Evansville War Museum
During World War II, Evansville was the site of a Republic Aviation factory that built Republic P-47 Thunderbolts for the war effort.
The Evansville War Museum, established in 2017, tells the story of the Evansville region's wartime contributions. The highlight of the museum is their most recent acquisition, a P-47, Tarheel Tal, from the Lone Star Flight Museum in 2020. The airplane was repainted the following year as Hoosier Spirit II, to represent the first P-47 built in Indiana. On display in the museum with the Thunderbolt is a Boeing (Stearman) N2S-1 biplane trainer, a 1943 M4A4 Chrysler Sherman tank, a M37-1 Dodge 3/4-Ton Truck, and a 3/4-ton WC Dodge G-502 Truck. The museum has a number of galleries focused on World War I, World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War with numerous artifacts on display.
15Mar25
One of the museum docents leads us into the museum past their Boeing (Stearman) N2S-1 Model 75 biplane trainer.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - Delivered to USAAF as 44-90368 on May 7, 1945.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - Finished US military service on August 28, 1947. Delivered to FA Venezuela as FAV 490368/6 on October 28, 1947.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - The Thunderbolt was returned to Orlando, FL, in 1971. Sold and shipped to La Ferte Alais, France, from 1975-1987.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - Returned to the United States in 1987. Restored to airworthy status with first flight in 1991. Flew as 4327773/4P-S/Big Ass Bird II.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - Sold to Lone Star Flight Museum, Galveston, TX, where it remained from 1999-2020. Repainted and flown as 433240/IA-N/Tarheel Hal.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - The Thunderbolt remains in near airworthy status. As evidenced by the drip pans below the fuselage. However, the Evansville War Museum has no current plans to fly the P-47.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - The Evansville P-47 Foundation acquired the Thunderbolt in 2020. The "Jug" is on loan to the Evansville War Museum.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - The P-47 was designed around the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18-cylinder radial engine,
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - Reflections in the propeller hub. Propellers on the P-47 are 4-bladed Curtiss Electric C542S constant-speed propeller, 13 ft 0 in (3.96 m) diameter.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - The museum has an elevated viewing platform that puts you over the right wing and allows you to look into the cockpit and the wing gun bays.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - A clear view of the ammunition bays in the wing of the P-47 Thunderbolt.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - Close up view of the 50 caliber machine guns in a staggered mounting inside the wing of the Thunderbolt,
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - If you look closely at the gun barrels sticking out of the front of the wing, you will note that each barrel has a different angle pointing forward. This was so that all the bullets fired from each gun would converge at a single point in front of the fighter plane.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - Looking across the canopy to the left wing of the Thunderbolt.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - Interior shot of the Thunderbolt cockpit.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - Interior shot of the rear of the Thunderbolt cockpit.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - Looking back at the Thunderbolt tail feathers.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - The Thunderbolt has the state of Indiana emblazoned on its rudder.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - The Thunderbolt trim tab with the unique American flag colors.
P-47D Thunderbolt - Hoosier Spirit II - You can see the viewing platform over the wing of the Thunderbolt in this photo.
Boeing (Stearman) N2S-1 Model 75 biplane trainer
Boeing (Stearman) N2S-1 Model 75 biplane trainer. You can clearly see the Stearman name and the N2S-1 model number.
Boeing (Stearman) N2S-1 Model 75 biplane trainer with an open access panel.
Boeing (Stearman) N2S-1 Model 75 biplane trainer with the Republic P-47D Thunderbolt in the background.
Boeing (Stearman) N2S-1 Model 75 biplane trainer.
Powerplant of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt: The Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 2,000 hp (1,500 kW).
Pratt & Whitney emblem on the R-2800-59 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine.
The Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine was also used on the Grumman Hellcat, Vought F-4U Corsair, Martin B-26 Marauder, Douglas A-26 Invader, and the Northrop P-61 Black Widow.
By the time production ended in 1960, more than 125,000 R-2800s had been manufactured by Pratt & Whitney and its licensees, one of the largest production runs of any single aircraft engine model.
1943 Chrysler M4A4 Sherman tank.
M37-1 Dodge 3/4-Ton Truck.
WC Dodge G-502 3/4-Ton Truck
A couple of P-47 Thunderbolt models on display. The top model is a razorback style. The lower model has the later bubble canopy style.
Another view of the P-47 Thunderbolt models on display.
Vietnam War - US Army Airborne Rangers display.
Vietnam War - US Marine Corps Display.
Vietnam War display.
Artifacts brought back to the US from Vietnam by a local Marine veteran.
P-47 Thunderbolt history, models, and artifacts display.
WWII Pacific War display.
Weapons of WWII display.
WWI Honor Gallery Annex.
WWII US Army and US Navy artifacts.
P-47 Thunderbolt model hanging in the entrance lobby.
P-47 Thunderbolt wind vane on a pole outside the museum.
Across the airfield sits this stripped down C-130 Hercules fuselage.