Great information Saber,
I seem to remember a substantial cost difference between the two aircraft in the book “Arsenal of Democracy” also.
Rip Collins did mention in his article on the P-47 that the P-51 used a lot of stampings whereas much of the P-47 parts were machined.
I must admit I have some problems with this list 
First off, the figures I have for the P-47 in the ETO/MTO are, enemy aircraft destroyed in air: 3,082, enemy aircraft destroyed on ground, 3,202*. In addition, the P-47 was also credited with 697 air-to-air kills in the Pacific. I don’t have Pacific ground kills but I doubt if the figure was anything near the 4,800+ needed to make the figure of 11,878
Secondly. The figure of 160,000 military vehicles is incredible, especially if you take into account that in the Normandy campaign the total losses for all German vehicles was only 22,000. I personally doubt the Germans lost a total of 160,000 vehicles in all its fighting on the Western front, they simply weren’t that motorised
ps, in the only know study of the results of aircraft attacks on ground forces ( Normandy Campaign), it was found that the pilots over claimed by a factor of ten.
*source; Ray Wagner’s American Combat Planes
Yeah, Rich Leonard and I went over much of this in the following thread:
Mustang, vs. Corsair, vs. Hellcat - Which is best?
http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5830&page=3
http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5830&page=4
I’ll check some of my data books on WWII for German truck production figures. Also keep in mind older trucks and trucks of foreign armies (French, Polish, Russian, etc.) that were pressed into service.
Think horse carts are included in those 160000 vehicles.
But I also think that ground kill claims, be it aircraft or vehicles are very difficult to verify.
Yeah, Rich Leonard and I went over much of this in the following thread:
Mustang, vs. Corsair, vs. Hellcat - Which is best?
http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5830&page=3
http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5830&page=4
I’ll check some of my data books on WWII for German truck production figures. Also keep in mind older trucks and trucks of foreign armies (French, Polish, Russian, etc.) that were pressed into service.
-[/QUOTE]
Well, if the 160,000 vehicle figure is correct, it would probably have to be for all theaters (ETO, MTO, PTO, CBI, etc.) and all types - including horse carts as snebold has suggested.
Wikipedia’s article on the P-47 Thunderbolt shows 68,000 trucks destroyed by Thunderbolts in Europe from 6 June 1944 - 7 May 1945. But, that does not include figures for the period before 6 June 1944 nor for other theaters. Another webpage also quotes 68,000 trucks and an additional 60,000 horse-drawn vehicles destroyed by P-47 Thunderbolts. That would give a total of 128,000+ based on those numbers alone.
Also, according to the following source, Germany produced 345,914 military trucks and lorries 1939-1945.
Here are some figures on German production of military trucks and lorries 1939-1945 (with other axis and allied truck production for comparison).
Total - 345,914 (Germany)
Italy produced 83,000
Japan produced 165,945
Axis Total - 594,859
USA - 2,382,311
USSR - 197,100
UK - 480,943
Allied Total - 3,060,354
Source: The World War II Databook, John Ellis, ISBN 1 85410 254 0, p 278
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
http://www.xs4all.nl/~fbonne/warbirds/ww2htmls/repup47.html
Operational remarks:
Some statistics about the P-47:
545,575 operational sorties made by 15,683 produced aircraft.
7,067 aircraft destroyed of which 3,752 in the air
3499 aircraft lost, amongst which…
884 lost in the air for a kill / loss ratio of 4.6 / 1
9,000+ locomotives destroyed
86,000+ rail wagons destroyed
6,000+ armored vehicles destroyed
68,000+ motor vehicles destroyed
60,000 horse-drawn vehicles destroyed
P-47 Thunderbolt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-47_Thunderbolt
From the invasion of Europe on 6 June 1944, to VE day on 7 May 1945, the Thunderbolt units claimed destroyed: 86,000 railway cars, 9,000 locomotives, 6,000 armored fighting vehicles, and 68,000 trucks.
At the end of production, cost of a Thunderbolt was $83,000 in 1945 U.S. dollars.
P-51 Mustang
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-51_Mustang
Unit cost US $50,985 in 1945
Thunderbolt with Royal Air Force
http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/p47_17.html
The Royal Air Force was supplied with a total of 830 P-47Ds. In RAF service, the “razorback” P-47D was known as the Thunderbolt I and the “bubble canopy” P-47D was known as Thunderbolt II. Thunderbolt Is were delivered in two batches–serials FL731 to FL850 and HB962 to HD181. They were delivered to the RAF from the P-47D-22-RE production blocks. The “bubble-topped” Thunderbolt II fighters were from the P-47D-25/-30-RE and the P-47D-30/-40-RA production blocks, and four main batches were delivered–serials HD182 to HD301, KJ128 to KJ367, KL168 to KL347, and KL838 to KL976. A few aircraft in the last two batches were equipped with the dorsal fin strake.
The RAF Thunderbolts were evaluated in Europe, but most of them were shipped to the CBI theatre, where they fought against the Japanese. The following RAF squadrons --the 5th, 30th, 79th, 123rd (later became 81), 134th (later became 131), 135th (later became 615th ), 146th (later became 42nd), 258th and 261st Squadrons in 1944, and the 34th, 42nd, 60th, 81st, 113th, 131st and 615th Squadrons in 1945. However, many of these late arrivals were not in time to see any action. One of the first RAF squadrons to see action was the 5th Squadron, which was based in Burma and which had previously flown Mohawks and Hurricanes. They flew patrols under the direction of visual ground posts and caused tremendous damage among Japanese troops and supply lines.
Following V-J Day, most of the Thunderbolts rapidly disappeared from RAF squadrons, which were either disbanded or were reequipped with British-built aircraft. The last RAF squadron (No 60) disposed of their Thunderbolts in October of 1946. Sources:
The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion Books, 1987.
War Planes of the Second World War, Fighters, Volume Four, William Green, Doubleday 1964.
United States Military Aircraft since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.
The Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, Aircraft in Profile, Edward Shacklady, Doubleday, 1969.
Famous Fighters of the Second World War, Volume I, William Green, 1967.
Thunderbolt: A Documentary History of the Republic P-47, Roger Freeman, Motorbooks, 1992.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2037/1503521320_36f3372b01_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannergyde/1503521320/
http://www.hyperscale.com/galleries/images/p47d32sp_seac1.jpg
http://www.hyperscale.com/2007/galleries/images/p47d32sp_seac2.jpg
http://www.hyperscale.com/2007/galleries/images/p47d32sp_seac3.jpg
http://hsfeatures.com/features04/images/p47d72cb_3.jpg
http://hsfeatures.com/features04/images/p47d72cb_5.jpg
http://hsfeatures.com/features04/images/p47d72cb_2.jpg
http://hsfeatures.com/features04/images/p47d72cb_4.jpg
http://hsfeatures.com/features04/images/p47d72cb_1.jpg
http://www.desktopjazz.co.uk/wallpaper/Flight/albums/RAF%20Thunderbolt.jpg
The Myitnge bridge after attack by RAF Thunderbolts. The bridge carried the main railway line from Mandalay to Rangoon
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/WH2-3RAF-fig-WH2-3RAF031b.html
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-3RAF/WH2-3RAF031b.jpg