Customer Reviews

Roaring Glory Warbirds, Vol. 5: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Long overshadowed by the Mustang, the P-47 finally gets the credit it so proudly deserves for its capabilities as the finest fighter-bomber of all time. Jeff Ethell shows how this massive yet extremely fast fighter could out-roll and out-dive anything in the WWII era. Additionally, he demonstrates how the Jug was so smooth and stable, it made the most potent gunnery platform for its massive firepower (as evidenced by the highest scoring fighter group, the 56th - Zemke's Wolfpack, who flew NOTHING but P-47s throughout the war). The only thing missing here would be a more detailed walk-around and information on the men who flew the Jug such as Francis Gabreski, Bob Johnson, Bud Mahurin, Dave Schilling, Hub Zemke, George Novotny, etc. and who all aced in this bird. Several are still alive and well and their first-person accounts could have added substantially to this disk. It is a shame it is not longer in length. Regardless, it is a great addition to anyone's warbird collection.

This is the warbird I would have wanted to be in with my life on the line. My humble opinion is that this is the best fighter of WWII. This DVD is great for the detail, the video quality, the multi-angles, and much more. I love to watch the landing from the pilot's point of view, it makes you feel like you're flying the plane yourself. You can hear that beautiful, throaty roar of the massive Pratt & Whitney, you can almost smell the burning oil. The Family Photo Album is great, even the mini-movie is good, with actual WWII footage. The pilot's manual is also great. Another must-have DVD for warbird fans.

It's a nice video, but it's a bit too superficial for my taste. I want more details, and I want to see all the little details of the aircraft. Nice aerial shots though, and the training film is interesting.

I jumped at a chance to get a good DVD focusing on the P-47. Unfortunately that did not happen. What I got turned out to be a mismatched collection of scenes made up of some old, b&w, uninteresting shots with a few gun camera images here and there. All those were sprinkled lightly among a great many recently made color shots of somebody's very well maintained P-47 with a gawdy paint job not remotely suggestive of this great aircraft's role in helping to save the world. An attempt is made to weave a story or two into the DVD, but fails miserably. As a first or second year film student's production it would be received with a few yawns.