The Evansville Press of April 7, 1942, covered the story of the groundbreaking at Republic Aviation, near the city’s airport. This event occurred just over two weeks after the announcement that Republic would be constructing a factory in the city. The first P-47 “Thunderbolt” rolled off the line on September 20. The Republic plant was photographed under construction in an aerial view from spring of 1942. Another photo reveals the plant shortly after it was opened in 1942. The special “United for Victory” issue of the Sunday Courier and Press of October 25, 1942, revealed for the first time the extent of the city’s involvement in war production. A page shown here provides photographs of P-47s produced at Republic, as well as war work at Sunbeam and Briggs. Republic provided a diagram of its durable P-47 Thunderbolt (also shown here).

The modification plant at Republic is shown in a lower aerial shot. In this war-classified photograph were Vultec A-35 Vengeance and Vaught Corsair aircraft. A P-47D is also shown here taxiing at the Republic factory, late in the war. The Invader of May 1945 included a page on the fact that Republic Aviation had built over 5,000 P-47 aircarft, a mainstay of the war effort. (Press Clippings Courtesy of Darrel E. Bigham; Aerial Views and P-47D Shots Courtesy of the Willard Library; Invader Page Courtesy of the Library of the Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science.)

Images of America - Evansville: The World War II Years.

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