The P-47 (like all American warplanes of this era) gave pilots a lot of control over engine performance. The P-47 pilot could adjust throttle, RPM (controlled b

The P-47 (like all American warplanes of this era) gave pilots a lot of control over engine performance. The P-47 pilot could adjust throttle, RPM (controlled by a governor that adjusts prop pitch), fuel-air mixture, turbocharger speed (controlled by opening exhaust wastegates), as well as control of the cowl flaps and intercooler shutters for cooling, as needed. Conversely, the German fighters of this era were much more heavily automated. A Bf 109 pilot had a throttle lever: RPM, mixture, and radiators were controlled automatically (with manual overrides available). If you ever look closely at the P-47's throttle quadrant, you'll notice one small feature that's pretty interesting. There is a one-way gate on the throttle lever that catches the RPM lever as it's advanced, precisely because without it, it was too easy for a pilot to (in the heat of combat) shove the throttle forward without adjusting RPM and blow the engine apart.