Tankspot 11: Sherman III "Firefly"

Its one of the most feared and high honored Sherman to be built. The Sherman III Firefly was a British modification of the M4 Sherman, mounting a fearsome 17 Pounder designed to destroy Panthers and Tigers. This tank has been a long time coming for World of Tanks players, with its great gun along with decent mobility it has been speculated to show up in either a medium or tank destroyer tree, along with rumors of it becoming a premium. This tank would probably be tiered with the TOG or Sentinel tanks at tier 6 or 7.

Known Stats:

Tier: 6-7

Classification: Medium

Tech Tree: (Unconfirmed) 2nd Britsh Medium or TD Tree

Gun Type: 17pndr Canon

Crew: 4-5

 (Pictured: Sherman II, the British Lend Lease Sherman that the Firefly is based off of.)

 (Pictured: Sherman II, the British Lend Lease Sherman that the Firefly is based off of.)

Wikipedia Information: The Sherman Firefly was a Second World War British variant of the American Sherman tank, fitted with the powerful British 17-pounderanti-tank gun as its main weapon. Originally conceived as a stopgap until future British tank designs came into service, the Sherman Firefly became the most common vehicle with the 17-pounder in the war.

Though the British expected to have their own new tank models developed soon, British Major George Brighty championed the already-rejected idea of mounting the 17-pounder in the existing Sherman. With the help of Lieutenant Colonel Witheridge and despite official disapproval, he managed to get the concept accepted. This proved fortunate, as both the Challenger and Cromwell tank designs experienced difficulties and delays.

After the problem of getting the gun to fit in the Sherman's turret was solved, the Firefly was put into production in early 1944, in time to equip Field Marshal Montgomery's forces for the Normandy landings. It soon became highly valued as the only British tank capable of defeating the Panther and Tiger tanks it faced in Normandy at standard combat ranges. In recognition of this, German tank and anti-tank gun crews were instructed to attack Fireflies first. Between 2,100 and 2,200 were manufactured before production wound down in 1945.

Source on the Sherman I + II: Three different variants of Sherman Firefly served during the Second World War, each based on different variants of the M4 Sherman. The Firefly conversion was carried out on Sherman I (M4), Sherman I Hybrid (M4 Composite) and Sherman V (M4A4) tanks. Some sources state that several Sherman IIs (M4A1) were converted and used in action, but photos allegedly showing these conversions are in fact views of the front half of Sherman I Hybrid Fireflies.To complicate matters, a very small number of Canadian licence-built Sherman IIs (M4A1), the Grizzly, were converted to Fireflies in Canada and used for training, but none saw action. The majority of Shermans converted were the Sherman V/M4A4 model, of which the British received about 7,200. The Sherman VC and IC variants are easily distinguished by their lower hulls; the VC having a riveted lower hull with a curved shape while the IC has a welded and angled lower hull. The Hybrid can be distinguished by its upper hull which is cast and which gives it a distinctive curved look in comparison to the more boxy hull of a typical Sherman.

Full Source List

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Firefly#Production_and_distribution

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Firefly

Supertest Icons: http://wot-news.com/main/post/09182012/2