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P-47 Thunderbolt ‘Nellie’ (B) 48th FG 492 FS ...

Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:12 pm

The real 48th FG 'Nellie' and the newly painted presentation of 'Nellie' below.

The 48th FG moved to England in March 1944 and were stationed at Ibsley where the pilots trained in P-47's in preparation for the Allied invasion of Normandy. The wartime motto was in Latin 'vulneratus non victus' (Unconquered even though wounded).

On D-Day, 6 June 1944, the Group bombed bridges and German gun positions and over the next couple of months supported the Allies advance across France. They also supported the airborne attack on Holland in September.

Their work over the winter of 1944-1945 would see them awarded two Belgian citations for their close support of Allied ground troops as well as a Distinguished Unit Citation.

The group's missions were varied. As well as flying patrol and escort missions, the group also flew weather reconnaissance and leaflet-dropping missions. On one occasion their payload consisted of blood plasma which was dropped in belly tanks to troops on the ground for medical transfusions.

Here's some history on the current 'Nellie' P-47 flying today in the UK. As most my know she's the old "No Guts, No Glory' Thunderbolt.
https://www.flyinglegends.com/aircraft/ ... -thun.html
http://vintageaviationecho.com/thunderb ... how-scene/

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The original P-47 Thunderbolt ‘Nellie’ 48th FG 492 FS (photo: American Air Museum in Britain)
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/media/36867

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Fighter Aviation Engineering LTD's P-47 Thunderbolt 45-49192 (G-THUN) in color scheme of ‘Nellie’ 48th FG 492 FS.

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Here's a photo of some of the ground crew. You can see that this P-47 was actually named 'Nellie B'

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Lieutenant Broe of the 48th FG, 493rd FS with his P-47 Thunderbolt. 24-3-45 St Tond

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Another nice view.

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And a few 48th FG P-47's taxiing out for a mission.

Re: P-47 Thunderbolt ‘Nellie’ (B) 48th FG 492 FS ...

Wed Jan 16, 2019 6:52 pm

Beautiful! Thanks for posting these! :drink3:

Re: P-47 Thunderbolt ‘Nellie’ (B) 48th FG 492 FS ...

Wed Jan 16, 2019 9:14 pm

I see they took some liberties with the Kill marks style and the omission of the B from the name.

So it begs the question, is this the actual Thud they are trying to represent?

Re: P-47 Thunderbolt ‘Nellie’ (B) 48th FG 492 FS ...

Wed Jan 16, 2019 11:01 pm

Jesse C. wrote:I see they took some liberties with the Kill marks style and the omission of the B from the name.

So it begs the question, is this the actual Thud they are trying to represent?


And adding some nice D-Day stripes.... :?

Phil

Re: P-47 Thunderbolt ‘Nellie’ (B) 48th FG 492 FS ...

Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:21 am

Thanks Mark, nice photos!

Re: P-47 Thunderbolt ‘Nellie’ (B) 48th FG 492 FS ...

Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:37 am

phil65 wrote:
Jesse C. wrote:I see they took some liberties with the Kill marks style and the omission of the B from the name.

So it begs the question, is this the actual Thud they are trying to represent?


And adding some nice D-Day stripes.... :?

Phil


Well, at least they didn't name it Jacky or Sally :axe:

Re: P-47 Thunderbolt ‘Nellie’ (B) 48th FG 492 FS ...

Sat Jan 19, 2019 10:10 pm

It seems fair to assume that the invasion stripes are accurate, given what the unit did on D-day, no? Even if there's no photo for definitive proof, one can be pretty certain that they were applied.

I notice the stripes on the restoration are not all-around, but only on the bottoms, so perhaps it is actually meant to depict the aircraft a few weeks after the invasion. Again, even without a photo, it's a safe bet that they looked like that for a while.

August

Re: P-47 Thunderbolt ‘Nellie’ (B) 48th FG 492 FS ...

Sat Jan 19, 2019 10:44 pm

Mark Allen M .Always quality threads. The amount of viewers do not lie. :drink3:

Re: P-47 Thunderbolt ‘Nellie’ (B) 48th FG 492 FS ...

Wed Feb 27, 2019 11:06 am

To answer your question: I made a promise a year or so ago to a group of vets who frequent this website. The Trolls I could care less about.

The photo below is a nice example of Warbird owners / operators / pilots who make that extra effort to get it right. Much appreciated from those of us who care about the fine details.
The "B" has now been added to "Nellie" ...

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