton-built magnetos. The tail wheel strut was also raised.
43-25441/25664	Republic P-47D-21-RA Thunderbolt	224	3316-3539	P-47s from this block served in the New Guinea, the Marianas, and Europe. These P-47s were no longer painted. They also had manual water injection.
43-25665/25753	Republic P-47D-23-RA Thunderbolt	89	3540-3628	P-47s from this block in served in China, Burma, and India. This group of P-47s introduced the 13 foot diameter Curtiss Electric paddle-blade propeller. The addition of the paddle-blade propeller to the P-47 allowed for a significant improvement in the P-47's performance.
44-32668/33867	Republic P-47D-30-RA Thunderbolt	1,200	3629-4828	P-47s from this block in served in China, Burma, India, Europe and the United States as training aircraft. These P-47s were equipped with attachments for five rockets under each wing.
44-89684/90283	Republic P-47D-30-RA Thunderbolt	600	4829-5428	P-47s from this block served in Germany and many were given to United States Air National Guard units. Others were also given to the Italian Air Force.
44-90284/90483	Republic P-47D-40-RA Thunderbolt	200	5429-5628	P-47s from this block served as training aircraft and with National Guard units in the United States. Others were provided to foreign countries through the Military Assistance Program. These P-47s were equipped with a larger vertical stabilizer.
45-49090/49554	Republic P-47D-40-RA Thunderbolt	465	5629-6093	P-47s from this block served as training aircraft and with National Guard units in the United States. Others were provided to foreign countries through the Military Assistance Program.
45-49975/50123	Republic P-47N-20-RA Thunderbolt	149	6094-6242	P-47s from this block served as training aircraft and with National Guard units in the United States. Others were provided to foreign countries through the Military Assistance Program. The test flight of the first Evansville-built P-47N was made on June 22, 1945. From Table 2, it appears that while there were 149 P-47Ns contracted, only 132 were built. The remaining 17 were probably scrapped on the assembly line in August 1945. The P-47N was significantly different from the previous P-47Ds. The engine was an R-2800-57 with a CH-5 turbo supercharger. The aircraft had a 13-foot Curtiss Electric paddle-blade propeller and a longer wingspan. The larger wingspan added 22 square feet to the wing area. The N model was distinctive with its squared tip wings. This allowed for the P-47 to carry 186 gallons of fuel. The wings were also reinforced to allow for a 300 gallon drop tank to be carried under each wing.
45-50124/53574	Republic P-47N Thunderbolt	3,450		Contract Cancelled.

The 6,2421 P-47s built in Evansville, IN was 39.8% of the total 15,683 built. A total of 3,499 (22.3%) P-47s were lost in combat while another 1,723 (10.9%) were lost in accidents. Based on the fact that Evansville built 39.8% of the Thunderbolts during World War Two, an estimated 1,393 Evansville-built P-47s were lost in combat and another estimated 686 to accidents. Of the 3,661 enemy aircraft that were destroyed by P-47s in air-to-air combat, an estimated 1,457 were shot down by Evansville Thunderbolts.

Table 3 - P-47 Statistics - Europe June 6, 1944 through May 7, 1945
Enemy Aircraft and Vehicles Destroyed	Total	Evansville-Built P-47's Estimated Share
Aircraft: Air to Air (Total for entire war in Europe)	3,661	1,457
Aircraft: Air to Ground	3,340	1,329
Railcars	86,000	34,228
Locomotives	9,000	3,582
Armored Fighting Vehicles	6,000	2,388
Trucks	68,000	27,064

Graph 1: The Eighth Air Force was deployed to the United Kingdom in 1942 to begin the strategic bombing of occupied Europe and Germany with B-17s and B-24s. Starting in April 1943, this graph shows the number and types of fighters that were assigned to provide high altitude escort for the bombers. While the Eighth Air Force bombers began operations in mid-1942, this graph shows they had no fighter escort. Air Force bomber doctrine at the start of the war assumed that heavily armed bombers in tight formations could defend themselves. Very quickly, this was found to be untrue and P-47s were rushed to England as quickly as the aircraft could be built and the pilots trained. Between April and December 1943, P-47s had the sole responsibility of providing fighter escort for the bombers.
Source: Eighth Air Force: Tactical Development, August 1942 - May 1945.

As the number of P-47s went down in the 8th Air Force, the P-47s were moved to the 9th Air Force which provided tactical air support for the U.S. Army in Europe. New P-47s coming off the Evansville assembly lines later in the war were destined for Europe to serve with the 9th Air Force.

Graph 2: In April 1943 approximately 50 of the 66 P-47s were lost in combat and in accidents. While the loses continued at that rate through October 1943, the amount of operational P-47s continued to climb because Evansville was helping to supply aircraft faster than they were lost.
Source: Eighth Air Force: Tactical Development, August 1942 - May 1945.

Map 1: This shows that with the addition of larger and more fuel drop tanks, the P-47s methodically extended their range into Europe.
Source: Eighth Air Force: Tactical Development, August 1942 - May 1945.

There were four parallel assembly lines in the Evansville plant for the manufacture of P-47 Thunderbolt. Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial aircraft engines can be seen ready for installation next to the assembly line on the left of the photo.

The P-47's fuselage was built around a General Electric turbo supercharger system. This resulted in the P-47 having a rather portly fuselage. This entire P-47 turbo supercharger system is on display at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, CO. As can be seen, the system runs the entire length of the aircraft. Author's photo.

The two steel pipes that run along the bottom of the aircraft are the exhaust lines from the engine. The hot exhaust gases with a temperature of 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit drive the rotor section of the turbo supercharger up to 25,000 rpm. The top two pipes that run the length of the aircraft comprise the intake air for the engine. The rectangular shaped pipe located between the exhaust pipes is the intake air that is routed through the intercooler and then into the supercharger where it is compressed. The compressed air is then routed back through the intercooler where it is cooled by the intake air and then routed back to the engine through the top two pipes. Note that the intake air line is so much larger in volume than the return lines to the engine. This shows how much the air was compressed in operation. The exhaust gases exited the rear bottom of the aircraft as shown above. Author's photo.

It was this GE turbo supercharger system that provided enough air for the P-47 to operate at high altitudes to combat enemy fighters. This was especially important in the European Theater of Operations, as early in the war the P-47 was tasked with escorting B-17s and B-24s to their bombing targets.

This enlargement shows the hot air outlet from the intercooler and the hot compressed pipe back to the intercooler. Author's photo.

The P-47 came equipped with a Harrison Radiator Division of General Motors intercooler. The museum has removed the shroud on the port side of the system to show where the intercooler is located. Intake air was split just before the intercooler. Half went to the compressor while the other half was used as cooling air in the intercooler. Also shown is the exhaust outlet. The pipe with the blue arrow is cool intake air going into the compressor section of the turbo supercharger. The red arrow indicates the hot compressed air going to the intercooler where it is cooled by intake air. Author's photo.

The blue arrow on the return line indicates it is carrying cool compressed air to the carburetor of the aircraft. The dark steel pipe at the bottom carries hot exhaust gas to power the supercharger and the large rectangular sheet metal duct carries intake air. Author's photo.

Intake air for the engine enters through the large opening at the bottom the engine. Author's photo.

This close-up shows the air intake opening. Author's photo.

This factory photo shows the tubing, ducting, and supercharger within the framework of the aircraft. Evansville workers built the frame around the turbo supercharger system.

This section of the engine and cockpit area was salvaged from a wreck in the Pacific. It is on display at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation in Sevierville, TN. This photo shows what remains of the propeller and engine. Author's photo.

Author's photo.

The remains of the compressed intake air line is visible on the display. Author's photo.

This view is looking into the remains of the cockpit area. Author's photo.

Sections of both compressed air intake lines are visible in this view. Also, a rudder pedal is laying on the floor of the cockpit. Author's photo.

This P-47 fuselage framework is also on display at the National Museum of World War II Aircraft. The supercharger system is not installed in this display. Author's photo.

The end of the line for many P-47 fuselages and wings at $125 per set after the end of the war. While the cost of the P-47 fuselages and wings was $40,000, the scrap cost paid for aluminum at the time was $25 per ton. The P-47 fuselages and wings without the engine, propeller, guns, and landing gear was five tons. When production shut down there were approximately 100 Thunderbolts on the Evansville assembly line in various stages of completion. There were also all of the stamped components and subassemblies that needed to be removed from the factory. It took over 30 truckloads per day for over a month to remove all of the scrap from the plant. A sad end for all of the Thunderbolt components that so many persons worked hard to build.

Presidential Visit: The importance of the Republic Evansville P-49 assembly plant was emphasized when President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited the factory on April 27, 1943.

Surviving Evansville-built P-47s: There are nine P-47s shown below. With the one at the Evansville Wartime Museum, there are ten known surviving Evansville-built P-47s.

This Evansville-built P-47D is on display at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Chantilly, VA. Author's photo added 9-20-2022.

P-47D serial number 44-32691 served as an aerial gunner trainer after being sent to Godman Field, KY in 1944. Author's photo added 9-20-2022.

The information placard for this aircraft does state that it was built in Evansville, IN. Hopefully, this will be noted by the 1.9 million annual visitors who visit the museum. Author's photo added 9-20-2022.

Author's photo added 9-20-2022.

The National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is one of the two largest and most visited aviation museums in the United States. In 2019, it had 1.9 million visitors. The other of the two largest and most visited aviation museums is the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Riverside, OH. It has two Evansville-built P-47s on display. This museum has an annual attendance of over 800,000 visitors. While the Evansville plant only produced 39.8% of the P-47s, 100% of the P-47s on display at the two largest aviation museums in the United States were built in Evansville. How cool is this?

The two Evansville-built P-47s on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force shown below have incorrect serial numbers on them.

This P-47D with a bubble canopy shows it as serial number 44-33287. This is the serial number of the aircraft the museum has chosen to represent for its display. According to its website, this is actually 45-49167. Author's photo.

The serial number 44-33827 represents the aircraft flown by Colonel Joseph Laughlin of the 362nd Fighter Group in Italy during 1945. While the serial number portrayed on the side of the aircraft is incorrect, it is still an Evansville-built P-47. Author's photo.

The second Evansville-built P-47D at the National Museum of the United States Air Force with a razor back canopy is shown as serial number 42-22668. This P-47 is actually Evansville-built 42-23278. It is the oldest known surviving P-47 built in Evansville. Author's photo.

This P-47 has an Army Air Corps serial number. All of the other P-47s shown on this page have Army Air Force serial numbers. This is actually 42-23278. Author's photo.

Two Evansville-built P-47s that are still flying are "Hun Hunter XVI" and "Wicked Wabbit." "Hun Hunter XVI" is serial number 44-90460 and "Wicked Wabbit" is serial number 44-90438. This photo was taken on a Saturday morning, June 14, 2014, at the Evansville, IN airport as the two aircraft were being prepared by their pilot-owners to fly in the Evansville River Front Airshow. The two P-47s are sitting just a mile north of where they were built in 1945. Author's photo.

The two P-47s in formation during the 2014 Evansville Airshow. Author's photo.

When not flying at airshows, "Hun Hunter XVI" and "Wicked Wabbit" can be seen on display at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation in Sevierville, TN. The following photos were taken in May 2022. Author's photo.

Author's photo.

The Kalamazoo Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum has Evansville-built 45-49181 on display. Author's photo.

Author's photo.

The National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, CO has Evansville-built 45-49385 on display. Author's photo.

Author's photo.

This is the fuselage and engine of Evansville-built P-47D, serial number 44-32814 and is on display at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, FL. It is awaiting restoration. Author's photo.

With no cowling over the engine, the large air intake for the aircraft that leads back to the turbo supercharger system can be seen. The aircraft's oil coolers are on either side of it. Author's photo.

The vertical stabilizer and rudder are still attached. Previously, this aircraft served with the Peruvian Air Force and still has its identification on the vertical stabilizer. Author's photo.

This slot is where the horizontal stabilizer attaches to the aircraft. A few of the innumerable rivets used in the aircraft's construction are visible. Author's photo.

The horizontal stabilizers, minus the elevators, are on display in front of the aircraft. The horizontal stabilizers were manufactured by Hoosier Cardinal of Evansville, IN. The Peruvian Air Force three-colored roundel is still on the fuselage. Author's photo.

The four wing attachment points have been used to secure the fuselage to the shipping frame. Author's photo.

How cool is this? Evansville-built P-47D 42-29150 "Dottie Mae" was the last USAAF aircraft lost in Europe on May 8, 1945. This was after the war when the aircraft was on a special demonstration flight over the Ebensee, Austria Concentration Camp. The pilot misjudged his altitude while flying low over nearby Traunsee Lake and the aircraft hit the water and sank. The pilot escaped from the P-47 and was rescued. The P-47 rested at the bottom of the lake until it was recovered in April 2005 and then restored to flying condition in the United States.

The Plant:

This 1944 photo was taken from a field across US-41 from the plant. The factory was north of the Evansville airport and not part of it. Finished P-47s had to be towed across a road to get to the airport for test flights.

This aerial view shows the Republic modification center at the Evansville airport.

After World War Two, the plant was purchased by International Harvester. It later sold the facility to Whirlpool for refrigerator production. This photo was taken in 2014 not long after Whirlpool moved the plant production to Mexico. The "Whirlpool" sign was still on the building and there was only a couple of companies using small parts of the plant. A return visit in 2022 found that the plant was being occupied by multiple companies. At this end of the factory, a steel company now occupies the space and parking lot, which is now fenced to about the location of where this photo was taken. There are now also overhead doors cut into the office area. Author's photo.

Since it was built 80 years ago, the factory has gone through several owners and has now been subdivided and repurposed for use by multiple companies. Still, a historical marker stands in front of the plant recognizing that 6,242 P-47 Thunderbolts that helped win World War Two were built here. Author's photo.