Sherman Firefly vs Tiger: Normandy 1944 (Duel)
by Stephen Hart
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Book Summary Information
Author: Stephen HartEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-18
ISBN: 1846031508
Number of pages: 80
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Book Reviews of Sherman Firefly vs Tiger: Normandy 1944 (Duel)
Book Review: SHERMAN FIREFLY VS TIGER, NORMANDY, 1944
Summary: 5 Stars
SHERMAN FIREFLY VS TIGER, NORMANDY, 1944
DR. STEPHEN A. HART
OSPREY PUBLISHING, 2007
QUALITY SOFTCOVER, 80 PAGES, $17.95, PHOTOGRAPHS, ILLUSTRATIONS, CHRONOLOGY, MAPS
As far back as 1938, it had been realized that the PzKpfw IV would have to be replaced by a more modern design sometime in the near future. Various prototypes were built by a number of German companies but none were placed in production. In 1941, an order was placed with Henschel for a 36-ton tank called the VK 3601 which was required to have a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph), good armor protection, and a powerful gun. A prototype of this tank was built but further work was stopped as an order was placed in May, 1941 for a 45-ton tank called the VK 4501. This was to be armed with a tank version of the dreaded 88-mm (3.46-inch) AA/anti-tank gun, which had then become the scourge of European armies. It was required that the prototype be ready for testing on Hitler's next birthday, 20 April 1942. As time was short, Henschel incorporated ideas from the VK 3601 and another tank called the VK 3001(H). The end product was the VK 4501(H), the letter suffix standing for Henschel. Porsche also went ahead with its own design and built the VK 4501 (Porsche) to meet the same requirement. Both prototypes were completed in time to be demonstrated on Hitler's 53rd birthday, and the Henschel design was selected for production in August, 1942 under the designation PzKPFW VI Tiger Ausf E (SdKfz 181). The Tiger was in production from August, 1942 to August, 1944, and during that time period saw a total of 1,350 of them built. It was then succeeded in production by the Tiger II or King Tiger. In case trials proved the VK 4501(H) a failure, a batch of 90 VK 4501(P) tanks were ordered and these were subsequently completed as 88-mm (3.46-inch) tank destroyers under the designation Panzerjager Tiger (P) Ferdinand (SdKfz 184). The vehicle was named after its designer, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. There were three variants of the Tiger, these being the Tiger command tank (Befehlspanzer Tiger) which was the basic gun tank with its main armament removed, but fitted with a winch but no crane, and the Sturmtiger which had a new superstructure fitted with a 38-cm (14.96-inch) Type 61 rocket launcher with limited traverse; only 10 of the last were built. For its time, the Tiger was an outstanding design with a powerful gun and good armor, but it was also too complicated and therefore difficult to produce. One of its many drawbacks was its overlapping wheel suspension which became clogged with mud and stones. On the Eastern Front, this could be disastrous as during winter nights the mud froze and by morning the tank had been immobilized, often at the exact time the Soviets would attack. When the tank travelled on roads a 51.5-cm (20.3-inch) wide track was fitted, while a 71.5-cm (28.1-inch) wide track was used for travel across country or in combat as this gave a lower ground pressure and so improved traction. Main armament comprised an 88-mm KwK 36 gun, with a 7.92-mm (0.31-inch) MG34 machine gun coaxial with the main armament and a similiar weapon ball-mounted in the hull front on the right. Totals of 84 rounds of 88-mm and 5,850 rounds of machine gun ammunition were carried. The Tiger was first encountered in Tunisia by the British Army and from then on appeared on all of the German fronts.
When the Medium Tank M3 was being rushed into production, a new medium tank design with a turret-mounted 75-mm (2.95-inch) main gun was being pushed through the drawing board stages. To save time, this was to use the same basic hull and suspension as the M3, but the upper hull was revised to accommodate the gun turret. The first example of the new tank was rolled out in September, 1941 as the Medium Tank T6 and proved to be a very good design. The upper hull was cast, and this not only provided added protection but speeded production, at that time a definite asset. The new weapon was rushed into production as the Medium Tank M4 with a 75-mm main gun and coaxial 7.62-mm (0.3-inch) machine gun, 7.62-mm bow gun, and 12.7-mm (0.5-inch) gun for AA defense. This baseline model had minimum and maximum armor thickness of 15-mm (0.59-inch) and 76-mm (2.99-inch) respectively. It proved to be an excellant fighting platform and went on to be one of the war-winning weapons of the Allies, being constructed in the thousands. By the time the production lines stopped rolling in 1945, well over 40,000 had been built and the type was manufactured in a bewildering array of marks, sub-marks, and variants of all kinds. Once in service, the M$ series was differently engined; up-gunned to an even more powerful 75-mm (2.95-inch), 76-mm (2.99-inch), and 105-mm (4.13-inch) main weapons and developed into numerous 'special' such as engineer tanks, assault tanks, tank destroyers, flamethrowers, bridging tanks, recovery vehicles, rocket launchers, self-propelled artillery carriages, anti-mine vehicles, and so on, which were produced from scratch or improvised in the field. Gradually, the M4 series became the T-34 of the Western Allies.
The British Army purchased large numbers of M4s or took them over as part of the Land Lease program. To the British, the M4 was the General Sherman (or simply Sherman) and they too added their variations to the long list of M4 'specials'; one of the best known of these was the 1944 Sherman Firefly, which had a 17-pounder main gun. The first Sherman went into action with the British at El Alamein in October, 1942. Thereafter, the Sherman was the most numerous tank in British Army service for the rest of World War II.
The Sherman Firefly program was initially viewed as an insurance policy against the possible failure of the 17-pounder equipped Challenger design based on the Cromwell tank. However, the Challenger was significantly delayed and not particularly successful when it was finally completed, and it proved easier and cheaper to up-gun existing Shermans. For the remainder of the war, the Firefly remained the only tank in the British inventory armed with this gun.
The turret had to be altered to fit the larger gun by moving the radio to a new bustle on the turret rear and by turning the long-recoiling gun onits side. A distinctive overhang at the back of the turret was added to give space for the recoiling weapon. The bow machine gun position was deleted to increase storage space for the longer shells. The nickname "Firefly" quickly became synonymous with any Sherman fitted with this gun, and while plans were devised to modify the Sherman IV, only the Sherman I and V were used in the end. In British nomenclature, a "C" at the end of the Roman numeral indicated a tank equipped with the 17-pounder and the resulting tanks were designated Sherman 1C and VC Firefly.
Fireflies were introduced to British armored divisions in June, 1944 and just in time for the Normandy landings. After experience in the Battle of Normandy, it was decided to employ Fireflies by assigning one (later two) to each four-tank troop instead of concentrating them in Firefly-only troops or squadrons.
They were among the few Allied tanks capable of taking on the German Panzer V (Panther) and Panzer VI (Tiger) tanks. Though they were no better armored than most M4 versions, the 17-pounder anti-tank gun offered the 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 armor of a Tiger I at up to 1,000 meters; with the more advanced APCBC and APDS rounds that became available towards the end of the war, it could penetrate at over 2,000 meters. The principal disadvantages of the Firefly were its low rate of fire (about half that of a 75-mm Sherman), due to the cramped nature of the turret and difficulty in reloading a gun turned on its side, and the very large, bright muzzle flash of the 17-pounder gun.
This book, SHERMAN FIREFLY VS TIGER, NORMANDY, 1944 superbly describes the design and development of these two opponents, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, assessing their tactics, weaponry, and training. Gunsight artwork puts the reader "inside" the tanks during a famous battle scenario, in a victory of superior Allied numbers, tactics, and engineering.
Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn, Florida Guard
Orlando, Florida
Summary of Sherman Firefly vs Tiger: Normandy 1944 (Duel)
The German Tiger heavy tank was a monster of a machine that dominated the battlefields of Europe. One of the most feared weapons of World War II, the Tiger gained an aura of invincibility that was only shattered by the introduction of the Sherman Firefly during the summer of 1944. Specifically designed by the British to combat the Tiger, the Sherman Firefly was based on the standard American M4A4 Sherman medium tank, but was fitted with a powerful 17-pounder gun which made it a deadly opponent for the Tiger.This book describes the design and development of these two fierce opponents, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses and assessing their tactics, weaponry and training. Innovative gun-sight artwork puts the reader "inside" the tanks during famous real-life battle scenarios, including the infamous Panzer ace Michael Wittman leading four Tigers into battle against eight Fireflies, a clash of steel that was a victory not only for superior Allied numbers, but also for Allied tactics and engineering.
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