This Fine Art Print by Artist Craig Tinder depicts P-47D Thunderbolt 42-22459 of the 78th Fighter Group during Little Blitz Week, a turning point in the air war over Europe. This Limited Edition Canvas Print includes an actual fragment of P-47D 42-22459 which crashed in the Ardennes Forest in 1944.
P-47D Thunderbolt fragments recovered from the Ardennes Forest
Details About the RELIC:
On December 27, 1944, P-47D-2-RA (Serial No. 42-22459) was on a ground attack mission near Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, assigned to the 406th Fighter Group. The Thunderbolt was struck by heavy enemy flak, causing it to lose control, roll, and crash into the Ardennes Forest. Although the larger parts of the airframe were removed in the post-war years, smaller relic fragments remained at the crash site. These fragments were eventually recovered in the 1980s by Belgian aviation archaeologist W. Jacobs.
This event highlighted the crucial role of air support during one of the most pivotal battles of World War II, where the 406th Fighter Group provided vital air cover and close air support to ground forces fighting against the German offensive.
P-47D-2-RA No. 42-22459 fragment
P-47D relic with manufacturer stamp
The Story Behind the Print:
30 July 1943 - P-47D-2-RA (Serial No. 42-22459) of the 78th Fighter Group, piloted by George Hartman, provides bomber escort on the mission to Kassel, Germany, to attack the Focke-Wulf factory. Outnumbered by 3-to-1, the 78th FG encountered over 100 German fighters attacking the bomber formations. Seven P-47s were lost this day to the Luftwaffe's loss of 16 aircraft. This period marked the end of "Blitz Week", the beginning of the Combined Bomber Offensive that initiated the continual aerial bombardment that stretched into Fortress Europe to strike targets at the heart of Germany.
P-47D Razorback - 78th Fighter Group
The 78th Fighter Group (Interceptor) was constituted on January 13, 1942, and activated on February 9, 1942. It was renamed the 78th Fighter Group in May 1942 and initially trained with P-38 aircraft while serving as part of the air defense organization. In November and December of 1942, the group moved to England and was assigned to the Eighth Air Force.
In early 1943, the 78th Fighter Group lost its P-38s and many of its pilots, who were reassigned to the Twelfth Air Force for service in North Africa. The group began combat operations from England in April 1943, flying P-47 Thunderbolts, and later transitioned to P-51 Mustangs in December 1944. Throughout its combat role, the group conducted many bomber escort missions, protecting bombers that targeted industries, submarine yards, V-weapon sites, and other strategic locations across the continent.
The group also engaged in counter-air operations, strafing and dive-bombing enemy airfields, trains, vehicles, and troops. It played key roles in major operations, including Big Week in February 1944, the Normandy invasion in June 1944, the breakthrough at St. Lo in July 1944, the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945, and the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945.
The 78th Fighter Group received two Distinguished Unit Citations (DUC) for its service. The first was for its role in covering troop carrier and bombardment operations during the airborne attack on Holland in September 1944, while the second was awarded for destroying numerous enemy aircraft on five airfields near Prague and Pilsen in April 1945. After returning to the U.S. in October 1945, the group was inactivated on October 18, 1945.
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