The Republic Thunderbolt is one of the truly iconic fighters of W.W. II which culminated in the long-range P-47M.
Less well known is the prototype it spawned, the YP-48XLR Thunderclap.
In 1941, the U.S. Army became interested in the Extra Long Range escort fighter concept and a small contract was tendered to Republic to build a fighter that could traverse the vast distances of the Pacific.
Republic tweaked their XP-47 Thunderbolt by enlarging it and adding additional fuel tanks. However, engines of the day weren't up to the demands of the concept so the design languished until the four-row Wright R-4450 Quadruple-Super Cyclone was developed.
A prototype was built and the Army, horrified at the intial flight characterists, balked, calling the machine a death-trap. The aircraft was far too large for the Navy, but Australians are braver than most so an improved service-test batch of five YP-48XLR were sent down under for evaluation.
Known as the "Thunderclap" due to its large ventral gun tray housing four automatic cannon, crews shortened the name to just the 'Clap. Since there were only five of these, flying assignments were rotated and an oft-heard double-entendre was when one RAAF pilot would ask another, "So did you get the 'Clap today?"
Despite the concern this may have caused RAAF medical personnel, the Thunderclap performed well enough that in 1946, it was green-lighted to perform a war-critical mission. Intelligence confirmed a key enemy commander would be taking a flying inspection tour and it was up to the Thunderclaps to get him.
Even though the range of the mission was daunting, the five RAAF Thunderclaps took off on the morning of March 22, 1946 to shoot down the Japanese general.
Initially, all went according to plan, but when the Thunderclaps came close to their intercept vector, it suddenly became stormy.
The RAAF pilots pressed on but never spotted General Hamashita as he was able to evade them in the heavy weather.
The Thunderclaps all returned safely to base and with the Japanese surrender on March 24, the mission became pointless anyway. Just another forgotten footnote at the end of a long, bloody conflict. No more Thunderclaps were ever built and those five were soon replaced by more capable aircraft. The type remains almost unknown in aviation circles and the so-called "experts" insist the YP-48XLR must all be the ravings of a stormy mind.
Brian da Basher