The Classic U.S. Combat Aircraft of WWII programs tell the story, through a series of classic war planes, of the development of the combat aircraft of the Second World War. Each machine was produces to meet a specific requirement, usually to meet or beat the capabilities of an existing enemy or a potential aggressor.

The replublic P-47 Thunderbolt, first flown in May 1941, was the heaviest U.S. single-engined fighter of World War II. It was powered by a reaial engine with, in its later variants, over 100 miles greater range on internal fuel than that of the P-38 Lightning. Known as "The Jug", short for juggernaut, when fully loaded it could weigh over eight tons. The mighty Thunderbolt was certainly no dogfighter. However, armed with four Browning machine guns in each wing and with a diving speed that could outstrip any of the German piston-engined fighters, it proved very effective in excorting the Allied bomber streams over Nazi occupied Europe. After completing its leg of the fighter relay, the Thunderbolt was unleashed on any targets of opportunity it could find, its formidable firepower disrupting transport lines or destroying enemy aircraft caught on the ground. Later modifications saw the Thunderbolt able to carry its own bombs and it became increasingly used as a superb fighter-bomber.