Difference between revisions of "Sherman IC "Trzyniec""

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{{Specs-Card|code=uk_sherman_ic_firefly}}
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{{About
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| about = premium British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
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| other
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| usage-1 = other Shermans
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| link-1 = M4 Sherman (Family)
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| usage-2 = other uses
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| link-2 = Sherman (Disambiguation)
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}}
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{{Specs-Card
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|code=uk_sherman_ic_firefly
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
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}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
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''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''
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<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
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The '''M4 Sherman IC Firefly "Trzyniec"''' is a heavily up-gunned modification of the first variant of the early-generation [[M4 Sherman (Family)|Medium Tank M4 (Sherman) family]]. During World War II, the M4 Sherman IC Firefly operated with both the Polish 1st Armoured Division in northern Europe and the Polish 2nd Armoured Brigade in Italy. It saw limited service in the Polish Army since the majority of the tanks were assigned to the British Army to combat the more advanced German tanks. The lower hulls of the M4 Sherman IC Firefly distinguish it from the [[Sherman Firefly|M4A4 Sherman VC Firefly]], with the M4 Sherman IC Firefly having a shorter hull and smaller gaps between the suspension components, as it is based on the M4 or "Sherman I" chassis instead of the regular M4A4 or "Sherman V". This also made use of a three-piece bolted transmission casing. The M4 Sherman IC Firefly, on the other hand, typically had a cast transmission casing. The rest of the characteristics are the same.
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Introduced in [[Update 1.53 "Firestorm"]] as a [[wt:en/news/3472--en|premium pack]], the M4 Sherman IC Firefly "Trzyniec" was one of the game's earliest British tanks. It performs the same function as later-generation up-gunned M4 Sherman variants. While friendly heavy tanks take the lead in the attack, this tank can provide flanking fire, long-range fire, or rapid and accurate fire to the objective. The tank is as manoeuvrable as any other M4 Sherman variant, making it easy to gain speed and flank the opponent. Those who are experienced with previous M4 Sherman variants will quickly adapt to this tank. While this tank can serve as the frontal spearhead for an assault, it is strongly advised against doing so due to the tank's low armour, which requires players to constantly get the first shot off in each fight; otherwise, the opponent will swiftly eliminate the tank.
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It was removed from the store following the [[wt:en/news/5608-shop-summer-sale-independence-day-en|2018 Summer Sale]], but it was reintroduced as a premium vehicle available for purchase with Golden Eagles during [[wt:en/news/5852-special-news-war-thunder-s-birthday-discounts-and-gifts-en|War Thunder's 6th Anniversary]].
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
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''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
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{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
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<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
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'''Armour type:'''
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* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull)
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* Cast homogeneous armour (Transmission area, Turret)
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{| class="wikitable"
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|-
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! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
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|-
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| Hull || 50.8 mm (55°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 50.8 + 25.4 mm (35°) ''Driver's port'' <br> 50.8 mm (12-56°) ''Transmission area'' || 38.1 mm || 38.1 mm (10°) ''Top'' <br> 38.1 mm (10°) ''Bottom'' || 19.5 mm <br> 12.7 mm ''Engine deck''
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|-
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| Turret || 76.2 mm (8-44°) ''Turret roof'' <br> 50.8 + 88.9 mm (1-54°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 50.8 mm (2-38°) || 50.8 mm (2-67°) ''Turret rear'' <br> 50.8 mm ''Radio box'' || 25.4 mm
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|-
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| Cupola || colspan="3" | 50.8 mm
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|25.4 mm
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|-
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|}
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'''Notes:'''
  
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''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
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* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 20 mm thick.
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* Access to the [[Add-on Armor|Add-on Armour]] modification will give the tank substantial coverings on the side hull, each track being 17 mm thick.
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* Belly armour is 12.7 mm thick.
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* The right side of the turret has extra armour that is 88.9 mm thick.
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* The bow machine gun area has been welded shut with armour, but is only 25.4 mm thick so may present a viable weakness to weaker enemies.
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* Unlike the armour on the American Rank III Shermans which saw itself upped from 50.8 mm to 63.5 mm, the British Firefly in Rank III retains the old 50.8 mm base armour thickness on the front hull, as well as the protruding driver and co-driver hatches in front. This makes the Firefly a much more vulnerable Sherman tank than even the American versions, a trade-off for its more powerful armament.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
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''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
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<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
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{{tankMobility|abMinHp=620|rbMinHp=354|AoAweight=0.9}}
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=== Modifications and economy ===
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{{Specs-Economy}}
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
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{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
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''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
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<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
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{{main|QF 17-pounder (76 mm)}}
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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|-
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! colspan="5" | [[QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|76 mm QF 17-pounder]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
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|-
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! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
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! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
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! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
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|-
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! ''Arcade''
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| rowspan="2" | 80 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 22.8 || 31.6 || 38.4 || 42.5 || 45.2 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
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|-
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! ''Realistic''
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| 14.3 || 16.8 || 20.4 || 22.6 || 24.0
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|-
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|}
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==== Ammunition ====
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* '''Shot Mk.6:''' {{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}} - Standard penetrating round, use until better rounds are unlocked.
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* '''Shell Mk.1:''' {{Annotation|HE|High-explosive}} - It is ideal for destroying SPAA and lightly armoured tanks, but useless against anything else.
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* '''Shot Mk.4:''' {{Annotation|APC|Armour-piercing capped}} - Cap for better grip against sloped armour.
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* '''Shot Mk.8:''' {{Annotation|APCBC|Armour-piercing capped ballistic capped}} - Like Shot Mk.4 but with a ballistic cap for improved flight path, as well as better penetration and shrapnel damage.
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{{:QF 17-pounder (76 mm)/Ammunition|Shot Mk.6, Shell Mk.1, Shot Mk.4, Shot Mk.8, 17pdr Shell SS Mk.1}}
  
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=== Additional armament ===
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==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
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''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
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[[File:Ammoracks_Sherman_Firefly.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the [[Sherman Firefly]] (identical)]]
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<!-- '''Last updated: 2.17.0.42''' -->
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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|-
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! Full<br>ammo
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! 1st<br>rack empty
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! 2nd<br>rack empty
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! 3rd<br>rack empty
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! 4th<br>rack empty
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! 5th<br>rack empty
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! 6th<br>rack empty
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! Visual<br>discrepancy
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|-
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| '''80''' || 61&nbsp;''(+19)'' || 41&nbsp;''(+39)'' || 21&nbsp;''(+59)'' || 6&nbsp;''(+74)'' || 4&nbsp;''(+76)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+79)'' || No
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|-
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|}
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==== Optics ====
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
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! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
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|-
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! Which ones
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! Default magnification
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! Maximum magnification
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|-
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! Main Gun optics
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| x3 || x6
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|-
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! Comparable optics
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| colspan="2" | [[VFW]]
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|-
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|}
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Identical to [[Sherman Firefly]], which is the first tank in its tech line to have X6 scope. It will not get any better than this until rank VI, so get used to it - it will be the same across entire tech tree for a while with SPAA being the only exception.
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As of rank III, this scope is slightly or moderately superior to most medium and heavy tanks, but do not expect to outsnipe German SPG as they have same optics or even better.
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
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''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
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{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
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<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
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{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
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|-
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! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
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|-
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! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
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|-
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| Pintle || 800 (200) || 577 || -10°/+15° || ±180°
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|-
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|}
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
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|-
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! colspan="5" | [[L3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L3A1]]
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|-
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! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
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|-
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| Coaxial || 5,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
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|-
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|}
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== Usage in battles ==
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<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
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This tank should be the supporting line in both offensive and defensive actions, providing flanking fire, long-range fire, or fast and accurate fire to the target while the heavy tanks like the [[Churchill (Family)|Churchills]] take up the brunt of the defence. The tank is as mobile as the [[M4|M4 Sherman]], so picking up speed to get around the enemy is not hard. Those familiar with an M4 Sherman control will pick up on this tank very easily; however unlike most Sherman variants, the Firefly does not equip any kind of stabilisation. While this tank is also capable of being the frontal attack unit for an assault, it is strongly advised not to due to the thin armour of the tank, necessitating the users to always get the first shot off in an encounter, otherwise the enemy will be able to destroy the Firefly easily.
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The Sherman Firefly can dish out the punishment necessary for heavy tanks, but can't take it. Don't expose the tank towards enemy fire too long due to the thin armour on the Firefly in comparison to other tanks such as the Soviet [[T-34-85]]s and the German [[Panther D|Panthers]]. Take a shot, preferably from a flanking location, then retreat into cover regardless of the shot's effect on a target, because if the target could swing its gun towards the Firefly, or have friends that could hit it, consider writing off the Firefly very soon. This varies between different enemies, as going against something like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]] would be different than going against a [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]].
  
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== Usage in the battles ==
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Shoot and scoot unless the enemy's tank gunner has been knocked out (black only), cannon breech has been disabled (red/black), or cannon barrel is disabled (red/black) that inhibits the enemy's ability to fire back, don't expose the tank after firing. Always try to retreat back into cover to reload. Once reloaded, preferably pop out of an area different from the last firing position and take another shot. Make sure to eliminate the enemy's ability to fire back by destroying their cannon breech and traverse gears, or knock out their driver and gunner again if they were replaced.
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''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
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 +
During this whole process, watch out for other enemy tanks and avoid being swarmed. With situational awareness combined with the correct usage of the map, the Firefly becomes a decent tank capable of effectively fighting every medium and heavy tank it faces.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
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''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
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<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
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 +
* Very fast turret traverse speed allows for active targets tracking in battle
 +
* 17-pounder provides massive damage against medium and heavy tanks; capable of penetrating the frontal armour of the [[Tiger H1]]
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* Fast reload even with an untrained crew
 +
* Considerably faster acceleration and steering due to 6 tons lighter compared to normal Firefly
 +
* Access to [[Add-on Armor|additional armour]] that covers most of the front and sides
 +
* Additional plates welded to the hull's side; unlike the regular Firefly
 +
* Has .50 cal AA machine gun that's unique among other vehicles as it can rotate for 360°
 +
* Adequate premium bonus to research and a back up to the regular Firefly
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
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 +
* Large profile and poor frontal armour of a regular [[M4|M4 Sherman]], very thin for a Rank III vehicle facing regular [[Tiger I (Family)|Tigers I]]  and [[Panzer V Panther (Family)|Panthers]]
 +
* 4 crew members are easier to knock-out
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* Bad gun depression of only -5 degrees, difficult playstyle when accustomed to other British tanks with excellent depression
 +
* Smart enemies will shoot the spot where the radio operator gunner usually sat, as in the Firefly, that spot is replaced by ammo (unless carrying 54 ammo)
 +
* Additional armour tracks doesn't really help with flank attack, due to the thin and wide side armour
 +
* Gun bounces a lot when performing a sudden stop and lacks stabilization; sudden targets will be hard to hit
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
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''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
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<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
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=== Concept ===
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Around 1943 in World War II, the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] was one of the best tanks in use by the Allies. It superseded the German standard [[Pz.III J|Panzer IIIs]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]] at the time. However, it was during the middle of 1943 that the Sherman design was beginning to wane in superiority with the reveal of newer German tanks in the front lines, namely the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] and the [[Panther D|Panther]] tanks.<ref name="ZalogaCh3Panther">Zaloga 2008, ''Chapter 3: The Panzer Nemesis: The Panther Threat''</ref> These tanks could not only take out the Sherman at a longer range than the Sherman can compete in, but also withstand the 75 mm rounds fired from the Sherman with their frontal armour. To improve the Sherman's firepower against these better German tanks, the Americans decided to up-gun their tanks with a better [[M1 (76 mm)|76 mm gun]]. The British, however, chose to up the ante with one of the Allies' most potent anti-tank guns at the time, the 17-pounder.
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 +
The [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|Ordnance QF 17-pounder]] was a 76.2 mm anti-tank gun developed by the United Kingdom around 1942 but was considered as far back as 21 November 1940.<ref name="Fletcher17">Fletcher 2008, ''The 17-pounder''</ref> The British predicted that the Germans would be increasing their tank armour gradually to make current anti-tank weapons ineffective in North Africa, a lesson learned when their issued [[Ordnance QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|2-pounder]], [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|6-pounder]], and [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm]] guns were meeting heavier armoured tanks and even tanks with superior firepower like the [[KwK40 L43 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK40]] on the [[Pz.IV F2|Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2]].<ref name="Fletcher17" /> The prototype batch was completed in Spring 1942, and the design was finalized in 1943 and accepted into service that same year. It would see significant effect in the Italian Campaign as one of the best Allied anti-tank guns.<ref name="Hunnicutt17pdr">Hunnicutt 1978, pg. 303</ref> One of the reasons why the 17-pounder was so effective was the use of the APDS shot (Armour-Piercing Discarding-Sabot), which could penetrate up to 256 mm of armour at 500 m distance; this is due to the smaller, but much faster projectile used that contains more kinetic energy than a full-sized shot. However, drawbacks with this ammunition were the lack of tracer to adjust shots, the inaccuracy beyond 500 yards, and the less damage it could cause to the enemy tank.<ref name="FletcherAmmo">Fletcher 2008, ''Ammunition''</ref>
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 +
===Development===
 +
====A kick-start====
 +
The 17-pounder's effectiveness against the new German tanks and the lacklustre anti-armour firepower on British tanks brought upon the concept of mounting the 17-pounder onto tanks. The first mention of mounting the powerful gun onto a tank carriage was as early as 09 December 1941 by Tank Board, which prompted the design specification A29, a 45-ton 17-pounder armed tank that was eventually cancelled for another design. The next design took the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] tank as its basis, with development proceeding in 1942 as the [[Challenger|A30]] (later known as the Challenger). While A30 was in development, the prolonged development time had Tank Board set up for two more 17-pounder projects, the [[Comet I|A34]] (Comet) for a short term project and [[Centurion Mk 1|A41]] (Centurion) for a long term one, in the summer of 1943.<ref name="Fletcher17" /> However, in the same year, a side project for a 17-pounder tank was conducted by two officers.
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 +
Royal Tank Regiment major George Brighty, based at the Royal Armoured Corps Gunnery School at Lulworth in Dorset, had the belief that the M4 Sherman was a better tank mount for the 17-pounder than the A30, which was being tested in Lulworth. He experimented around an acquired Sherman, though came to a conclusion that the turret size was too small for the 17-pounder's breech and recoil. Still, he persisted in his efforts and in a rather absurd solution, fitted the 17-pounder into the turret by locking the gun into the mounts and removing the lengthy recoil system, forcing the tank's mass and suspension to absorb the entirety of the 17-pounder recoil. Though this proved to have worked, the modification was far from ideal for any practical usage.<ref name="FletcherLulworth">Fletcher 2008, ''Developments At Lulworth''</ref>
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 +
During his trials, Brighty joined up with another major of the RTR by the name of George Witheridge. Witheridge was also convinced of the Sherman's virtues from his time at Fort Knox when advising on tank gunnery techniques. While he appreciated the dual-purpose usage the [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm gun]] on the Sherman provided, he was concerned on improving the armour-piercing properties while retaining the same high-explosive charge. Witheridge arrived at Lulworth to Brighty's design, which he found unsuitable. In a statement on how confident such a design looked from the outside, Witheridge test-fired Brighty's 17-pounder Sherman from the outside three times before trying it out inside. Priority soon shifted to develop a recoil system for the Sherman-mounted 17-pounder. However, sometime after Witheridge's arrival, the Department of Tank Design (DTD) sent a directive to the two lads to cease their development on the up-gunning of the Sherman, possibly to protect their A30 project. Witheridge, still keen to the idea of using the Sherman, tried to get this directive reversed by appealing to his connections, namely a man going by Major General Raymond Briggs. Briggs, Witheridge's commanding officer in North Africa and also enthusiastic about improving British tank firepower, put the word to Claude Gibb, Director General of Weapon and Instrument Production at Ministry of Supply, to which Gibb approved and the 17-pounder Sherman was back up. However, with the Ministry of Supply now involved with the project, the design was shifted from two enthusiastic officers to the engineers.<ref name="FletcherLulworth" />
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 +
====Professional's touch====
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One person deemed responsible for completing the project was W.G.K. Kilbourn, a professional engineer at Vickers who was stationed at Chertsey when he was assigned the 17-pounder Sherman by the DTD.<ref name="FletcherDesign">Fletcher 2008, ''Designing The Firefly''</ref> He managed to fit the 17-pounder gun into the Sherman turret by extensively modifying the gun. He replaced the recoil cylinders with shorter ones mounted on the sides, opposite to each other top and bottom, on a special cradle, modified the gun barrel to fit onto the cradle for better support, and placed the gun breech to open horizontally (contrary to the statement that the gun was simply rotated 90 degrees sideways as the operators of the gun has not been rotated along with the breech).<ref name="MoransVideoPt2">Morans 2017, Time (3:00)</ref> The redesigned 17-pounder, named Mk IV was built on 11 November 1943 at the Royal Ordnance Factory and could fit into the Sherman turret,<ref name="FletcherDesign" /> but now the concern was on the crew inside. The large breech of the modified 17-pounder ate up a lot of internal space and isolated the loader on the left side of the gun and turret; the solution was to cut a hole on top of the loader's position and add a hatch. The radio, usually mounted on the rear of the turret, was deemed too close to the recoiling breech for comfort so an armoured box was welded to the turret rear for the radio and a hole cut into the turret rear for operating the radio away from the recoiling gun. The armoured box also had the benefit of acting as a counter-weight for the longer and heavier gun for the turret.<ref name="FletcherConversion">Fletcher 2008, ''The Conversion Programme''</ref> Finally, there was an issue of ammo stowage for the larger and heavier 17-pdr rounds, 6 inches longer than the 75 mm shells. The stowage on the tank was in bins in the turret for ready access, but a bulk of it was placed under the turret floor that could only be accessed when the turret was aligned a certain position for each bin, making them more for replenishing the ready racks during breaks in combat. To increase the stowage for more 17-pounder rounds, the bow machine gunner was removed along with his machine gun (the port welded over by a prominent wedge-shaped armour) and a rack holding 15 rounds placed in his location, however the position for the rack was also impossible to reach during combat and one location on the rack was so hard to get to that it wasn't used, making the total stowage 14 rounds instead.<ref name="FletcherDesign" />
 +
 
 +
Kilbourn efforts and those of assisting engineers managed to finally fit the large 17-pounder gun into the constrained space of the Sherman turret intended to mount the 75 mm gun, as well as perform the necessary modifications to accommodate combat usage of the vehicle. It then moved onto the next stage of being approved for service.
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 +
====Conversions====
 +
Inspection of the completed Sherman with the 17-pdr started on 06 January 1944, and the War Office wrote a requirement for up to 2,100 of the tanks to be up-gunned. Not every Sherman could follow the conversion, whether by technical or logistics limitations, and only petrol-engined, M34A1 gun mounted, and have a hydraulic turret traverse system. This meant that the Shermans converted were the [[Sherman IC "Trzyniec"|Sherman I]] ([[M4|M4]]), Sherman I Hybrid (M4 "Composite"), and [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman V]] (M4A4). Technically the [[Sherman II]] ([[M4A1|M4A1]]) and Sherman III ([[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3]]) were also eligible for conversion with those standards, but information on the Sherman II are scarce and photographic evidence of cast hull converted Shermans usually turn out to be Sherman I Hybrids; Sherman III are all allocated to the U.S. Army as their mainstay tank so no M4A3 were even available in British service to convert.<ref name="FletcherConversion" /> Tanks armed with the 17-pounder were designated by a "C" in the name at the end of their mark number, leading to names such as the "Sherman VC" to denote an M4A4 with the 17-pounder conversion. Troops with the up-gunned Sherman, as early as March 1944, were describing tank as a '''Firefly''', regardless of the type.<ref name="FletcherName">Fletcher 2008, ''What's in a Name?''</ref> How it got the name is debatable, but it is most likely due to the very prominent muzzle flash that the 17-pounder produces when firing.<ref name="ZalogaCh4British">Zaloga 2008, ''Chapter 4: The Future Sherman: Improve or Replace?: The British Approach''</ref>
 +
 
 +
Still, as D-Day approached for the Allied forces and the A30 Challenger was continually delayed, the eagerness of the troops to acquire the Firefly rose substantially. Four factories were prioritized for the conversion, two at London, one at Manchester and another at Nottingham. From the conversion period of 1944 to 1945, up to and between 2,100 to 2,200 Fireflies were converted, making it the most-produced tank with the 17-pounder of the war. Allocation of the Fireflies was one troop per three Sherman troop (troop was an equivalent of a platoon and consisted of 4 tanks), but even regiments that were equipped with Cromwells were supplemented with Fireflies until the A30 Challenger was fit for service. The Fireflies were also allocated to Canadian and Polish regiments.<ref name="FletcherConversion" /> Due to the relative newness of the Firefly, most of the training done on the utilization and deployment of the Fireflies were done on the combat field by each regiment.<ref name="FletcherDesign" />
 +
 
 +
===Combat usage===
 +
====Fighting at the theaters====
 +
The Firefly's first combat action on D-Day was not actually on the land of Normandy but on the sea. The Firefly's were assigned an unusual role to, while on the LCT that would carry them to the beaches, would fire over the berm towards concrete fortifications and blast them with the 17-pdr. Six Fireflies were allotted, separated into pairs, to DD tank regiments of the British 13th/18th Hussars at Sword Beach, and the Canadians 1st Hussars and Fort Garry Horse at Juno. Though 13th/18th Hussars were reported to not have fired their Fireflies on the way in, 1st Hussars seemed to have good experiences with it in the rough weather. Once the LCT reached the shore, the Fireflies were ordered to disembark and head inland, finishing off obstacles and join their original tank regiments.<ref name="FletcherConcrete">Fletcher 2008, ''Concrete Busters''</ref>
 +
 
 +
The first non-DD tank regiment with Fireflies to land was the Staffordshire Yeomanry, which had at least 12 Sherman VC with 48 Sherman IIIs, however, little information exists on how it performed on the opening days of the Normandy campaign. Other regiments were originally DD tanks with Fireflies but were employed as regular tank regiments once inland.<ref name="FletcherConcrete" /> One of such regiments was the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry. It was they who, a few days after the landings, deduced that the Germans seemed to be targeting their Fireflies specifically for their long guns. Though this deduction was not supported by evidence (19% of total Fireflies were lost, but 29% of regular tanks were lost as well), the concern of Firefly loss was great because of the supply issue. As illustrated that though 22 Fireflies were lost, by June 23 only six replacements had arrived. Experience from the ground and the density of heavy German tanks changed some initial organization of one Firefly troop per three Sherman troop into one Firefly per tank troop. Fireflies were in such high demand that some commanders have expressed thought of obtaining the [[Achilles|17-pdr armed M10]] as supplement.<ref name="FletcherAction">Fletcher 2008, ''The Firefly in Action''</ref> Still, the units acquiring the Fireflies appreciated what they had as it was the only tank in Normandy in the Summer of 1944 that had a reasonable chance of defeating a [[Panther G|Panther]] or [[Tiger E|Tiger]] at combat ranges in the front.<ref name="ZalogaCh6AmericanFirefly">Zaloga 2008, ''Chapter 6: To Paris and Beyond!: American Firefly Deferred''</ref> In fact, the Firefly is most likely the responsible tank that destroyed the Tiger tank containing the Tiger Ace Michael Wittmann on 08 August 1944.<ref name="ZalogaChampionFirefly">Zaloga 2015, ''Chapter 8: The 1944 Tank Contest''</ref>
 +
 
 +
Once Firefly supply to the Normandy campaign was satisfied in October 1944, Fireflies were allocated to the Italian theatre, shared out to the Polish, Canadian, New Zealand, British, and South African regiments stationed there. With that, supply issue arose in that theatre for the Firefly, causing the units that received the Fireflies to treasure them greatly. Heeding the comments on how Fireflies were singled out for their long guns, there were attempts to hide the prominent gun barrels, ranging from deceptive paint schemes, camouflage, and even dummy barrels on the back of the Firefly turret that would be pointed forward to mimic the short 75 mm gun.<ref name="FletcherAction" />
 +
 
 +
Still, the Firefly served in the British Armies in the European Theater of Operations up to and until May 1945, when they were retired along with the end of the war for the replacement of better designs like the [[Comet I|Comet cruiser tank]] and the [[Centurion Mk 1|Centurion tank]].
 +
 
 +
====Reception====
 +
The Firefly's performance was very favourable for the troops that had to use them against the heavy German tanks. Though a good portion of Germany's armour in the Normandy front were Panthers, a good majority were still [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IVs]] and self-propelled guns,<ref name="ZalogaChampionFirefly" /> all of which were manageable even with the 75 mm guns. Field reports by a Colonel W.E.H. Grylls in 1945<ref name="FletcherAction" /> helped highlight the troop's sentiments on the Firefly in combat, and especially their deficiencies. The muzzle brake sometimes came loose from an inadequate locking design, the traverse gear also failed at times due to the extra turret weight from the gun, rain leaked into the radio box on some tanks, internal space for the Firefly turret crew was comparatively cramped to the Sherman's, the muzzle flash at the gun's muzzle brake can obscure the target enough that it is difficult to ensure the firing round hit it, and muzzle flash on the breech end of the gun inside the turret has a tendency to cause a fair share of discomfort and uneasiness for the crew. Grylls also highlighted the crew praise on how the Firefly tended to not catch fire as quickly as Shermans, though this is deduced to by the placement of the majority of ammunition on the bottom of the hull, like the "wet stowage" arrangement on the newer [[M4A1 (76) W|Sherman models]]. Some of the deficiencies were fixed, such as the flashback at the breech end by implementing a delayed action breech on the 17-pounder Mk.VII model, but all these faults never diminished the popularity of the Firefly, highlighted by the statements of Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery that he wished to have Fireflies replace all types of Shermans in British service.<ref name="FletcherAction" />
 +
 
 +
On the onset, the Americans were not enthusiastic about the Firefly because they believed they had a comparable design in the [[M1 (76 mm)|76 mm]] armed [[M4A1 (76) W|Shermans]]. It was not until Normandy when they were proven wrong and learned the 76 mm were unable to contend against Panthers from the front. Though they soon developed the HVAP ammunition, General Omar Bradley's 12th US Army Group on 13 August 1944 requested for Fireflies to be made until better American armament like the [[M3 (90 mm)|90 mm]] could be fielded.<ref name="FletcherAmerican">Fletcher 2008, ''The American Angle''</ref> Due to supply constraints, they never received any during that time period. Not that the American's own industries were making the situation easier for the British as when they discontinued their M4A4 Sherman and 75 mm gun production, there was a quick drop in Firefly conversions in the latter part of 1944 until they could supplement the production with enough Sherman I models.<ref name="FletcherSupply">Fletcher 2008, ''Supply and Demand''</ref> In the American's own program, it was advised that they try mounting the 17-pounder in the T23 turret made for the 76 mm gun, but also mounted on the [[M26|T26]] chassis.<ref name="FletcherAmerican" /> This advice did not make much progress. It wasn't until February 1945 when the British finally made time for conversions for the Americans. The first trials were converting two M4A3 Shermans to fit American specifications like fitting their larger radios, adding stowage brackets for the M2 machine gun, and attachment of a M9 elevating quadrant on the gun cradle.<ref name="FletcherAmerican" /><ref name="Zaloga76mmUpGun">Zaloga 2003, ''Upgunning the M4 Tank''</ref> A request of 160 Fireflies were specified on 11 March 1945 for completion on April 30, with the Americans shipping suitable tanks from France back to England for conversion. On April 7th, the initial order was halved to 80 due to the incoming end of the war and its demand ending with the lack of encountered German armour after the Ardennes Offensive.<ref name="ZalogaCh9Firefly">Zaloga 2008, ''Chapter 9: On to the Rhine!: Firepower Improvements''</ref> On the war's end, there were 100 tanks sitting in depots ready for conversion, with 86 converted tanks.<ref name="FletcherAmerican" /> The excess Shermans were given away and the leaders were left on what to do with these Fireflies they no longer needed. It was decided on May 26<ref name="FletcherAmerican" /> that these American Fireflies were to be retained in Europe for equipping the occupational force.<ref name="Zaloga76mmUpGun" /> No evidence exist on what happened to these Fireflies past that point.
 +
 
 +
===Legacy===
 +
The Firefly's reputation during and after the war is a product of hindsight. The British understood the trend that was happening in German armoured forces and acted accordingly with the 17-pounder. The 17-pounder's super round, the APDS, did not appear in Firefly stowage until August 1944,<ref name="FletcherAmmo">Fletcher 2008, ''Ammunition''</ref> and in combat was really inaccurate past 500 yards and the round fouled the barrel that it affected follow-up shots with APCBC rounds. As such, APCBC round would still be standard usage and though the 17-pounder was still slightly more powerful than the 76 mm, it traded crew comfort and design quality in the Firefly in comparison to the 76 mm gun in the larger T23 turret. What solidified the Firefly's place in history in comparison to the 76 mm Shermans was that on the very first day that the Allies invaded Normandy, the British actually brought the Fireflies while the Americans left their 76 mm guns in English depots.<ref name="Zaloga76mmFrance">Zaloga 2003, ''Initial Deployment Problems''</ref> Thus, the British can claim with great confidence that on the opening days of Operation Overlord, they had a tank that could kill the German cats.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
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''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
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<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
  
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== Read also ==
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;Skins
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''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''
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 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_sherman_ic_firefly Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 +
 
 +
;Videos
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{{Youtube-gallery|6sX_uwt8sfE|'''Spotlight: Sherman Firefly Ep.2''' - ''minoxen''}}
 +
 
 +
== See also ==
 +
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
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''ETC.''
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 +
;[[M4 Sherman (Family)|Related development]]
 +
 
 +
* [[Sherman Firefly]]
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* [[M4 Tipo IC]]
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* [[Sherman Vc (Italy)]]
  
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== Sources ==
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;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
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''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
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* [[M4A1 (76) W]]
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* [[M4A4 (SA50)]]
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== External links ==
 +
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* ''other literature.''
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* ''other literature.'' -->
 +
 
 +
=== References ===
 +
 
 +
;Citations
 +
<references />
 +
 
 +
;Bibliography
 +
 
 +
* Fletcher, David. ''Sherman Firefly'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2008. ''Kindle Edition''
 +
* Hunnicutt, R.P. ''Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank'' U.S.A.: Feist Publications, 1978
 +
* Morans, Nicholas. ''Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: Sherman VC "Firefly" part 2'' YouTube, 20 Mar. 2017. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYRFpe27SnA]
 +
* Zaloga, Steven. ''M4 (76mm) Sherman Medium Tank 1943-65'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003. ''Kindle Edition''
 +
* Zaloga, Steven. ''Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II'' U.S.A: Stackpole Books, 2008. ''Kindle Edition''
 +
* Zaloga, Steven. ''Armored Champion: The Top Tanks of World War II'' U.S.A: Stackpole Books, 2015. ''Kindle Edition''
 +
 
 +
{{TankManufacturer Department of Tank Design}}
 +
{{Britain medium tanks}}
 +
{{Britain premium ground vehicles}}

Latest revision as of 18:20, 25 September 2023

Rank VI | Premium | Golden Eagles
Chinese A-5C Pack
This page is about the premium British medium tank Sherman IC "Trzyniec". For other Shermans, see M4 Sherman (Family). For other uses, see Sherman (Disambiguation).
Sherman IC "Trzyniec"
uk_sherman_ic_firefly.png
GarageImage Sherman IC "Trzyniec".jpg
Sherman IC "Trzyniec"
Britain flag.png Britain
III Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
4.7 4.7 4.7
Class:
PREMIUM
Purchase:2 980 Specs-Card-Eagle.png
Show in game

Description

The M4 Sherman IC Firefly "Trzyniec" is a heavily up-gunned modification of the first variant of the early-generation Medium Tank M4 (Sherman) family. During World War II, the M4 Sherman IC Firefly operated with both the Polish 1st Armoured Division in northern Europe and the Polish 2nd Armoured Brigade in Italy. It saw limited service in the Polish Army since the majority of the tanks were assigned to the British Army to combat the more advanced German tanks. The lower hulls of the M4 Sherman IC Firefly distinguish it from the M4A4 Sherman VC Firefly, with the M4 Sherman IC Firefly having a shorter hull and smaller gaps between the suspension components, as it is based on the M4 or "Sherman I" chassis instead of the regular M4A4 or "Sherman V". This also made use of a three-piece bolted transmission casing. The M4 Sherman IC Firefly, on the other hand, typically had a cast transmission casing. The rest of the characteristics are the same.

Introduced in Update 1.53 "Firestorm" as a premium pack, the M4 Sherman IC Firefly "Trzyniec" was one of the game's earliest British tanks. It performs the same function as later-generation up-gunned M4 Sherman variants. While friendly heavy tanks take the lead in the attack, this tank can provide flanking fire, long-range fire, or rapid and accurate fire to the objective. The tank is as manoeuvrable as any other M4 Sherman variant, making it easy to gain speed and flank the opponent. Those who are experienced with previous M4 Sherman variants will quickly adapt to this tank. While this tank can serve as the frontal spearhead for an assault, it is strongly advised against doing so due to the tank's low armour, which requires players to constantly get the first shot off in each fight; otherwise, the opponent will swiftly eliminate the tank.

It was removed from the store following the 2018 Summer Sale, but it was reintroduced as a premium vehicle available for purchase with Golden Eagles during War Thunder's 6th Anniversary.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull51 / 38 / 38
Turret76 / 51 / 51
Crew4 people
Visibility108 %

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull)
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Transmission area, Turret)
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 50.8 mm (55°) Front glacis
50.8 + 25.4 mm (35°) Driver's port
50.8 mm (12-56°) Transmission area 		38.1 mm 38.1 mm (10°) Top
38.1 mm (10°) Bottom 		19.5 mm
12.7 mm Engine deck
Turret 76.2 mm (8-44°) Turret roof
50.8 + 88.9 mm (1-54°) Gun mantlet 		50.8 mm (2-38°) 50.8 mm (2-67°) Turret rear
50.8 mm Radio box 		25.4 mm
Cupola 50.8 mm 25.4 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 20 mm thick.
  • Access to the Add-on Armour modification will give the tank substantial coverings on the side hull, each track being 17 mm thick.
  • Belly armour is 12.7 mm thick.
  • The right side of the turret has extra armour that is 88.9 mm thick.
  • The bow machine gun area has been welded shut with armour, but is only 25.4 mm thick so may present a viable weakness to weaker enemies.
  • Unlike the armour on the American Rank III Shermans which saw itself upped from 50.8 mm to 63.5 mm, the British Firefly in Rank III retains the old 50.8 mm base armour thickness on the front hull, as well as the protruding driver and co-driver hatches in front. This makes the Firefly a much more vulnerable Sherman tank than even the American versions, a trade-off for its more powerful armament.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB43 / 6 km/h
RB and SB39 / 6 km/h
Number of gears5 forward
1 back
Weight31.5 t
Engine power
AB763 hp
RB and SB400 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB24.2 hp/t
RB and SB12.7 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock AoA Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 43 6 30.6 0.9 620 763 20.26 24.22
Realistic 39 6 354 400 11.57 12.7

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB1 339 Sl icon.png
RB1 536 Sl icon.png
SB1 899 Sl icon.png
Crew training10 000 Sl icon.png
Experts250 000 Sl icon.png
Aces630 Ge icon.png
Research Aces870 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 90 / 140 / 170 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 160 / 160 / 160 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Mods tank reinforcement uk.png
Crew Replenishment
Mods tank additional armor.png
Add-on Armor
Mods tank ammo.png
76mm_britain_17pdr_APC_ammo_pack
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Mods tank ammo.png
76mm_britain_17pdr_APCBC_ammo_pack
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Mods tank ammo.png
76mm_britain_Smoke_ammo_pack
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade

Armaments

Main armament

76 mm QF 17-pounder cannon
Ammunition80 rounds
First-order5 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
7.6 → 5.9 s
Vertical guidance-5° / 25°
Main article: QF 17-pounder (76 mm)
76 mm QF 17-pounder Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 80 -5°/+25° ±180° N/A 22.8 31.6 38.4 42.5 45.2 7.67 6.79 6.25 5.90
Realistic 14.3 16.8 20.4 22.6 24.0

Ammunition

  • Shot Mk.6: AP - Standard penetrating round, use until better rounds are unlocked.
  • Shell Mk.1: HE - It is ideal for destroying SPAA and lightly armoured tanks, but useless against anything else.
  • Shot Mk.4: APC - Cap for better grip against sloped armour.
  • Shot Mk.8: APCBC - Like Shot Mk.4 but with a ballistic cap for improved flight path, as well as better penetration and shrapnel damage.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
Shot Mk.6 AP 171 168 155 139 126 113
Shell Mk.1 HE 20 20 18 16 15 13
Shot Mk.4 APC 171 168 155 139 126 113
Shot Mk.8 APCBC 190 187 172 155 140 126
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
Shot Mk.6 AP 883 7.71 - - - 47° 60° 65°
Shell Mk.1 HE 883 6.98 0.2 0.1 580 79° 80° 81°
Shot Mk.4 APC 883 7.71 - - - 48° 63° 71°
Shot Mk.8 APCBC 883 7.71 - - - 48° 63° 71°
Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Screen radius
(m) 		Screen deploy
time (s) 		Screen hold
time (s) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
17pdr Shell SS Mk.1 229 8.44 13 5 20 50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Sherman Firefly (identical)
Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		6th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
80 61 (+19) 41 (+39) 21 (+59) 6 (+74) 4 (+76) 1 (+79) No

Optics

Sherman IC "Trzyniec" Optics
Which ones Default magnification Maximum magnification
Main Gun optics x3 x6
Comparable optics VFW

Identical to Sherman Firefly, which is the first tank in its tech line to have X6 scope. It will not get any better than this until rank VI, so get used to it - it will be the same across entire tech tree for a while with SPAA being the only exception.

As of rank III, this scope is slightly or moderately superior to most medium and heavy tanks, but do not expect to outsnipe German SPG as they have same optics or even better.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB machine gun
Ammunition800 rounds
Belt capacity200 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate575 shots/min
Vertical guidance-10° / 15°
7.62 mm L3A1 machine gun (coaxial)
Ammunition5 000 rounds
Belt capacity250 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate500 shots/min
Main articles: M2HB (12.7 mm), L3A1 (7.62 mm)
12.7 mm M2HB
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Pintle 800 (200) 577 -10°/+15° ±180°
7.62 mm L3A1
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 5,000 (250) 500 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

This tank should be the supporting line in both offensive and defensive actions, providing flanking fire, long-range fire, or fast and accurate fire to the target while the heavy tanks like the Churchills take up the brunt of the defence. The tank is as mobile as the M4 Sherman, so picking up speed to get around the enemy is not hard. Those familiar with an M4 Sherman control will pick up on this tank very easily; however unlike most Sherman variants, the Firefly does not equip any kind of stabilisation. While this tank is also capable of being the frontal attack unit for an assault, it is strongly advised not to due to the thin armour of the tank, necessitating the users to always get the first shot off in an encounter, otherwise the enemy will be able to destroy the Firefly easily.

The Sherman Firefly can dish out the punishment necessary for heavy tanks, but can't take it. Don't expose the tank towards enemy fire too long due to the thin armour on the Firefly in comparison to other tanks such as the Soviet T-34-85s and the German Panthers. Take a shot, preferably from a flanking location, then retreat into cover regardless of the shot's effect on a target, because if the target could swing its gun towards the Firefly, or have friends that could hit it, consider writing off the Firefly very soon. This varies between different enemies, as going against something like the KV-2 would be different than going against a Tiger I.

Shoot and scoot unless the enemy's tank gunner has been knocked out (black only), cannon breech has been disabled (red/black), or cannon barrel is disabled (red/black) that inhibits the enemy's ability to fire back, don't expose the tank after firing. Always try to retreat back into cover to reload. Once reloaded, preferably pop out of an area different from the last firing position and take another shot. Make sure to eliminate the enemy's ability to fire back by destroying their cannon breech and traverse gears, or knock out their driver and gunner again if they were replaced.

During this whole process, watch out for other enemy tanks and avoid being swarmed. With situational awareness combined with the correct usage of the map, the Firefly becomes a decent tank capable of effectively fighting every medium and heavy tank it faces.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Very fast turret traverse speed allows for active targets tracking in battle
  • 17-pounder provides massive damage against medium and heavy tanks; capable of penetrating the frontal armour of the Tiger H1
  • Fast reload even with an untrained crew
  • Considerably faster acceleration and steering due to 6 tons lighter compared to normal Firefly
  • Access to additional armour that covers most of the front and sides
  • Additional plates welded to the hull's side; unlike the regular Firefly
  • Has .50 cal AA machine gun that's unique among other vehicles as it can rotate for 360°
  • Adequate premium bonus to research and a back up to the regular Firefly

Cons:

  • Large profile and poor frontal armour of a regular M4 Sherman, very thin for a Rank III vehicle facing regular Tigers I and Panthers
  • 4 crew members are easier to knock-out
  • Bad gun depression of only -5 degrees, difficult playstyle when accustomed to other British tanks with excellent depression
  • Smart enemies will shoot the spot where the radio operator gunner usually sat, as in the Firefly, that spot is replaced by ammo (unless carrying 54 ammo)
  • Additional armour tracks doesn't really help with flank attack, due to the thin and wide side armour
  • Gun bounces a lot when performing a sudden stop and lacks stabilization; sudden targets will be hard to hit

History

Concept

Around 1943 in World War II, the M4 Sherman was one of the best tanks in use by the Allies. It superseded the German standard Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs at the time. However, it was during the middle of 1943 that the Sherman design was beginning to wane in superiority with the reveal of newer German tanks in the front lines, namely the Tiger I and the Panther tanks.[1] These tanks could not only take out the Sherman at a longer range than the Sherman can compete in, but also withstand the 75 mm rounds fired from the Sherman with their frontal armour. To improve the Sherman's firepower against these better German tanks, the Americans decided to up-gun their tanks with a better 76 mm gun. The British, however, chose to up the ante with one of the Allies' most potent anti-tank guns at the time, the 17-pounder.

The Ordnance QF 17-pounder was a 76.2 mm anti-tank gun developed by the United Kingdom around 1942 but was considered as far back as 21 November 1940.[2] The British predicted that the Germans would be increasing their tank armour gradually to make current anti-tank weapons ineffective in North Africa, a lesson learned when their issued 2-pounder, 6-pounder, and 75 mm guns were meeting heavier armoured tanks and even tanks with superior firepower like the 75 mm KwK40 on the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2.[2] The prototype batch was completed in Spring 1942, and the design was finalized in 1943 and accepted into service that same year. It would see significant effect in the Italian Campaign as one of the best Allied anti-tank guns.[3] One of the reasons why the 17-pounder was so effective was the use of the APDS shot (Armour-Piercing Discarding-Sabot), which could penetrate up to 256 mm of armour at 500 m distance; this is due to the smaller, but much faster projectile used that contains more kinetic energy than a full-sized shot. However, drawbacks with this ammunition were the lack of tracer to adjust shots, the inaccuracy beyond 500 yards, and the less damage it could cause to the enemy tank.[4]

Development

A kick-start

The 17-pounder's effectiveness against the new German tanks and the lacklustre anti-armour firepower on British tanks brought upon the concept of mounting the 17-pounder onto tanks. The first mention of mounting the powerful gun onto a tank carriage was as early as 09 December 1941 by Tank Board, which prompted the design specification A29, a 45-ton 17-pounder armed tank that was eventually cancelled for another design. The next design took the Cromwell tank as its basis, with development proceeding in 1942 as the A30 (later known as the Challenger). While A30 was in development, the prolonged development time had Tank Board set up for two more 17-pounder projects, the A34 (Comet) for a short term project and A41 (Centurion) for a long term one, in the summer of 1943.[2] However, in the same year, a side project for a 17-pounder tank was conducted by two officers.

Royal Tank Regiment major George Brighty, based at the Royal Armoured Corps Gunnery School at Lulworth in Dorset, had the belief that the M4 Sherman was a better tank mount for the 17-pounder than the A30, which was being tested in Lulworth. He experimented around an acquired Sherman, though came to a conclusion that the turret size was too small for the 17-pounder's breech and recoil. Still, he persisted in his efforts and in a rather absurd solution, fitted the 17-pounder into the turret by locking the gun into the mounts and removing the lengthy recoil system, forcing the tank's mass and suspension to absorb the entirety of the 17-pounder recoil. Though this proved to have worked, the modification was far from ideal for any practical usage.[5]

During his trials, Brighty joined up with another major of the RTR by the name of George Witheridge. Witheridge was also convinced of the Sherman's virtues from his time at Fort Knox when advising on tank gunnery techniques. While he appreciated the dual-purpose usage the 75 mm gun on the Sherman provided, he was concerned on improving the armour-piercing properties while retaining the same high-explosive charge. Witheridge arrived at Lulworth to Brighty's design, which he found unsuitable. In a statement on how confident such a design looked from the outside, Witheridge test-fired Brighty's 17-pounder Sherman from the outside three times before trying it out inside. Priority soon shifted to develop a recoil system for the Sherman-mounted 17-pounder. However, sometime after Witheridge's arrival, the Department of Tank Design (DTD) sent a directive to the two lads to cease their development on the up-gunning of the Sherman, possibly to protect their A30 project. Witheridge, still keen to the idea of using the Sherman, tried to get this directive reversed by appealing to his connections, namely a man going by Major General Raymond Briggs. Briggs, Witheridge's commanding officer in North Africa and also enthusiastic about improving British tank firepower, put the word to Claude Gibb, Director General of Weapon and Instrument Production at Ministry of Supply, to which Gibb approved and the 17-pounder Sherman was back up. However, with the Ministry of Supply now involved with the project, the design was shifted from two enthusiastic officers to the engineers.[5]

Professional's touch

One person deemed responsible for completing the project was W.G.K. Kilbourn, a professional engineer at Vickers who was stationed at Chertsey when he was assigned the 17-pounder Sherman by the DTD.[6] He managed to fit the 17-pounder gun into the Sherman turret by extensively modifying the gun. He replaced the recoil cylinders with shorter ones mounted on the sides, opposite to each other top and bottom, on a special cradle, modified the gun barrel to fit onto the cradle for better support, and placed the gun breech to open horizontally (contrary to the statement that the gun was simply rotated 90 degrees sideways as the operators of the gun has not been rotated along with the breech).[7] The redesigned 17-pounder, named Mk IV was built on 11 November 1943 at the Royal Ordnance Factory and could fit into the Sherman turret,[6] but now the concern was on the crew inside. The large breech of the modified 17-pounder ate up a lot of internal space and isolated the loader on the left side of the gun and turret; the solution was to cut a hole on top of the loader's position and add a hatch. The radio, usually mounted on the rear of the turret, was deemed too close to the recoiling breech for comfort so an armoured box was welded to the turret rear for the radio and a hole cut into the turret rear for operating the radio away from the recoiling gun. The armoured box also had the benefit of acting as a counter-weight for the longer and heavier gun for the turret.[8] Finally, there was an issue of ammo stowage for the larger and heavier 17-pdr rounds, 6 inches longer than the 75 mm shells. The stowage on the tank was in bins in the turret for ready access, but a bulk of it was placed under the turret floor that could only be accessed when the turret was aligned a certain position for each bin, making them more for replenishing the ready racks during breaks in combat. To increase the stowage for more 17-pounder rounds, the bow machine gunner was removed along with his machine gun (the port welded over by a prominent wedge-shaped armour) and a rack holding 15 rounds placed in his location, however the position for the rack was also impossible to reach during combat and one location on the rack was so hard to get to that it wasn't used, making the total stowage 14 rounds instead.[6]

Kilbourn efforts and those of assisting engineers managed to finally fit the large 17-pounder gun into the constrained space of the Sherman turret intended to mount the 75 mm gun, as well as perform the necessary modifications to accommodate combat usage of the vehicle. It then moved onto the next stage of being approved for service.

Conversions

Inspection of the completed Sherman with the 17-pdr started on 06 January 1944, and the War Office wrote a requirement for up to 2,100 of the tanks to be up-gunned. Not every Sherman could follow the conversion, whether by technical or logistics limitations, and only petrol-engined, M34A1 gun mounted, and have a hydraulic turret traverse system. This meant that the Shermans converted were the Sherman I (M4), Sherman I Hybrid (M4 "Composite"), and Sherman V (M4A4). Technically the Sherman II (M4A1) and Sherman III (M4A3) were also eligible for conversion with those standards, but information on the Sherman II are scarce and photographic evidence of cast hull converted Shermans usually turn out to be Sherman I Hybrids; Sherman III are all allocated to the U.S. Army as their mainstay tank so no M4A3 were even available in British service to convert.[8] Tanks armed with the 17-pounder were designated by a "C" in the name at the end of their mark number, leading to names such as the "Sherman VC" to denote an M4A4 with the 17-pounder conversion. Troops with the up-gunned Sherman, as early as March 1944, were describing tank as a Firefly, regardless of the type.[9] How it got the name is debatable, but it is most likely due to the very prominent muzzle flash that the 17-pounder produces when firing.[10]

Still, as D-Day approached for the Allied forces and the A30 Challenger was continually delayed, the eagerness of the troops to acquire the Firefly rose substantially. Four factories were prioritized for the conversion, two at London, one at Manchester and another at Nottingham. From the conversion period of 1944 to 1945, up to and between 2,100 to 2,200 Fireflies were converted, making it the most-produced tank with the 17-pounder of the war. Allocation of the Fireflies was one troop per three Sherman troop (troop was an equivalent of a platoon and consisted of 4 tanks), but even regiments that were equipped with Cromwells were supplemented with Fireflies until the A30 Challenger was fit for service. The Fireflies were also allocated to Canadian and Polish regiments.[8] Due to the relative newness of the Firefly, most of the training done on the utilization and deployment of the Fireflies were done on the combat field by each regiment.[6]

Combat usage

Fighting at the theaters

The Firefly's first combat action on D-Day was not actually on the land of Normandy but on the sea. The Firefly's were assigned an unusual role to, while on the LCT that would carry them to the beaches, would fire over the berm towards concrete fortifications and blast them with the 17-pdr. Six Fireflies were allotted, separated into pairs, to DD tank regiments of the British 13th/18th Hussars at Sword Beach, and the Canadians 1st Hussars and Fort Garry Horse at Juno. Though 13th/18th Hussars were reported to not have fired their Fireflies on the way in, 1st Hussars seemed to have good experiences with it in the rough weather. Once the LCT reached the shore, the Fireflies were ordered to disembark and head inland, finishing off obstacles and join their original tank regiments.[11]

The first non-DD tank regiment with Fireflies to land was the Staffordshire Yeomanry, which had at least 12 Sherman VC with 48 Sherman IIIs, however, little information exists on how it performed on the opening days of the Normandy campaign. Other regiments were originally DD tanks with Fireflies but were employed as regular tank regiments once inland.[11] One of such regiments was the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry. It was they who, a few days after the landings, deduced that the Germans seemed to be targeting their Fireflies specifically for their long guns. Though this deduction was not supported by evidence (19% of total Fireflies were lost, but 29% of regular tanks were lost as well), the concern of Firefly loss was great because of the supply issue. As illustrated that though 22 Fireflies were lost, by June 23 only six replacements had arrived. Experience from the ground and the density of heavy German tanks changed some initial organization of one Firefly troop per three Sherman troop into one Firefly per tank troop. Fireflies were in such high demand that some commanders have expressed thought of obtaining the 17-pdr armed M10 as supplement.[12] Still, the units acquiring the Fireflies appreciated what they had as it was the only tank in Normandy in the Summer of 1944 that had a reasonable chance of defeating a Panther or Tiger at combat ranges in the front.[13] In fact, the Firefly is most likely the responsible tank that destroyed the Tiger tank containing the Tiger Ace Michael Wittmann on 08 August 1944.[14]

Once Firefly supply to the Normandy campaign was satisfied in October 1944, Fireflies were allocated to the Italian theatre, shared out to the Polish, Canadian, New Zealand, British, and South African regiments stationed there. With that, supply issue arose in that theatre for the Firefly, causing the units that received the Fireflies to treasure them greatly. Heeding the comments on how Fireflies were singled out for their long guns, there were attempts to hide the prominent gun barrels, ranging from deceptive paint schemes, camouflage, and even dummy barrels on the back of the Firefly turret that would be pointed forward to mimic the short 75 mm gun.[12]

Still, the Firefly served in the British Armies in the European Theater of Operations up to and until May 1945, when they were retired along with the end of the war for the replacement of better designs like the Comet cruiser tank and the Centurion tank.

Reception

The Firefly's performance was very favourable for the troops that had to use them against the heavy German tanks. Though a good portion of Germany's armour in the Normandy front were Panthers, a good majority were still Panzer IVs and self-propelled guns,[14] all of which were manageable even with the 75 mm guns. Field reports by a Colonel W.E.H. Grylls in 1945[12] helped highlight the troop's sentiments on the Firefly in combat, and especially their deficiencies. The muzzle brake sometimes came loose from an inadequate locking design, the traverse gear also failed at times due to the extra turret weight from the gun, rain leaked into the radio box on some tanks, internal space for the Firefly turret crew was comparatively cramped to the Sherman's, the muzzle flash at the gun's muzzle brake can obscure the target enough that it is difficult to ensure the firing round hit it, and muzzle flash on the breech end of the gun inside the turret has a tendency to cause a fair share of discomfort and uneasiness for the crew. Grylls also highlighted the crew praise on how the Firefly tended to not catch fire as quickly as Shermans, though this is deduced to by the placement of the majority of ammunition on the bottom of the hull, like the "wet stowage" arrangement on the newer Sherman models. Some of the deficiencies were fixed, such as the flashback at the breech end by implementing a delayed action breech on the 17-pounder Mk.VII model, but all these faults never diminished the popularity of the Firefly, highlighted by the statements of Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery that he wished to have Fireflies replace all types of Shermans in British service.[12]

On the onset, the Americans were not enthusiastic about the Firefly because they believed they had a comparable design in the 76 mm armed Shermans. It was not until Normandy when they were proven wrong and learned the 76 mm were unable to contend against Panthers from the front. Though they soon developed the HVAP ammunition, General Omar Bradley's 12th US Army Group on 13 August 1944 requested for Fireflies to be made until better American armament like the 90 mm could be fielded.[15] Due to supply constraints, they never received any during that time period. Not that the American's own industries were making the situation easier for the British as when they discontinued their M4A4 Sherman and 75 mm gun production, there was a quick drop in Firefly conversions in the latter part of 1944 until they could supplement the production with enough Sherman I models.[16] In the American's own program, it was advised that they try mounting the 17-pounder in the T23 turret made for the 76 mm gun, but also mounted on the T26 chassis.[15] This advice did not make much progress. It wasn't until February 1945 when the British finally made time for conversions for the Americans. The first trials were converting two M4A3 Shermans to fit American specifications like fitting their larger radios, adding stowage brackets for the M2 machine gun, and attachment of a M9 elevating quadrant on the gun cradle.[15][17] A request of 160 Fireflies were specified on 11 March 1945 for completion on April 30, with the Americans shipping suitable tanks from France back to England for conversion. On April 7th, the initial order was halved to 80 due to the incoming end of the war and its demand ending with the lack of encountered German armour after the Ardennes Offensive.[18] On the war's end, there were 100 tanks sitting in depots ready for conversion, with 86 converted tanks.[15] The excess Shermans were given away and the leaders were left on what to do with these Fireflies they no longer needed. It was decided on May 26[15] that these American Fireflies were to be retained in Europe for equipping the occupational force.[17] No evidence exist on what happened to these Fireflies past that point.

Legacy

The Firefly's reputation during and after the war is a product of hindsight. The British understood the trend that was happening in German armoured forces and acted accordingly with the 17-pounder. The 17-pounder's super round, the APDS, did not appear in Firefly stowage until August 1944,[4] and in combat was really inaccurate past 500 yards and the round fouled the barrel that it affected follow-up shots with APCBC rounds. As such, APCBC round would still be standard usage and though the 17-pounder was still slightly more powerful than the 76 mm, it traded crew comfort and design quality in the Firefly in comparison to the 76 mm gun in the larger T23 turret. What solidified the Firefly's place in history in comparison to the 76 mm Shermans was that on the very first day that the Allies invaded Normandy, the British actually brought the Fireflies while the Americans left their 76 mm guns in English depots.[19] Thus, the British can claim with great confidence that on the opening days of Operation Overlord, they had a tank that could kill the German cats.

Media

Skins
Videos
Spotlight: Sherman Firefly Ep.2 - minoxen

See also

Related development
Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

External links

References

Citations
  1. ↑ Zaloga 2008, Chapter 3: The Panzer Nemesis: The Panther Threat
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fletcher 2008, The 17-pounder
  3. ↑ Hunnicutt 1978, pg. 303
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fletcher 2008, Ammunition
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fletcher 2008, Developments At Lulworth
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Fletcher 2008, Designing The Firefly
  7. ↑ Morans 2017, Time (3:00)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Fletcher 2008, The Conversion Programme
  9. ↑ Fletcher 2008, What's in a Name?
  10. ↑ Zaloga 2008, Chapter 4: The Future Sherman: Improve or Replace?: The British Approach
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Fletcher 2008, Concrete Busters
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Fletcher 2008, The Firefly in Action
  13. ↑ Zaloga 2008, Chapter 6: To Paris and Beyond!: American Firefly Deferred
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Zaloga 2015, Chapter 8: The 1944 Tank Contest
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Fletcher 2008, The American Angle
  16. ↑ Fletcher 2008, Supply and Demand
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Zaloga 2003, Upgunning the M4 Tank
  18. ↑ Zaloga 2008, Chapter 9: On to the Rhine!: Firepower Improvements
  19. ↑ Zaloga 2003, Initial Deployment Problems
Bibliography
  • Fletcher, David. Sherman Firefly Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2008. Kindle Edition
  • Hunnicutt, R.P. Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank U.S.A.: Feist Publications, 1978
  • Morans, Nicholas. Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: Sherman VC "Firefly" part 2 YouTube, 20 Mar. 2017. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.[1]
  • Zaloga, Steven. M4 (76mm) Sherman Medium Tank 1943-65 Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003. Kindle Edition
  • Zaloga, Steven. Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II U.S.A: Stackpole Books, 2008. Kindle Edition
  • Zaloga, Steven. Armored Champion: The Top Tanks of World War II U.S.A: Stackpole Books, 2015. Kindle Edition


Department of Tank Design
Medium Tanks 
Sherman Firefly  Sherman Firefly · Sherman IC "Trzyniec"
MBTs 
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Export 
Sherman Firefly  Sherman Ic · ▄Sherman Vc
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See also  US Ordnance Department · Israeli Ordnance Corps · Vickers-Armstrongs Limited
  *By successor, the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment
  **Swedish modernizations incorporating innovations from the Israeli Sho't Kals.

Britain medium tanks
Valentine  Valentine I · Valentine IX · Valentine XI
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Cromwell derivatives  Challenger · Avenger · Comet I · Comet I "Iron Duke IV" · Charioteer Mk VII
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Vickers MBT  Vickers Mk.1 · Vickers Mk.3 · Vickers Mk.7
Chieftain  Chieftain Mk 3 · Chieftain Mk 5 · Chieftain Mk 10
Challenger 1  Challenger Mk.2 · Challenger Mk.3 · Challenger DS
Challenger 2  Challenger 2 · Challenger 2 (2F) · Challenger 2 TES · Challenger 2 OES · Challenger 2E · Challenger 2 Black Night
Challenger 3  Challenger 3 TD
Australia  A.C.I · A.C.IV · Centurion Mk.5/1
South Africa  Olifant Mk.1A · Olifant Mk.2 · TTD
India  Vijayanta · Bhishma TWMP
Israel  ▄Sho't Kal Dalet
Jordan  Khalid
Sweden  ▄Strv 81 (RB 52)
USA  Grant I · Sherman II · Sherman Firefly · Sherman IC "Trzyniec"

Britain premium ground vehicles
Light tanks  A13 Mk I (3rd R.T.R.) · A13 Mk II 1939 · AEC Mk II · Crusader "The Saint" · Rooikat 105
Medium tanks  A.C.I · Grant I · Cromwell V (RP-3) · Sherman IC "Trzyniec" · A.C.IV · Comet I "Iron Duke IV"
  Centurion Mk.2 · ▄Strv 81 (RB 52) · Centurion Mk.5 AVRE · Centurion Mk.5/1 · ▄Sho't Kal Dalet · Centurion Action X
  Vijayanta · Khalid · Challenger DS · Challenger 2 OES
Heavy tanks  Independent · Matilda Hedgehog · Excelsior · TOG II · Churchill Crocodile · Black Prince
Tank destroyers  Alecto I · Achilles (65 Rg.) · QF 3.7 Ram

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