Sherman Firefly General characteristics
Length	19 ft 4 in, 5.89 m
Width	8 ft 7 in, 2.62 m
Height	9 ft, 2.75 m
Weight	t
Suspension	flat spring
Speed	25 mph (40 km/h) km/h road  km/h off-road
Range	120 miles (193 km) km
Primary armament	OQF 17 pdr (76 mm) gun
Secondary armament	.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine gun .303 Browning machine gun
Maximum armour	89 mm mm
Power plant	Chrysler Multibank (5 x inline-6) gasoline 425 hp ( kW)
Crew	4

The Sherman Firefly (M4A4 VC Firefly) was a British variation of the M4 Sherman tank, fitted with the more powerful 17 pounder main gun. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... The metre, or meter, is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International dUnités). ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 2526 wine gallons, which holds approximately 21000 pounds of water. ... The Ordnance QF 17-pounder (or just 17-pdr) was a 76. ... This article is about the . ... Browning Model 1919 Type Machine Gun Nation U.S. Era World War II History Date of design 1919 Production period 1919 - 1945 Service duration 1919 - 1990s Operators U.S. and Allies War service WWII - Vietnam Variants A1 - A6, and M37 Number built Specifications Type Calibre . ... A picture of a destroyed M113 armoured personnel carrier showing a section of the armour. ... The Chrysler Corporation is a United States-based automobile manufacturer, since 1998 merged with Daimler_Benz into DaimlerChrysler. ... Gasoline, as it is known in North America, or petrol (abbreviated from petroleum spirit), in many Commonwealth countries (sometimes also called motor spirit) is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... The M4 Medium Tank was the main tank designed and built by the US for use in World War II. In the UK lend-lease M4s were dubbed M4 General Sherman after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, continuing a practice of naming American tanks after famous Generals. ... The Ordnance QF 17-pounder (or just 17-pdr) was a 76. ...

The turret had to be altered to fit such a big gun. A distinctive overhang at the back of the turret was the result to give space for the recoiling weapon. The bow machine gun position was sacrificed for storage for the long shells.

Fireflies were introduced to British armoured divisions in 1944 in preparation for the Normandy landings. After discussion it was decided to employ Fireflies spread between every troop (platoon) of each tank battallion, rather than forming special Firefly troops (platoons) or squadrons (companies).

They were among the few Allied tanks capable of taking on the German Panzer V (Panther) and Panzer VI (Tiger) tanks. Though no more well-armoured than most M4 versions, the 17 pounder anti tank gun offered far better performance than the standard 75 mm gun which had been chosen for the infantry support role. Even using the regular APC round it could penetrate the front armour of a Tiger I at over 1,000 meters; with the more advanced rounds that became common towards the end of war, the APCBC and then the APDS it could penetrate at over 2,000 meters. The effectiveness of the Firefly resulted in German tank crews being under instructions to eliminate Fireflies first before dealing with the regular M4 tanks. In an attempt to prevent the Fireflies being identified, some had the end of their 17 pounder gun painted sky-blue on the top and brown on the bottom to give the illusion of a shorter gun barrel. The actual effectiveness of this tactic is questionable however. Panther D The Panther was a medium tank of the German Army in World War II. Until 1944 it was designated as the PzKpfw V Panther, and also had the Ordnance inventory designation of SdKfz 171. ... First Tiger I tank captured near Tunis The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. ... The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. ... Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot is a type of shell used to combat heavy vehicles. ...

The majority of Shermans converted were the M4A4 model; in British terminology the Sherman V of which the British had received about 1,600. Some 600 Fireflies were produced.