Following cancellation of the Army contract for the P-60A in January 1942, the Curtiss-Wright company was given a contract to begin construction of the D-version of the Thunderbolt under license at its Buffalo plant. The Curtiss-Wright built version was designated P-47G.
The first delivery of a P-47G took place in December of 1942. The first 20 P-47Gs produced by Curtiss (P-47G-CU) were similar to the concurrent P-47C, but the remainder were similar to Republic-built P-47Ds. Curtiss produced a total of 354 P-47G-1-CU through P-47G-15-CU Thunderbolts by March of 1944, these planes being identical to Republic-built P-47Ds. They could be distinguished from Republic-built Thunderbolts only by their serial numbers.
Since P-47Gs tended to lag behind Republic-built models as regards the latest refinements, most of the Curtiss-built Thunderbolts were used for training roles in the US, and very few went overseas. Curtiss production of the P-47G ended in March of 1944
Sources:
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American Combat Planes, Ray Wagner, Third Enlarged Edition, Doubleday,
1982.
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The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion Books,
1987.
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War Planes of the Second World War, Fighters, Volume Four, William
Green, Doubleday 1964.
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United States Military Aircraft since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and
Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.
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The Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, Aircraft in Profile, Edward Shacklady,
Doubleday, 1969.
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Famous Fighters of the Second World War, Volume I, William Green,
1967.
- Thunderbolt: A Documentary History of the Republic P-47, Roger Freeman, Motorbooks, 1992.
