Difference between revisions of "Sherman Ic"

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{{Specs-Card|code=it_sherman_VII}}
 
 
{{About
 
{{About
 
| about = Italian medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
 
| about = Italian medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
−
| usage = other uses
+
| other
−
| link = M4 (Disambiguation)
+
| usage-1 = other versions
 +
| link-1 = M4 Sherman (Family)
 +
| usage-2 = other uses
 +
| link-2 = M4 (Disambiguation)
 +
}}
 +
{{Specs-Card
 +
|code=it_sherman_VII
 +
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
−
[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
+
The '''M4 Hybrid (Composito) Sherman IC Firefly''' is an up-gunned modification of the [[M4 Hybrid (Italy)|M4 Hybrid]], which is the special combination of the first and second variants of the early-generation [[M4 Sherman (Family)|Medium Tank M4 (Sherman) family]]. The turret of the original [[Sherman Firefly|M4A4 Sherman VC Firefly]] is directly mounted on an [[M4 Hybrid (Italy)|M4 Hybrid variant]] hull rather than the regular [[M4A4 (Italy)|M4A4 variant]] hull, making it a very distinctive derivative of the M4A4 Sherman IC Firefly. This is a unique tank that served mostly with the Italian Army and is armed with the powerful 76 mm Ordnance QF 17-pounder tank gun. Due to the scarcity of historical information on this vehicle, it is unknown to what extent this unique derivation of the famed "firefly" truly engaged in World War II. Following the reconstruction of Italy in 1945, some M4 Hybrid (Composito) Sherman IC Firefly tanks were transported to the country and redesignated as M4 Tipo IC Composito. A minor military command for the territorial defence was founded in 1946, and the unit received numerous other M4 Sherman variants. They laid the groundwork for Italy's first post-war tanker training school. All M4 Sherman variants were formally decommissioned in 1952.
−
{{Break}}
+
 
−
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]]. Composito is translated as composite since this is a Firefly variant build on the Sherman I Hybrid hull or IC.
+
Introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]], the M4 Tipo IC Composito in the Italian Army ground forces is comparable to its British counterpart, as it was delivered by the British Army after World War II to aid in the reconstruction of Italy and the development of a territory defence force. The M4 Tipo IC Composito, armed with the renowned 76 mm Ordnance QF 17-pounder tank gun, will provide players with an extremely substantial increase in firepower above the early variants of the M4 Sherman used by the Italian Army ground forces, which were equipped with the 75 mm M3 tank gun. The M4 Tipo IC Composito, along with the M4A4 Sherman VC Firefly, will form the major backbone of the Italian Army's ground forces; however, it lacks access to armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS) ammunition, which the latter has.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
  
−
The M4 Tipo IC has survivability similar to that of the American M4A1 Sherman. The armor is not strong for the battle rating and most enemies, save for SPAA, will go right through the front. If the tank is penetrated it is likely that at least two of the five crew will survive, depending on where the shot hits and how much HE filler it has. The gun breech is quite large, and it can often save the crew members on one side from the shrapnel of a penetration to the other side of the turret. Additionally, almost all the ammunition is stored in the hull floor, while a minority is stored in the turret basket; this means it is unlikely for the ammunition to explode under most circumstances. Despite these factors, almost every penetration will cause crippling damage - either immobilizing the tank or disabling the main gun, which allows the enemy to take a second finishing shot soon after. In summary, the survivability of the M4 Tipo IC is not to be relied upon as it will rarely survive two shots and will almost never bounce a shot. As such, you should plan your route in order to avoid frontal engagements with the enemy.
+
'''Armour type:'''
−
 
 
−
'''Armor Composition'''
 
  
−
* Cast Homogeneous Armor - Hull Front, Turret
+
* Cast homogeneous armour (Hull Front, turret, turret cupola)
−
* Rolled Homogeneous Armor - Hull Side, Hull Rear, Hull Roof, Add-on Bustle
+
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull sides, rear and roof, add-on bustle, turret roof)
−
* Tracks
 
−
* Structural Steel of Chassis - Suspension
 
−
* Gun Steel - Main Gun, Machine Guns
 
  
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
−
!Armour
 
−
!Front (Slope angle)
 
−
!Sides
 
−
!Rear
 
−
!Roof
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Hull
+
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
−
|50.8 mm (8-74°) ''Upper Glacis''
+
|-
−
50.8 mm (2-59°) ''Lower Glacis''
+
| Hull || 50.8 mm (8-74°) ''Upper Glacis'' <br> 50.8 mm (2-59°) ''Lower Glacis'' || 38.1 mm ''Lower'' <br> 50.8 ''Upper Front'' <br> 38.1 ''Upper Rear'' || 38.1 mm || 50.8 mm ''Front'' <br> 19.05 mm ''Rear''
−
|38.1 mm ''Lower''
 
−
50.8 ''Upper Front''
 
−
 
 
−
38.1 ''Upper Rear''
 
−
|38.1 mm
 
−
|50.8 mm ''Front''
 
−
19.05 mm ''Rear''
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Turret
+
|Turret || 50 mm - 76.2 mm (Varying Angles) ''Turret Front'' <br> 38.1 + 38.1 mm (cylindrical) ''Gun mantlet'' || 50.8 mm || 63.5 mm ''Original Bustle'' <br> 63.5 mm ''Add-on Bustle'' || 25.4 mm ''Crew Compartment'' <br> 50.8 mm ''Original Bustle'' <br> 25.4 mm ''Add-on Bustle''
−
|50 mm - 76.2 mm (Varying Angles) ''Turret Front''
 
−
38.1 mm - 76.2 mm (Varying Angles) ''Behind Mantlet''
 
−
 
 
−
38.1 mm (Varying Angles) ''Mantlet''
 
−
|50.8 mm
 
−
|0 mm - 63.5 mm ''Original Bustle''
 
−
63.5 mm ''Add-on Bustle''
 
−
|25.4 mm ''Crew Compartment''
 
−
50.8 mm ''Original Bustle''
 
−
 
 
−
25.4 mm ''Add-on Bustle''
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
|Cupola
+
|Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 50.8 mm || 25.4 mm
−
|50.8 mm
 
−
|50.8 mm
 
−
|50.8 mm
 
−
|25.4 mm
 
 
|}
 
|}
−
'''Notes:'''  
+
'''Notes:'''
  
 
* 25.4 mm Plates Cover Portions of the Hull Sides
 
* 25.4 mm Plates Cover Portions of the Hull Sides
 
* Tracks - 20 mm
 
* Tracks - 20 mm
−
* Suspension - 10 mm ''or'' 15 mm
+
* Suspension - 10 to 15 mm
 
* Fenders - 10 mm
 
* Fenders - 10 mm
 
* Main Gun - 20 mm
 
* Main Gun - 20 mm
 
* Machine Guns - 10 mm
 
* Machine Guns - 10 mm
 +
 +
The {{PAGENAME}} has survivability similar to that of the American M4A1 Sherman. The armour is not strong for the battle rating and most enemies, save for SPAA, will go right through the front. If the tank is penetrated it is likely that at least two of the five crew will survive, depending on where the shot hits and how much HE filler it has. The gun breech is quite large, and it can often save the crew members on one side from the shrapnel of a penetration to the other side of the turret. Additionally, almost all the ammunition is stored in the hull floor, while a minority is stored in the turret basket; this means it is unlikely for the ammunition to explode under most circumstances. Despite these factors, almost every penetration will cause crippling damage - either immobilizing the tank or disabling the main gun, which allows the enemy to take a second finishing shot soon after. In summary, the survivability of the {{PAGENAME}} is not to be relied upon as it will rarely survive two shots and will almost never bounce a shot. As such, you should plan your route in order to avoid frontal engagements with the enemy.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
  
 
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=620|rbMinHp=354}}
 
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=620|rbMinHp=354}}
 +
 +
=== Modifications and economy ===
 +
{{Specs-Economy}}
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
 
{{main|QF 17-pounder (76 mm)}}
 
{{main|QF 17-pounder (76 mm)}}
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|-
 
|-
 
! ''Arcade''
 
! ''Arcade''
−
| rowspan="2" | 77 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
+
| rowspan="2" | 65 || 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
 
|-
 
|-
 
! ''Realistic''
 
! ''Realistic''
−
| __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
+
| 14.3 || 16.8 || 20.4 || 22.6 || 24.0
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
==== Ammunition ====
 
==== Ammunition ====
−
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
+
{{:QF 17-pounder (76 mm)/Ammunition|Shot Mk.6, Shell Mk.1, Shot Mk.4, Shot Mk.8, 17pdr Shell SS Mk.1}}
−
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
 
−
|-
 
−
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 
−
! colspan="6" | '''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 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
 
−
|-
 
−
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
 
−
|-
 
−
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 190 || 187 || 172 || 155 || 140 || 126
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
−
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
−
! colspan="10" | Shell details
 
−
|-
 
−
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Velocity<br>(m/s)
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay<br>(m)
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
 
−
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
 
−
|-
 
−
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
 
−
|-
 
−
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
 
−
|-
 
−
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 883 || 6.98 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 580 || 79° || 80° || 81°
 
−
|-
 
−
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
 
−
|-
 
−
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
−
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
−
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
 
−
|-
 
−
! Ammunition
 
−
! Velocity<br>(m/s)
 
−
! Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
 
−
! Screen radius<br>(m)
 
−
! Screen deploy time<br>(s)
 
−
! Screen hold time<br>(s)
 
−
! Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
 
−
|-
 
−
| 17pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 229 || 8.44 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
  
 
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
−
<!-- [[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]] -->
+
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
 +
<!-- '''Last updated: 2.17.0.42''' -->
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
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! 4th<br>rack empty
 
! 4th<br>rack empty
 
! 5th<br>rack empty
 
! 5th<br>rack empty
−
! 6th<br>rack empty
 
 
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
|-
 
|-
−
| '''77''' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __
+
| '''65''' || 46&nbsp;''(+19)'' || 26&nbsp;''(+39)'' || 6&nbsp;''(+59)'' || 4&nbsp;''(+61)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+64)'' || No
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 +
'''Note''':
 +
 +
* Shells are modeled individually and disappear from the rack after having been shot or loaded.
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
 
{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}
 
{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}
−
 
−
This Firefly has a roof-mounted American Browning .50 cal heavy machine gun, good at knocking out tracks, punching through lightly armoured vehicles and SPAAGs, and shooting down pesky ground attackers. It also has a coaxial .30 cal, as well as a modelled but unusable hull-mounted .30 cal.
 
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
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! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
 
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Pintle || 750 (200) || 577 || -10°/+15° || ±180°
+
| Pintle || 800 (200) || 577 || -10°/+15° || ±180°
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 +
The roof-mounted Browning .50 cal heavy machine gun is very good at knocking out tracks, punching through lightly armoured vehicles and shooting down low-flying aircraft.
 +
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 
|-
 
|-
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|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 +
The small calibre of the L3A1 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.
 +
A second hull-mounted .30 cal machine gun is modeled but not usable.
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
−
<!--''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).''-->
+
<!-- ''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).'' -->
  
−
M4 Tipo IC is the same as British Premium Sherman IC "Trzyniec," with minor cosmetic differences and weaker overall gun mantlet, but it is still a Firefly worthy of its name. The player can be confident in the mighty 17-pounder, can effectively neutralize other tanks regardless of the angles on the T-34 or the frontal armour of the Tiger. Firefly excels at sniping from a distance, however, it can spearhead attack if needed. 
+
The {{PAGENAME}} is almost identical to the British Sherman Firefly, with minor cosmetic differences, an additional crew member, and a weaker overall gun mantlet. The player can be confidently rely on the mighty 17-pounder gun to effectively neutralize other tanks regardless of the angles (including the frontal armour of the Tiger or the T-34s). It excels at sniping from a distance and can also can spearhead an attack if needed.
  
 
'''Enemies worth noting:'''
 
'''Enemies worth noting:'''
  
−
R3 T20 FA-HS (AB / mixed RB):
+
R3 T20 FA-HS (AB):
  
 
This speedy wheeled vehicle can circle around you with ease and wipe out all your crew with its fast firing autocannon. In a close encounter, never expose your side to it, and do not even angle your hull. Face your hull directly to the R3, because on each side of the cast hull, above the inducer wheel there is a triangular area that blends and connects the upper front plate to the side. By angling the hull, this triangle becomes unangled to the R3, making it easily penetrated, and the driver / gunner will usually get knocked out first. It is harder for the R3 to penetrate your unangled hull thus giving you more time to react and destroy it.
 
This speedy wheeled vehicle can circle around you with ease and wipe out all your crew with its fast firing autocannon. In a close encounter, never expose your side to it, and do not even angle your hull. Face your hull directly to the R3, because on each side of the cast hull, above the inducer wheel there is a triangular area that blends and connects the upper front plate to the side. By angling the hull, this triangle becomes unangled to the R3, making it easily penetrated, and the driver / gunner will usually get knocked out first. It is harder for the R3 to penetrate your unangled hull thus giving you more time to react and destroy it.
−
 
−
=== Modules ===
 
−
{| class="wikitable"
 
−
! Tier
 
−
! colspan="2" | Mobility
 
−
! Protection
 
−
! colspan="3" | Firepower
 
−
|-
 
−
| I
 
−
| Tracks
 
−
|
 
−
| Parts
 
−
| Shot Mk.4
 
−
| Horizontal Drive
 
−
|
 
−
|-
 
−
| II
 
−
| Suspension
 
−
| Brake System
 
−
| FPE
 
−
| Shot Mk.8
 
−
| Adjustment of Fire
 
−
|
 
−
|-
 
−
| III
 
−
| Filters
 
−
|
 
−
| Crew Replenishment
 
−
| Elevation Mechanism
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|-
 
−
| IV
 
−
| Transmission
 
−
| Engine
 
−
|
 
−
| Artillery Support
 
−
| 17pdr Shell SS Mk.1
 
−
| Smoke grenade
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
Line 254: Line 151:
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
−
* Same 17-pdr armament as the [[Sherman Firefly]]
+
* Powerful British 17-pdr gun
−
* Has a .50 cal for defence against pesky aircraft
+
* Has a .50 cal HMG for defence against aircraft
−
* Good mobility, as with all variants of the Sherman
+
* Good mobility, as with all Shermans
 +
* Cast hull does not have the thin armour weak spots of the M4A1
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
 
* Armour can be penetrated by most enemies at its battle rating
 
* Armour can be penetrated by most enemies at its battle rating
−
* No HE filler in any of its AP shells at all, meaning that a shot either has to detonate the ammo rack of a target, or disable its ability to fire back, in order to allow a follow-up shot
+
* No HE filler in any of its AP shells, meaning that a shot either has to detonate the ammo rack of a target or generate enough spalling to take out the tank
 
* .50 cal machine gun can't elevate very high; can only engage low-flying aircraft
 
* .50 cal machine gun can't elevate very high; can only engage low-flying aircraft
−
* The cast hull creates frontal weakspots with very little effective thickness, eg. the triangles between upper front plate and the side, and the curved hull hatches
+
* Poor gun depression of only -5°
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 
<!-- ''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).'' -->
 
<!-- ''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).'' -->
−
===Concept===
 
−
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 are able to not only take out the Sherman at a longer range than the Sherman can compete in, but could also withstand the 75 mm rounds fired from the Sherman with their frontal armour. In order to improve the Sherman's firepower against these better German tanks, the Americans decided to upgun their tanks with the better [[M1 (76 mm)|76 mm gun]]. The British, however, decide to up the ante with one of the Allies' most powerful anti-tank gun 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 [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 40]] on the [[Pz.IV F2|Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2]].<ref name="Fletcher17" /> The first prototype batch was completed in Spring 1942 and the design was finalized in 1943 and accepted into service that same year, where it would see great 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 meters 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 was the lack of tracer to be able 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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{{main|Sherman_Firefly#History|l1=History of the Sherman Firefly}}
  
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===Development===
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=== In Italian Service ===
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====A kick-start====
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[[File:M4 Tipo IC .png|thumb|Impression of an M4 Tipo IC on parade]]
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The 17-pounder effectiveness against the new German tanks and the lackluster 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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The Firefly first saw action in Italy in British, American, and Polish hands in the Italian Campaign in 1944, but were ceased since heavy German armour proved to be a challenging opponent for the Firefly. After WW2, Italy was supplied with tanks by the US and UK, such as the [[Sherman Firefly]] (designated as M4 Tipo IC or [[Sherman Vc (Italy)|M4 Tipo VC]] depending on the variant) and [[M24 (Italy)|M24 Chaffee]], which were commissioned in 1947. At that time, Italy created the first nucleus for the formation of a tankers school and on the 1st of October officially formed the Military School Organization.
  
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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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The M4 Tipo ICs were decommissioned and scrapped in 1952.
  
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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, some time 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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== Media ==
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<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
  
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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 have 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" />
 
  
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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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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=it_sherman_VII Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
  
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====Conversions====
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;Images
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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 upgunned. 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 ''[[Firefly «Scorpion»|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 a M4A4 with the 17-pounder conversion. Troops with the upgunned 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>
 
  
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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 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" />
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[[File:The British Army in the Normandy Campaign 1944 .jpg|thumb|none|350px|<small>A British Firefly during the Normandy Campaign 1944<ref>http://www.theshermantank.com/sherman/the-firefly-the-teapot-with-teeth/</ref></small>]]
  
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===Combat usage===
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;Videos
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====Fighting at the theaters====
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{{Youtube-gallery|Ege0ylN0RCA|'''Lookback: {{PAGENAME}}''' - ''Orangefan''|YK_kiOv7cJo|'''{{PAGENAME}} Composito, Italian, Tier-3, Medium Tank''' - ''Angry Nerd Gaming''}}
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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>
 
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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 longer 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>
 
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Once Firefly supply to the Normandy campaign was satisfied in October 1944, Fireflies were allocated to the Italian theater, shared out to the Polish, Canadian, New Zealand, British, and South African regiments stationed there. With that, supply issue arose in that theater 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" />
 
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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]].
 
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====Reception====
 
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The Firefly's performance was very favorable 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" />
 
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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.
 
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===Legacy===
 
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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. It should be noted that 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.
 
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== Media ==
 
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<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 
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[[File:The British Army in the Normandy Campaign 1944 .jpg|thumb|none|The British Army in the Normandy Campaign 1944.<ref>http://www.theshermantank.com/sherman/the-firefly-the-teapot-with-teeth/</ref>]]
 
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
 
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
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* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
  
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* [[M4A4 (Italy)|Carro Medio M4A4]] - The vehicle directly preceding the M4 Tipo IC in the tech tree, another Sherman.
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;Vehicles equipped with the same gun & turret
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* [[Sherman Vc (Italy)|Carro Medio Sherman Vc]] - The successor to the M4 Tipo IC in the tech tree, another Sherman.
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* [[Sherman Firefly]] - The British 17 lbr armed Sherman, which the M4 Tipo IC and Sherman Vc derive from.
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* [[Sherman Firefly]]
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* [[M4 Sherman (Family)]] - The family page for the M4 Sherman variants.
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* [[Sherman IC "Trzyniec"]]
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* [[Sherman Vc (Italy)]]
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;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
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* [[M4A1 (76) W]]
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* [[M4A4 (SA50)]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
 
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* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
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=== References ===
 
=== References ===
 
<references />
 
<references />
  
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{{TankManufacturer Department of Tank Design}}
 
{{Italy medium tanks}}
 
{{Italy medium tanks}}

Latest revision as of 15:44, 13 March 2024

Rank VI | Premium | Golden Eagles
Chinese A-5C Pack
This page is about the Italian medium tank Sherman Ic. For other versions, see M4 Sherman (Family). For other uses, see M4 (Disambiguation).
Sherman Ic
it_sherman_vii.png
GarageImage Sherman Ic.jpg
ArtImage Sherman Ic.png
Sherman Ic
Italy flag.png Italy
III Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
4.7 4.7 4.7
Class:
Research:40 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:135 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The M4 Hybrid (Composito) Sherman IC Firefly is an up-gunned modification of the M4 Hybrid, which is the special combination of the first and second variants of the early-generation Medium Tank M4 (Sherman) family. The turret of the original M4A4 Sherman VC Firefly is directly mounted on an M4 Hybrid variant hull rather than the regular M4A4 variant hull, making it a very distinctive derivative of the M4A4 Sherman IC Firefly. This is a unique tank that served mostly with the Italian Army and is armed with the powerful 76 mm Ordnance QF 17-pounder tank gun. Due to the scarcity of historical information on this vehicle, it is unknown to what extent this unique derivation of the famed "firefly" truly engaged in World War II. Following the reconstruction of Italy in 1945, some M4 Hybrid (Composito) Sherman IC Firefly tanks were transported to the country and redesignated as M4 Tipo IC Composito. A minor military command for the territorial defence was founded in 1946, and the unit received numerous other M4 Sherman variants. They laid the groundwork for Italy's first post-war tanker training school. All M4 Sherman variants were formally decommissioned in 1952.

Introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic", the M4 Tipo IC Composito in the Italian Army ground forces is comparable to its British counterpart, as it was delivered by the British Army after World War II to aid in the reconstruction of Italy and the development of a territory defence force. The M4 Tipo IC Composito, armed with the renowned 76 mm Ordnance QF 17-pounder tank gun, will provide players with an extremely substantial increase in firepower above the early variants of the M4 Sherman used by the Italian Army ground forces, which were equipped with the 75 mm M3 tank gun. The M4 Tipo IC Composito, along with the M4A4 Sherman VC Firefly, will form the major backbone of the Italian Army's ground forces; however, it lacks access to armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS) ammunition, which the latter has.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull63 / 38 / 38
Turret76 / 50 / 63
Crew5 people
Visibility108 %

Armour type:

  • Cast homogeneous armour (Hull Front, turret, turret cupola)
  • Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull sides, rear and roof, add-on bustle, turret roof)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 50.8 mm (8-74°) Upper Glacis
50.8 mm (2-59°) Lower Glacis 		38.1 mm Lower
50.8 Upper Front
38.1 Upper Rear 		38.1 mm 50.8 mm Front
19.05 mm Rear
Turret 50 mm - 76.2 mm (Varying Angles) Turret Front
38.1 + 38.1 mm (cylindrical) Gun mantlet 		50.8 mm 63.5 mm Original Bustle
63.5 mm Add-on Bustle 		25.4 mm Crew Compartment
50.8 mm Original Bustle
25.4 mm Add-on Bustle
Cupola 50.8 mm 25.4 mm

Notes:

  • 25.4 mm Plates Cover Portions of the Hull Sides
  • Tracks - 20 mm
  • Suspension - 10 to 15 mm
  • Fenders - 10 mm
  • Main Gun - 20 mm
  • Machine Guns - 10 mm

The Sherman Ic has survivability similar to that of the American M4A1 Sherman. The armour is not strong for the battle rating and most enemies, save for SPAA, will go right through the front. If the tank is penetrated it is likely that at least two of the five crew will survive, depending on where the shot hits and how much HE filler it has. The gun breech is quite large, and it can often save the crew members on one side from the shrapnel of a penetration to the other side of the turret. Additionally, almost all the ammunition is stored in the hull floor, while a minority is stored in the turret basket; this means it is unlikely for the ammunition to explode under most circumstances. Despite these factors, almost every penetration will cause crippling damage - either immobilizing the tank or disabling the main gun, which allows the enemy to take a second finishing shot soon after. In summary, the survivability of the Sherman Ic is not to be relied upon as it will rarely survive two shots and will almost never bounce a shot. As such, you should plan your route in order to avoid frontal engagements with the enemy.

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 Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 43 6 31.5 620 763 19.68 24.22
Realistic 39 6 354 400 11.24 12.7

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB1 505 → 2 036 Sl icon.png
RB1 774 → 2 400 Sl icon.png
SB2 199 → 2 975 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications35 000 Rp icon.png
68 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 300 Ge icon.png
Crew training39 000 Sl icon.png
Experts135 000 Sl icon.png
Aces550 Ge icon.png
Research Aces390 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
80 / 130 / 160 % Sl icon.png
154 / 154 / 154 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
1 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 300 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
1 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 100 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
1 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 100 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
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Armaments

Main armament

76 mm QF 17-pounder cannon
Ammunition65 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 65 -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

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 Ic
Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
65 46 (+19) 26 (+39) 6 (+59) 4 (+61) 1 (+64) No

Note:

  • Shells are modeled individually and disappear from the rack after having been shot or loaded.

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°

The roof-mounted Browning .50 cal heavy machine gun is very good at knocking out tracks, punching through lightly armoured vehicles and shooting down low-flying aircraft.

7.62 mm L3A1
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 5,000 (250) 500 N/A N/A

The small calibre of the L3A1 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight. A second hull-mounted .30 cal machine gun is modeled but not usable.

Usage in battles

The Sherman Ic is almost identical to the British Sherman Firefly, with minor cosmetic differences, an additional crew member, and a weaker overall gun mantlet. The player can be confidently rely on the mighty 17-pounder gun to effectively neutralize other tanks regardless of the angles (including the frontal armour of the Tiger or the T-34s). It excels at sniping from a distance and can also can spearhead an attack if needed.

Enemies worth noting:

R3 T20 FA-HS (AB):

This speedy wheeled vehicle can circle around you with ease and wipe out all your crew with its fast firing autocannon. In a close encounter, never expose your side to it, and do not even angle your hull. Face your hull directly to the R3, because on each side of the cast hull, above the inducer wheel there is a triangular area that blends and connects the upper front plate to the side. By angling the hull, this triangle becomes unangled to the R3, making it easily penetrated, and the driver / gunner will usually get knocked out first. It is harder for the R3 to penetrate your unangled hull thus giving you more time to react and destroy it.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Powerful British 17-pdr gun
  • Has a .50 cal HMG for defence against aircraft
  • Good mobility, as with all Shermans
  • Cast hull does not have the thin armour weak spots of the M4A1

Cons:

  • Armour can be penetrated by most enemies at its battle rating
  • No HE filler in any of its AP shells, meaning that a shot either has to detonate the ammo rack of a target or generate enough spalling to take out the tank
  • .50 cal machine gun can't elevate very high; can only engage low-flying aircraft
  • Poor gun depression of only -5°

History

Main article: History of the Sherman Firefly

In Italian Service

Impression of an M4 Tipo IC on parade

The Firefly first saw action in Italy in British, American, and Polish hands in the Italian Campaign in 1944, but were ceased since heavy German armour proved to be a challenging opponent for the Firefly. After WW2, Italy was supplied with tanks by the US and UK, such as the Sherman Firefly (designated as M4 Tipo IC or M4 Tipo VC depending on the variant) and M24 Chaffee, which were commissioned in 1947. At that time, Italy created the first nucleus for the formation of a tankers school and on the 1st of October officially formed the Military School Organization.

The M4 Tipo ICs were decommissioned and scrapped in 1952.

Media

Skins
Images
A British Firefly during the Normandy Campaign 1944[1]
Videos
Lookback: Sherman Ic - Orangefan
Sherman Ic Composito, Italian, Tier-3, Medium Tank - Angry Nerd Gaming

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same gun & turret
Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

External links

References

  1. ↑ http://www.theshermantank.com/sherman/the-firefly-the-teapot-with-teeth/


Department of Tank Design
Medium Tanks 
Sherman Firefly  Sherman Firefly · Sherman IC "Trzyniec"
MBTs 
Centurion  Centurion Mk 1 · Centurion Mk.2 · Centurion Mk 3 · Centurion Action X · Centurion Mk.5 AVRE · Centurion Mk 10
Challenger*  Challenger Mk.2 · Challenger Mk.3 · Challenger DS
Tank Destroyers 
Achilles  Achilles · Achilles (65 Rg.)
Centurion-based  Conway · FV4005
Export 
Sherman Firefly  Sherman Ic · ▄Sherman Vc
Centurion  Centurion Mk.5/1 · Strv 81 · Strv 81 (RB 52) · ▄Strv 81 (RB 52) · Strv 101 · Strv 104** · Strv 105** · Sho't
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.

Italy medium tanks
  Italy
M13/40  M13/40 (I) · M13/40 (II) · M13/40 (III)
M14/41  M14/41 · M14/41 (47/40)
M15/42  M15/42
M16/43  Celere Sahariano
P26/40  P40 · P40 "G.C. Leoncello"
OF-40  OF-40 · OF-40 Mk.2A · OF-40 (MTCA)
Ariete  Ariete (P) · Ariete · Ariete PSO · Ariete AMV
Germany  ▄Pz.III N · ▄Pz.IV G · ▄Leopard 1A5
Allied powers  ▄Sherman I Composito · Sherman Ic · ▄Sherman Vc · ▄Sherman V · M26 "D.C.Ariete" · M26A1 · M47 (105/55) · M60A1 "D.C.Ariete"
  Hungary
Turán  Turan I · Turan II · Turan III
Germany  ◔Leopard 2A4 · Leopard 2A7HU
USSR  ◔T-72M1

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