Detail
By 1943, the British had developed the highly effective 17-pdr anti-tank gun.
At this time, there was no British tank design capable of mounting such a heavy weapon due to the limited size of their turrets.
As an interim measure, hundreds of Shermans were fitted with the 17-pdr by mounting the weapon on its side and extending the turret at the rear.
This was known as the Sherman Firefly and eventually represented almost one in every four tanks in British units.
A common tactic was to place the Fireflies in good hull-down positions in support of other Shermans, covering them in the advance each time an enemy tank would reveal itself, at least in theory.
The Firefly had formidable killing power, particularly when armed with APDS (Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot) ammunition, which had the potential to penetrate even the thick, sloped frontal armour of the massive Tiger II at ranges of up to 1,500 yards.
Technical Specifications
| Crew: | 4 |
| Armament: | 1 x 17 pdr 1 x .30 Browning Machine-gun |
| Engine: | Chrysler A57 multi-bank |
| Max Speed: | 22mph |
| Year into service: | 1943 |
