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The Sherman Firefly was a medium tank used by the United Kingdom and some armoured formations of other Allies in the Second World War.It was based on the US M4 Sherman but was fitted with the more powerful British 76.2 mm (3.00 in) calibre 17-pounder anti-tank gun as its main weapon.
A Sherman Firefly with the 17-pounder, South African National Museum of Military History, 2014. The 17-pounder outperformed all other Allied armour-piercing guns, and was quickly adapted for use on various tank chassis. However, few tanks were capable of carrying such a large gun due to the size limitations of their turret rings.
Sherman IC and VC – Sherman I and Sherman V medium tank chassis adapted by the British with a redesigned turret to mount a British 17-pounder gun. The 17-pounder could knock out any German tank. Often referred to by the post-war nickname "Firefly", but during WWII this nickname was also used for the 17pdr M10. Lee and Grant – M3 Lee medium tank
Sherman Firefly – About 2,000 M4s (Firefly IC) and M4A4s (Firefly VC) were re-armed by the British in 1944 with their 17-pounder (76.2 mm) guns as the Sherman Firefly. Users: Britain, Poland, Canada. In late 1944, 88 M4s and M4A3s were upgraded with the 17-pounder gun at the request of the US Army, a small handful being issued the Italian ...
Sherman 17pdr aka "Firefly" – British Sherman I or V re-armed with QF 17 pounder (76.2 mm) anti-tank gun with C added to designation (as in Sherman IC or VC). A few Sherman IIIC are believed to have existed, issued to units equipped with standard Sherman III for mechanical commonality: Aberdeen Proving Ground in the USA has one.
In the lead up to D-Day, Sherman tanks were fitted with the 17 pounder, creating the interim 17 pounder Sherman Firefly. Converting Sherman tanks was simpler than producing Challengers, so it was decided in November 1943 to terminate the A30 production run after the two hundred vehicles had been built, allowing BRC&W to concentrate on the Cromwell.
The A30 Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger was created as a derivative of Cromwell to meet the needs for a 17-pounder armed cruiser tank, but production was curtailed when a modification to the Sherman, Sherman Firefly, proved easier to produce. This allowed tank production to re-focus on Cromwell and the new Comet design.
The 17 pdr SP Achilles was basically a modified M10, the principal difference being the gun. The main armament of the Achilles was the Ordnance QF 17-pounder, a substantially more powerful gun than the 3 inch (76.2 mm) M7 mounted on the standard M10. The single top-mounted .50 inch (12.7 mm) M2 Browning heavy machine gun was retained.