The P-47 was an outstanding escort and ground attack aircraft and was the heaviest and largest single seat fighter built during WWII. It rose out of a humble beginning which saw its ancestors the P-35 and P-43 fall short of expectations.

Early on the “Jug” was used as an escort to the ETO heavies, but was replaced as the P-51 came on-line; its best role was that of a ground attack aircraft both in the ETO, MTO, PTO and CBI theaters. P-47’s was used by the U.S., British, French, Mexican, Brazilian and Russian air forces.

365th Fighter Bomber Group – Hell Hawks

The 365th Fighter-Bomber Group, otherwise known as the Hell Hawks, was activated May 15, 1943 and assigned to fly P-47 Thunderbolts. Training in Dover, Delaware, they flew their gunnery training missions out of Millville, New Jersey. Departing Richmond Army Air Base in December 4, 1943, sailing on the Queen Elizabeth with 15,000 troops, they arrived at Gossfield, Essex on December 23, 1943.

Combat air training continued for two more months, then on February 22, 1944, the Hell Hawks flew their first combat mission. Over the next one to two months gradually converted from escorting 8th Air Force heavy bombers to their fighter-bomber role that continued to the war’s end.

The group was instrumental in determining the maximum bomb loads for the P-47; Two one-thousand-pound bombs and an external fuel tank on the belly rack, being the first group to fly a dive-bombing mission with that configuration. Bazooka Tube rockets and napalm was another configuration for all P-47 fighter-bomber groups shortly after the D-Day Invasion on June 6, 1944.

The Hell Hawks flew in direct support of General Hodges First Army. Their mission was two-fold; 1) Protect the ground forces from enemy air attack and 2) destroy any and all obstacles on the ground that prevented our forces from advancing. Two times they supported Patton’s Third Army; 1) Shortly after August 1, 1944 and 2) during the last months of the Battle of the Bulge.

Hell Hawks, were the first group to move into Germany on March 17, 1945 at Aachen(Y-46) and first to fly a combat mission off a German soil. The remaining eighteen to twenty groups followed nine days to five weeks later.

The Hell Hawks flew combat from February 22, 1944 through May 4, 1945, totaling 14.5 months, flying combat from eleven air fields or air strips, moving more times than any other fighter-bomber group in the 9th Air Force.

‘Coffee’s Pot’ - Lt. Colonel. Robert Lewis Coffey Jr. 10/21/1918 – 4/20/1949

Flying with the 365th Fighter Group, he commanded 388th Fighter Squadron and later became deputy commander of the group. Coffey was unarguably one of the most aggressive pilots in the 365th. When Ray Stecker assumed command of the group, Coffey was tasked with getting him up to speed in combat-readiness in the P-47. He would take him in close and into the hottest areas always returning with battle damage to some degree. Many remarked that they thought Coffey was positioning for Group Commander as they didn’t think Stecker would survive long from his training.

Coffey was the group's top air ace with six (6) aerial victories during 97 missions. He was shot down by flak on July 11th, 1944 and evaded capture, with assistance from the French underground. Returning to England, he would not fly combat again in Europe.

The picture of his downed ‘Coffee’s Pot’ was taken off a captured German, believed to be a member of the flak crew that shot him down.

Post war he was the military air attaché for the United States Embassy in Santiago, Chile, from October 1945 to April 1948. He resigned his commission as a Lieutenant Colonel to pursue a political candidacy. He was then commissioned a Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve. He won election to the 81st congress in 1948, Serving from January 1949 till his death.

On April 20, 1949, Coffey was killed in the crash of Lockheed F-80A-10-LO Shooting Star, 44-85438, while on take-off from Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. At 1640 hrs. during a cross-country proficiency flight, he and fellow Hell Hawks pilot Lt. Col. William D. Ritchie had departed Kirtland after refueling for March AFB, California, but due to apparent engine failure on take-off, the fighter never rose above 25 feet, skidded off the end of runway, cartwheeled across an arroyo, and broke apart but did not burn, killing Coffey instantly. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The House of Representatives recessed for one day in his honor.

Opinion: Too many combat veterans were senselessly killed in accidents with early jet fighters: Bong (1945), McConnell (1954), Lt. Col Waymond (1949).

The Tamiya Bubble Top, represents a D-25 through D-28 versions. It is well designed with the build taking about 2 to 3 weeks. The engine detail is very good, but if the cowling is left off, after market items would enhance it. The flaps are positionable while control surfaces are molded in place, except the rudder. If you want to show off the cockpit area you really don’t need aftermarket items, a parachute harness might be an option, the kit does come with a pilot. I painted the white for the D-Day stripes and cut out the black stipes applying them separately. I then masked off around the upper stripes and over sprayed with OD. After fully drying, used tape to pull off the OD to simulate the chipping, as seen on the picture.

Looking at pictures from the resources, his was one of the first D-25’s received in late May of 1944. The full D-Day stripes are prevalent in many pictures. An order from top command in early July, was to paint out or remove these upper stripes. Aircraft on continent airfields were easily seen by the Luftwaffe. For these final missions, ‘Coffey’s Pot’ was in this configuration.

Also, the model is configured with one 500lb bomb on the center point, which was a regular load operating from the short field at A-7, where his last mission originated.

Thunderbolts of the Hell Hawks 365th FG – BarracudaCals - BC48036

Wikipedia

Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #30 – P-47 Thunderbolt Aces of the Ninth and Fifteenth Air Forces.

** This finalizes my 3-part review of P-47 “Final Missions”.

Pt 1: Col. Neel Kearby – Medal of Honor

Pt 2: Lt. Raymond L. Knight – Medal of Honor

Pt 3: Colonel. Robert Lewis Coffey Jr

Mark Rossmann

28 January 2025

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