panda1gen
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Battle for Arnhem.... (2 Viewers)
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Cyber Field Marshall
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Good stuff, enjoyed your pics especially the setting!
panda1gen
Major
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From Wikepedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Firefly
The Sherman Firefly was a World War II British and Canadian variation of the American Sherman tank, fitted with the powerful British 17 pounder anti-tank gun as its main weapon. Originally conceived as a stopgap tank until future British tank designs armed with the 17 pounder came into service, the Sherman Firefly became the most common vehicle to be used with the 17 pounder as its main armament during World War II.
Contents
[hide]
The concept of fitting a 17 pounder gun into a Sherman tank had initially been rejected by the Ministry of Supply's Tank Decision Board because of its use of an American Sherman tank as a mount for the gun. The British Army had decided in early 1943 that, with the emergence of the new British tanks designs that at the time were to be superior to American supplied tanks, the British Army would once again start equipping their armoured divisions with British tanks rather than American ones.
This view was based on the fact that the upcoming Cromwell tank was expected to mount the Vickers High Velocity 75mm gun, a gun that was to have superior anti-tank performance over the US 75mm and 76mm guns as well as a good high explosive shell, and the A30 Challenger, which was a modified Cromwell able to take the even more powerful 17 pounder gun [1]. As a result, mounting a 17 pounder on a tank chassis the British were planning on retiring from service was not seen as desirable.[2].
Although there was no official backing for a Sherman mounting the 17 pounder, many individuals for a variety of reasons attempted to mount a 17 pounder on the Sherman tank. The earliest attempt to fit a 17 pounder gun into a Sherman Tank can be credited to Major George Brighty of the Royal Tank Regiment while he was at Lulworth Armoured Fighting School in early 1943.
Despite the fact the A30 Challenger was undergoing initial trials at Lulworth, Major Brightly seemed to be convinced the Sherman was a better mount for the 17 pounder. However he was stymied by the turret of the Sherman, which was too small to allow for the very long recoil of the gun, which prevented it from being able to fire within the cramped turret. In a rather desperate move, Brighty removed the recoil system and locked the gun in place, thus forcing the entire tank to absorb the recoil of the gun, but this was a far from ideal situation and there was no telling how long the tank could handle such a set-up.[2].
Around this time in June 1943, a colleague of Major Brighty, Lt. Col. George Witheridge of the Royal Tank Regiment, arrived at Lulworth. A veteran of the North Africa campaign, Lt. Col. Witheridge had experienced firsthand the lopsided battles between British tanks armed with 2 pounder guns against Rommel's formidable panzers and PAK guns.
During the disastrous Battle of Gazala in mid 1942, Witheridge had been blown out of his Grant tank, and though he recovered from his wounds, he was declared unfit to return to duty. Instead, in January 1943, he was posted to Fort Knox in the United States for six months, where he was sold on American tanks.[2] While at Lulworth, Lt. Col. Witheridge inspected the A30 Challenger, and finding the design flawed, joined in the chorus of complaints about the tank. Upon looking up Major Brighty and learning of his attempts to fit a 17 pounder into a Sherman, Witheridge lent his assistance to his efforts.[1].
Not long after, Witheridge and Brighty received a notice from the Department of Tank Design (DTD) to cease all efforts to mount the 17 pounder in the Sherman. Unwilling to abandon the project, Witheridge, using his connections with such influential people as Major General Raymond Briggs, GOC of the 1st Armoured Division in North Africa and later Director of the Royal Armoured Corps, successfully lobbied Claude Gibb of the Ministry of Supply to make the mounting of a 17 pounder on a Sherman tank an official ministry project. However, in doing so, the project was taken out of the hands of the highly enthusiastic and devoted designers at Lulworth who had started the project and given to professional tank developers.[1][2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Firefly
The Sherman Firefly was a World War II British and Canadian variation of the American Sherman tank, fitted with the powerful British 17 pounder anti-tank gun as its main weapon. Originally conceived as a stopgap tank until future British tank designs armed with the 17 pounder came into service, the Sherman Firefly became the most common vehicle to be used with the 17 pounder as its main armament during World War II.
Contents
[hide]
- 1 Origins
- 2 Design
- 3 Armament
- 4 Production and distribution
- 5 Service
- 6 Operators
- 7 See also
- 8 Notes and references
- 9 External links
The concept of fitting a 17 pounder gun into a Sherman tank had initially been rejected by the Ministry of Supply's Tank Decision Board because of its use of an American Sherman tank as a mount for the gun. The British Army had decided in early 1943 that, with the emergence of the new British tanks designs that at the time were to be superior to American supplied tanks, the British Army would once again start equipping their armoured divisions with British tanks rather than American ones.
This view was based on the fact that the upcoming Cromwell tank was expected to mount the Vickers High Velocity 75mm gun, a gun that was to have superior anti-tank performance over the US 75mm and 76mm guns as well as a good high explosive shell, and the A30 Challenger, which was a modified Cromwell able to take the even more powerful 17 pounder gun [1]. As a result, mounting a 17 pounder on a tank chassis the British were planning on retiring from service was not seen as desirable.[2].
Although there was no official backing for a Sherman mounting the 17 pounder, many individuals for a variety of reasons attempted to mount a 17 pounder on the Sherman tank. The earliest attempt to fit a 17 pounder gun into a Sherman Tank can be credited to Major George Brighty of the Royal Tank Regiment while he was at Lulworth Armoured Fighting School in early 1943.
Despite the fact the A30 Challenger was undergoing initial trials at Lulworth, Major Brightly seemed to be convinced the Sherman was a better mount for the 17 pounder. However he was stymied by the turret of the Sherman, which was too small to allow for the very long recoil of the gun, which prevented it from being able to fire within the cramped turret. In a rather desperate move, Brighty removed the recoil system and locked the gun in place, thus forcing the entire tank to absorb the recoil of the gun, but this was a far from ideal situation and there was no telling how long the tank could handle such a set-up.[2].
Around this time in June 1943, a colleague of Major Brighty, Lt. Col. George Witheridge of the Royal Tank Regiment, arrived at Lulworth. A veteran of the North Africa campaign, Lt. Col. Witheridge had experienced firsthand the lopsided battles between British tanks armed with 2 pounder guns against Rommel's formidable panzers and PAK guns.
During the disastrous Battle of Gazala in mid 1942, Witheridge had been blown out of his Grant tank, and though he recovered from his wounds, he was declared unfit to return to duty. Instead, in January 1943, he was posted to Fort Knox in the United States for six months, where he was sold on American tanks.[2] While at Lulworth, Lt. Col. Witheridge inspected the A30 Challenger, and finding the design flawed, joined in the chorus of complaints about the tank. Upon looking up Major Brighty and learning of his attempts to fit a 17 pounder into a Sherman, Witheridge lent his assistance to his efforts.[1].
Not long after, Witheridge and Brighty received a notice from the Department of Tank Design (DTD) to cease all efforts to mount the 17 pounder in the Sherman. Unwilling to abandon the project, Witheridge, using his connections with such influential people as Major General Raymond Briggs, GOC of the 1st Armoured Division in North Africa and later Director of the Royal Armoured Corps, successfully lobbied Claude Gibb of the Ministry of Supply to make the mounting of a 17 pounder on a Sherman tank an official ministry project. However, in doing so, the project was taken out of the hands of the highly enthusiastic and devoted designers at Lulworth who had started the project and given to professional tank developers.[1][2]
panda1gen
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Design
Sherman Firefly of 7th Armoured Division in Hamburg, 4 May 1945
It was W.G.K. Kilbourn, at the time working for the Department of Tank Design, who transformed the prototype into the tank that would serve the British forces from D-day onwards. The first thing Kilbourn had to fix was the lack of a workable recoil system for the 17 pounder. The 17 pounder travelled 40 inches back as it absorbed the recoil of the blast. This was too long for the Sherman turret.[2]
Kilbourn solved this problem by redesigning the recoil system completely rather than modifying it. The recoil cylinders were shortened to allow the turret to take the gun and its recoil, and the new cylinders were placed on both sides of the gun to take advantage of the width of the Sherman's turret rather than be hindered by its height. The gun itself was also rotated 90 degrees to allow for left handed loading.[3]
The next problem encountered by Kilbourn was that the gun cradle, the metal block the gun sits on, had to be shortened to allow the gun to fit into the Firefly, and thus the gun itself was not very stable.
Kilbourn had a new barrel designed for the 17 pounder that was wider at the base, which helped solve the stability problem. A new mantlet was designed to house the new gun and accept the modified cradle. Thus, while the 17 pounder for the Firefly was a modified variant, it would have to be factory built specifically for it.[2][3]
Kilbourn then turned his attention to other problems. On the standard Sherman tank, the loader exited through the same hatch as the tank commander and gunner. However the 17 pounder's larger breech and recoil system significantly reduced the ability of the loader to quickly exit from the tank if it was knocked out. As a result, a new hatch was cut into the top of the turret over the gunner's position.[2]
The final major change was the elimination of the hull gunner in favour of more 17 pounder ammunition, which was significantly longer than the 75 mm shell and thus took up more room. However the hull gunner also doubled as the radio operator, so an armoured box (a "bustle") was attached to the back of the turret to house the new radio, and the loader was to double as the radio operator.
By October and November 1943, enthusiasm began to grow for the project. The 21st Army Group was informed of the new tank in October 1943. Even before final testing had taken place in February 1944, an order for 2,100 Sherman tanks armed with 17 pounder guns was placed.
This reaction was understandable, as the Challenger program was suffering constant delays and few would be ready for Normandy, and even worse, the realization that the Cromwell tank did not have a turret ring big enough to take the new High Velocity 75mm gun (50 calibres long), so the Cromwell would have to be armed with the general purpose Ordnance QF 75 mm.
Thus the Sherman Firefly represented the only available tank with firepower superior to the QF 75 mm gun in the British Army’s arsenal. Not surprisingly, it was given the ‘highest priority’ by Winston Churchill himself.[1]
The nickname "Firefly" is not found in wartime official documents. It was sometimes used at unit level (Brigade/Regiment) war diaries from March 1944, with another nickname being 'Mayfly'. During the war, Shermans with 17 pounder guns were usually known as '1C' '1C Hybrid' or 'VC', depending on the basic mark of the vehicle. In British nomenclature, a "C" at the end of the Roman numeral indicated a tank equipped with the 17 pounder.
For more details on and an explanation of the various marks, see Lend-Lease Sherman tanks#British Nomenclature.
The Firefly had no armour or mobility advantages over the normal Sherman tank.
Sherman Firefly of 7th Armoured Division in Hamburg, 4 May 1945
It was W.G.K. Kilbourn, at the time working for the Department of Tank Design, who transformed the prototype into the tank that would serve the British forces from D-day onwards. The first thing Kilbourn had to fix was the lack of a workable recoil system for the 17 pounder. The 17 pounder travelled 40 inches back as it absorbed the recoil of the blast. This was too long for the Sherman turret.[2]
Kilbourn solved this problem by redesigning the recoil system completely rather than modifying it. The recoil cylinders were shortened to allow the turret to take the gun and its recoil, and the new cylinders were placed on both sides of the gun to take advantage of the width of the Sherman's turret rather than be hindered by its height. The gun itself was also rotated 90 degrees to allow for left handed loading.[3]
The next problem encountered by Kilbourn was that the gun cradle, the metal block the gun sits on, had to be shortened to allow the gun to fit into the Firefly, and thus the gun itself was not very stable.
Kilbourn had a new barrel designed for the 17 pounder that was wider at the base, which helped solve the stability problem. A new mantlet was designed to house the new gun and accept the modified cradle. Thus, while the 17 pounder for the Firefly was a modified variant, it would have to be factory built specifically for it.[2][3]
Kilbourn then turned his attention to other problems. On the standard Sherman tank, the loader exited through the same hatch as the tank commander and gunner. However the 17 pounder's larger breech and recoil system significantly reduced the ability of the loader to quickly exit from the tank if it was knocked out. As a result, a new hatch was cut into the top of the turret over the gunner's position.[2]
The final major change was the elimination of the hull gunner in favour of more 17 pounder ammunition, which was significantly longer than the 75 mm shell and thus took up more room. However the hull gunner also doubled as the radio operator, so an armoured box (a "bustle") was attached to the back of the turret to house the new radio, and the loader was to double as the radio operator.
By October and November 1943, enthusiasm began to grow for the project. The 21st Army Group was informed of the new tank in October 1943. Even before final testing had taken place in February 1944, an order for 2,100 Sherman tanks armed with 17 pounder guns was placed.
This reaction was understandable, as the Challenger program was suffering constant delays and few would be ready for Normandy, and even worse, the realization that the Cromwell tank did not have a turret ring big enough to take the new High Velocity 75mm gun (50 calibres long), so the Cromwell would have to be armed with the general purpose Ordnance QF 75 mm.
Thus the Sherman Firefly represented the only available tank with firepower superior to the QF 75 mm gun in the British Army’s arsenal. Not surprisingly, it was given the ‘highest priority’ by Winston Churchill himself.[1]
The nickname "Firefly" is not found in wartime official documents. It was sometimes used at unit level (Brigade/Regiment) war diaries from March 1944, with another nickname being 'Mayfly'. During the war, Shermans with 17 pounder guns were usually known as '1C' '1C Hybrid' or 'VC', depending on the basic mark of the vehicle. In British nomenclature, a "C" at the end of the Roman numeral indicated a tank equipped with the 17 pounder.
For more details on and an explanation of the various marks, see Lend-Lease Sherman tanks#British Nomenclature.
The Firefly had no armour or mobility advantages over the normal Sherman tank.
Attachments
panda1gen
Major
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Armament
The shell of a 17 pounder
The main armament of the Sherman Firefly was the Ordnance Quick Firing 17 pounder. Designed as the successor to the British QF 6-pounder, the 17 pounder was the most powerful British tank gun of the war, and one of the most powerful of any nationality, being able to penetrate more armour than the Tiger I's 8.8 cm KwK 36, the Panther tank's 7.5 cm KwK 42, or the M26 Pershing's 90 mm gun.
Firefly v Panther
The Firefly 17 pounder was able to penetrate some 140 mm of armour at 500 metres and 131 mm at 1,000 m using standard APCBC (Armour Piercing, Capped, Ballistic Capped) ammunition at a 30 degree angle.
When supplied, APDS (Armour Piercing, Discarding Sabot) ammunition it could penetrate some 209 mm of armour at 500 m and 192 mm at 1,000 m at a 30 degree angle,which on paper was able to counter almost every German tank at any likely range [4][5].
However, early production APDS rounds lacked accuracy and being a sub-calibre shot, the actual penetrating shot was around 50 mm wide being less destructive after it had penetrated enemy tank armour than the 76.2 mm APCBC shell. In any case, APDS ammunition was rare until late 1944.
Despite the Firefly's superior antitank capabilities, the tank was regarded as inferior to the regular Sherman against soft targets such as enemy infantry, buildings and lightly-armoured vehicles. As the war in Europe neared its close, the Allies found themselves encountering these more often than heavy German tanks. Allied tank units therefore typically refused to completely switch to Fireflies.
A good HE shell only became available in late 1944 and even then was not as potent as the standard Sherman 75mm HE shell.[1] Another problem was that the powerful blast from the 17 pounder gun kicked up large amounts of dirt as well as smoke, making it difficult for the gunner to observe the fall of the shell and thus relying on the commander to observe the fall of the round and to order corrections. Dirt and dust revealed the position of the tank, so Sherman Fireflies would have to move every few shots to avoid detection.
The recoil and muzzle blast could be severely jarring to Firefly crews and the muzzle blast frequently caused night blindness as well. It should be noted that this was a common problem on any tank armed with a high velocity gun, including Panther and Tiger tanks.
The cramped nature of the turret meant that loading the large 17 pounder shell was difficult so Fireflies had a reduced rate of fire compared to regular M4 Shermans.[3]
Since the Firefly was a stopgap to get a 17 pounder gun mounted on a tank, these problems were never eliminated as the Firefly was to be retired with the introduction of the new British tank designs.
The Firefly's secondary armament was the standard .30 inch coaxial machine gun in the turret. The hull mounted machine gun had been removed to increase ammunition storage for the main gun. A top-mounted .50 cal machine gun was also attached, though many crews removed it due to awkward mounting and position near the commander which limited a full 360 degree view when unbuttoned in battle.
In 1945, some British Shermans were fitted with a rail on either side of the turret for two 60 lb (27 kg) headed rockets. These were used at the Rhine Crossing by tanks of the 1st Coldstream Guards. The tanks were called "Sherman Tulips". The tanks fitted were conventional Shermans and Fireflies. The rockets were inaccurate when fired from a tank as they were being fired from a stationary point and had little slipstream over the fins. Despite this, the RP-3 was valued by tank crews for the destructive effect of its 60 pound warhead.[2]
Production and distribution
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.[citation needed]
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.
A Sherman Firefly crosses 'Euston Bridge' over the Orne as it moves up to the start line for Operation 'Goodwood', 18 July 1944.
Production of the Firefly started in early 1944, and by May 31, some 342 Sherman Fireflies had been delivered to Montgomery's 21st Army Group for the D-Day landings.[3]
As a result, British tank troops were composed of three regular Shermans and one Firefly. The same distribution occurred in Cromwell units, but this caused logistical problems, as each Cromwell troop now needed to be supplied with parts for two different tanks, and the Fireflies were slowly replaced by Challenger tanks as they came out.
Churchill units received no Fireflies, and as a result often had to rely on any attached M10 or M10 Achilles units to provide increased firepower to deal with tanks their 75mm guns could not eliminate.[1]
From D-Day in June to the end of the Battle of Normandy in late August, some 550 Sherman Fireflies were built, more than sufficient to replace any permanent tank losses during the battle.[3]
In late 1944, with the creation of an effective High Explosive shell for the 17 pounder gun, British units started to receive two Fireflies per troop.[1] By February 1945, some 2,000 Sherman Fireflies had been built and British armour troops were equipped with a 50/50 mix of 75mm and 17 pounder armed Shermans.
In the spring of 1945, production of the Firefly was scaled down, with the last tank being delivered in May 1945. This was the result of several factors, from home-grown designs like the Comet and Centurion coming into service which would replace the Firefly, to the impending defeat of Nazi Germany, and the inferior design of Japan's tanks, which it seemed would be the next opponents the British would have to face after the fall of Germany.[3]
Overall production of the Sherman Firefly reached some 2,100 - 2,200 tanks; exact numbers are hard to determine as documents give contradictory totals.[3] Jane's World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles gives a production of 1783 over 1944 and 563 over 1945, for a total of 2348.[6]
The shell of a 17 pounder
The main armament of the Sherman Firefly was the Ordnance Quick Firing 17 pounder. Designed as the successor to the British QF 6-pounder, the 17 pounder was the most powerful British tank gun of the war, and one of the most powerful of any nationality, being able to penetrate more armour than the Tiger I's 8.8 cm KwK 36, the Panther tank's 7.5 cm KwK 42, or the M26 Pershing's 90 mm gun.
Firefly v Panther
The Firefly 17 pounder was able to penetrate some 140 mm of armour at 500 metres and 131 mm at 1,000 m using standard APCBC (Armour Piercing, Capped, Ballistic Capped) ammunition at a 30 degree angle.
When supplied, APDS (Armour Piercing, Discarding Sabot) ammunition it could penetrate some 209 mm of armour at 500 m and 192 mm at 1,000 m at a 30 degree angle,which on paper was able to counter almost every German tank at any likely range [4][5].
However, early production APDS rounds lacked accuracy and being a sub-calibre shot, the actual penetrating shot was around 50 mm wide being less destructive after it had penetrated enemy tank armour than the 76.2 mm APCBC shell. In any case, APDS ammunition was rare until late 1944.
Despite the Firefly's superior antitank capabilities, the tank was regarded as inferior to the regular Sherman against soft targets such as enemy infantry, buildings and lightly-armoured vehicles. As the war in Europe neared its close, the Allies found themselves encountering these more often than heavy German tanks. Allied tank units therefore typically refused to completely switch to Fireflies.
A good HE shell only became available in late 1944 and even then was not as potent as the standard Sherman 75mm HE shell.[1] Another problem was that the powerful blast from the 17 pounder gun kicked up large amounts of dirt as well as smoke, making it difficult for the gunner to observe the fall of the shell and thus relying on the commander to observe the fall of the round and to order corrections. Dirt and dust revealed the position of the tank, so Sherman Fireflies would have to move every few shots to avoid detection.
The recoil and muzzle blast could be severely jarring to Firefly crews and the muzzle blast frequently caused night blindness as well. It should be noted that this was a common problem on any tank armed with a high velocity gun, including Panther and Tiger tanks.
The cramped nature of the turret meant that loading the large 17 pounder shell was difficult so Fireflies had a reduced rate of fire compared to regular M4 Shermans.[3]
Since the Firefly was a stopgap to get a 17 pounder gun mounted on a tank, these problems were never eliminated as the Firefly was to be retired with the introduction of the new British tank designs.
The Firefly's secondary armament was the standard .30 inch coaxial machine gun in the turret. The hull mounted machine gun had been removed to increase ammunition storage for the main gun. A top-mounted .50 cal machine gun was also attached, though many crews removed it due to awkward mounting and position near the commander which limited a full 360 degree view when unbuttoned in battle.
In 1945, some British Shermans were fitted with a rail on either side of the turret for two 60 lb (27 kg) headed rockets. These were used at the Rhine Crossing by tanks of the 1st Coldstream Guards. The tanks were called "Sherman Tulips". The tanks fitted were conventional Shermans and Fireflies. The rockets were inaccurate when fired from a tank as they were being fired from a stationary point and had little slipstream over the fins. Despite this, the RP-3 was valued by tank crews for the destructive effect of its 60 pound warhead.[2]
Production and distribution
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.[citation needed]
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.
A Sherman Firefly crosses 'Euston Bridge' over the Orne as it moves up to the start line for Operation 'Goodwood', 18 July 1944.
Production of the Firefly started in early 1944, and by May 31, some 342 Sherman Fireflies had been delivered to Montgomery's 21st Army Group for the D-Day landings.[3]
As a result, British tank troops were composed of three regular Shermans and one Firefly. The same distribution occurred in Cromwell units, but this caused logistical problems, as each Cromwell troop now needed to be supplied with parts for two different tanks, and the Fireflies were slowly replaced by Challenger tanks as they came out.
Churchill units received no Fireflies, and as a result often had to rely on any attached M10 or M10 Achilles units to provide increased firepower to deal with tanks their 75mm guns could not eliminate.[1]
From D-Day in June to the end of the Battle of Normandy in late August, some 550 Sherman Fireflies were built, more than sufficient to replace any permanent tank losses during the battle.[3]
In late 1944, with the creation of an effective High Explosive shell for the 17 pounder gun, British units started to receive two Fireflies per troop.[1] By February 1945, some 2,000 Sherman Fireflies had been built and British armour troops were equipped with a 50/50 mix of 75mm and 17 pounder armed Shermans.
In the spring of 1945, production of the Firefly was scaled down, with the last tank being delivered in May 1945. This was the result of several factors, from home-grown designs like the Comet and Centurion coming into service which would replace the Firefly, to the impending defeat of Nazi Germany, and the inferior design of Japan's tanks, which it seemed would be the next opponents the British would have to face after the fall of Germany.[3]
Overall production of the Sherman Firefly reached some 2,100 - 2,200 tanks; exact numbers are hard to determine as documents give contradictory totals.[3] Jane's World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles gives a production of 1783 over 1944 and 563 over 1945, for a total of 2348.[6]
panda1gen
Major
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Service
A Sherman Firefly with countershadowing pattern used to disguise the increased length of the barrel
Fireflies were introduced to armoured brigades and divisions in 21 Army Group in 1944 just in time for the Normandy landings. The timing was fortunate as the Allies discovered that the Germans were fielding a much larger number of heavy tanks, like the Panther, than had been expected in the Normandy theatre. In fact the Allies had mistakenly assumed the Panther, like the Tiger, would be a rare heavy tank with a limited production run, rather than a total replacement for their medium tanks, and the larger-than-expected number of Panthers came as a nasty shock to the Allied commanders as well as the majority of Allied tank crews forced to engage them with guns that could not penetrate the frontal armour at long range.[1]
Fireflies were deployed as one tank per troop of Cromwell or Sherman tanks. The deployment with Cromwell troops made servicing and supply of those units more complex. The Firefly was also slower than the Cromwell.
While the number of Panthers and Tigers only accounted for some 30% of the nearly 2,500 German tanks deployed in Normandy (the rest being composed of Panzer IVs, Sturmgeschütz IIIs and other tanks the standard Shermans were able to effectively handle), the importance of Caen to the Germans and Montgomery's operations which pinned German armored forces in front of the British positions so the American units could break out to the west meant that British and Commonwealth units had to face over 70% of all German armour deployed during the Battle of Normandy, as well as almost all the elite, well-equipped SS units which contained the fearsome Tigers and Panthers.
Thus, despite the relatively low number of Panthers and Tigers deployed, they would almost all be facing British and Commonwealth troops. As a result, the Sherman Firefly was perhaps the most valued tank by British and Commonwealth commanders, as it was the only tank in the British Army able to effectively defeat the Panthers and Tigers at the standard combat ranges in Normandy.[1]
This fact did not go unnoticed by the Germans, who realized that these long-barrel Shermans posed a much greater threat to their heavy tanks than the regular Shermans, and German tank crews and anti-tank gun crews were instructed to eliminate Fireflies first.
Similarly, the Firefly crews realized that the distinctive long barrel of their 17 pounder gun made the Firefly stand out from regular Shermans, so crews attempted to disguise their tanks in the hope they would not be targeted. Some crews had the front half of the gun barrel painted white on the bottom and dark green or the original olive drab on the top to give the illusion of a shorter gun barrel. Another suggestion was for a shorter wooden dummy gun would be mounted on the rear of the turret and point forward; however, this tactic does not appear to have been used in combat.[3]
British Firefly in Namur, 1944
A Sherman Firefly with countershadowing pattern used to disguise the increased length of the barrel
Fireflies were introduced to armoured brigades and divisions in 21 Army Group in 1944 just in time for the Normandy landings. The timing was fortunate as the Allies discovered that the Germans were fielding a much larger number of heavy tanks, like the Panther, than had been expected in the Normandy theatre. In fact the Allies had mistakenly assumed the Panther, like the Tiger, would be a rare heavy tank with a limited production run, rather than a total replacement for their medium tanks, and the larger-than-expected number of Panthers came as a nasty shock to the Allied commanders as well as the majority of Allied tank crews forced to engage them with guns that could not penetrate the frontal armour at long range.[1]
Fireflies were deployed as one tank per troop of Cromwell or Sherman tanks. The deployment with Cromwell troops made servicing and supply of those units more complex. The Firefly was also slower than the Cromwell.
While the number of Panthers and Tigers only accounted for some 30% of the nearly 2,500 German tanks deployed in Normandy (the rest being composed of Panzer IVs, Sturmgeschütz IIIs and other tanks the standard Shermans were able to effectively handle), the importance of Caen to the Germans and Montgomery's operations which pinned German armored forces in front of the British positions so the American units could break out to the west meant that British and Commonwealth units had to face over 70% of all German armour deployed during the Battle of Normandy, as well as almost all the elite, well-equipped SS units which contained the fearsome Tigers and Panthers.
Thus, despite the relatively low number of Panthers and Tigers deployed, they would almost all be facing British and Commonwealth troops. As a result, the Sherman Firefly was perhaps the most valued tank by British and Commonwealth commanders, as it was the only tank in the British Army able to effectively defeat the Panthers and Tigers at the standard combat ranges in Normandy.[1]
This fact did not go unnoticed by the Germans, who realized that these long-barrel Shermans posed a much greater threat to their heavy tanks than the regular Shermans, and German tank crews and anti-tank gun crews were instructed to eliminate Fireflies first.
Similarly, the Firefly crews realized that the distinctive long barrel of their 17 pounder gun made the Firefly stand out from regular Shermans, so crews attempted to disguise their tanks in the hope they would not be targeted. Some crews had the front half of the gun barrel painted white on the bottom and dark green or the original olive drab on the top to give the illusion of a shorter gun barrel. Another suggestion was for a shorter wooden dummy gun would be mounted on the rear of the turret and point forward; however, this tactic does not appear to have been used in combat.[3]
British Firefly in Namur, 1944
panda1gen
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Despite being a high priority target for the Germans, Fireflies appear to have had a statistically lower chance of being knocked out than standard Shermans, and this was probably due more to how they were employed than to the actual effectiveness of the attempted camouflaging of the long barrel.[1]
Given the high value the British and Commonwealth commanders placed on Firefly tanks, a common tactic was for commanders to reconnoitre the battlefield before a battle to look for good hull down positions for the Firefly tanks.
During the battle, Firefly tanks would stay behind in those position and cover the regular Shermans as they pushed forward, eliminating any enemy tanks that revealed themselves when they opened fire on the advancing Shermans and only moving forward when the regular Shermans had secured the area, or when they could no longer cover them from their current position.
Similarly when on the move troop commanders tended to position Fireflies in the rear of the formation so it would not be knocked out immediately. However, given the relatively unpredictable nature of battle, this setup was not always practical or possible, and many times, Fireflies were forced to engage enemies in the open where they could be identified.
Despite this, the Fireflies increased firepower was much valued by British and Commonwealth tankers, and during many engagements, the Firefly proved its worth, knocking out the feared Tigers and Panthers at long range, as well as less formidable tanks like the Mark IVs and StuGs.
One example of this increased firepower was displayed by Lt. G.K Henry's Firefly during the defense of Norrey-en-Bessin on 9 June against an attack by the 3rd Company of the 12th SS Panzer Regiment of the 12th SS Panzer Division. Determined to capture the town in preparation for a larger offensive to drive the British and Canadians back into the sea, Kurt Meyer ordered an attack by 12 Panthers of the 3rd Company and infantry to attack Norrey-en-Bessin and drive the Canadians out of the town.
The attack got underway at 1300 hours with the Panthers racing to the town at full speed only to stop to fire their guns, quickly outrunning their infantry support which was forced to ground by allied artillery fire. Within 1,000 m (1,100 yd) of the town, 9 Shermans of the 1st Hussars opened fire into the advancing Panthers flanks. Lt. Henry's gunner, Trooper A. Chapman, waited until the Panthers "lined up like ducks in a row" and quickly knocked out five German Panthers with just 6 rounds. The attack was repulsed with the loss of 7 of the 12 attacking Panthers, the majority credited to Lt. Henry's single Firefly.[7].
Another similar example occurred on 14 June, during Operation Perch, Sgt. Harris of the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards, along with three standard Shermans, set up defensive positions along with the infantry after successfully driving out the Germans in the village of Lingèvres, near Tilly-sur-Seulles. Looking through his binoculars, Sgt. Harris spotted two Panthers advancing from the east. He opened fire at a range of 800 metres (870 yd), knocking out the lead Panther with his first shot, and the second Panther with his second. Relocating to a new position on the other side of the town, he spotted another three Panthers approaching from the west. From his well-concealed flanking position, he and his gunner Trooper Mackillop eliminated all three with just three rounds. Harris and his gunner had knocked out five Panthers with as many rounds, once again demonstrating the potency of the Firefly, especially when firing from a defensive position on advancing enemy tanks.[3]
A Dutch Firefly
In perhaps its most famous action, a group of seven Tiger tanks from the 3rd Company and HQ Company, Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101 supported by several Panzer IV tanks and Stug IV assault guns were ambushed by Fireflies from A Squadron, 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 33rd Armoured Brigade, A Squadron, the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade and B Squadron, The 144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, 33rd Armoured Brigade.[8][1][9][2][3]
Here we have the K&C version of Wittman's Tiger tank
Tanks of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry and elements of the 51st (Highland) Division reached the French village of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil on the morning of 8 August 1944 during Operation Totalize.[10][11][12] While B Squadron stayed around the village, A and C Squadrons moved further south into a wood called Delle de la Roque.[13] C Squadron positioned themselves on the east side of the woods and the understrength A Squadron in the southern portion with No. 3 Troop on the western edge of the wood.[10][11][13] From this position, they overlooked a large open section of ground and were able to watch as German tanks advanced up Route nationale 158 from the town of Cintheaux. Under strict orders from the troop commander, they held their fire until the German tanks were well within range. Ekins, the gunner of Sergeant Gordon's Sherman Firefly (called Velikye Luki - A Squadrons tanks were named after towns in the Soviet Union) had yet to fire his gun in action.[13] With the Tiger tanks in range, the order was given to fire, what followed was an almost twelve minute battle that saw Ekins destroying all three Tigers that No. 3 Troop could see (there were actually 7 Tiger tanks in the area heading north along with some other tanks and self propelled guns).[10][11]
A short time later, the main German counterattack was made in the direction of C Squadron. A Squadron (less Sgt Gordon who had been wounded and had already bailed out of the Firefly) moved over to support them and in the resulting combat, Ekins destroyed a Panzer IV before his tank was hit and the crew were forced to bail out.[13]
One of the Tigers Ekins is credited with knocking out was that of Michael Wittmann, though there is still some controversy over whether Ekins really killed Wittman as Fireflies of the Sherbrooke Fuisilier Regiment were also firing at the Tigers from a closer range of 150 m (160 yd).
This Figarti model is of this exact tank
Given the high value the British and Commonwealth commanders placed on Firefly tanks, a common tactic was for commanders to reconnoitre the battlefield before a battle to look for good hull down positions for the Firefly tanks.
During the battle, Firefly tanks would stay behind in those position and cover the regular Shermans as they pushed forward, eliminating any enemy tanks that revealed themselves when they opened fire on the advancing Shermans and only moving forward when the regular Shermans had secured the area, or when they could no longer cover them from their current position.
Similarly when on the move troop commanders tended to position Fireflies in the rear of the formation so it would not be knocked out immediately. However, given the relatively unpredictable nature of battle, this setup was not always practical or possible, and many times, Fireflies were forced to engage enemies in the open where they could be identified.
Despite this, the Fireflies increased firepower was much valued by British and Commonwealth tankers, and during many engagements, the Firefly proved its worth, knocking out the feared Tigers and Panthers at long range, as well as less formidable tanks like the Mark IVs and StuGs.
One example of this increased firepower was displayed by Lt. G.K Henry's Firefly during the defense of Norrey-en-Bessin on 9 June against an attack by the 3rd Company of the 12th SS Panzer Regiment of the 12th SS Panzer Division. Determined to capture the town in preparation for a larger offensive to drive the British and Canadians back into the sea, Kurt Meyer ordered an attack by 12 Panthers of the 3rd Company and infantry to attack Norrey-en-Bessin and drive the Canadians out of the town.
The attack got underway at 1300 hours with the Panthers racing to the town at full speed only to stop to fire their guns, quickly outrunning their infantry support which was forced to ground by allied artillery fire. Within 1,000 m (1,100 yd) of the town, 9 Shermans of the 1st Hussars opened fire into the advancing Panthers flanks. Lt. Henry's gunner, Trooper A. Chapman, waited until the Panthers "lined up like ducks in a row" and quickly knocked out five German Panthers with just 6 rounds. The attack was repulsed with the loss of 7 of the 12 attacking Panthers, the majority credited to Lt. Henry's single Firefly.[7].
Another similar example occurred on 14 June, during Operation Perch, Sgt. Harris of the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards, along with three standard Shermans, set up defensive positions along with the infantry after successfully driving out the Germans in the village of Lingèvres, near Tilly-sur-Seulles. Looking through his binoculars, Sgt. Harris spotted two Panthers advancing from the east. He opened fire at a range of 800 metres (870 yd), knocking out the lead Panther with his first shot, and the second Panther with his second. Relocating to a new position on the other side of the town, he spotted another three Panthers approaching from the west. From his well-concealed flanking position, he and his gunner Trooper Mackillop eliminated all three with just three rounds. Harris and his gunner had knocked out five Panthers with as many rounds, once again demonstrating the potency of the Firefly, especially when firing from a defensive position on advancing enemy tanks.[3]
A Dutch Firefly
In perhaps its most famous action, a group of seven Tiger tanks from the 3rd Company and HQ Company, Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101 supported by several Panzer IV tanks and Stug IV assault guns were ambushed by Fireflies from A Squadron, 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 33rd Armoured Brigade, A Squadron, the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade and B Squadron, The 144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, 33rd Armoured Brigade.[8][1][9][2][3]
Here we have the K&C version of Wittman's Tiger tank
Tanks of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry and elements of the 51st (Highland) Division reached the French village of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil on the morning of 8 August 1944 during Operation Totalize.[10][11][12] While B Squadron stayed around the village, A and C Squadrons moved further south into a wood called Delle de la Roque.[13] C Squadron positioned themselves on the east side of the woods and the understrength A Squadron in the southern portion with No. 3 Troop on the western edge of the wood.[10][11][13] From this position, they overlooked a large open section of ground and were able to watch as German tanks advanced up Route nationale 158 from the town of Cintheaux. Under strict orders from the troop commander, they held their fire until the German tanks were well within range. Ekins, the gunner of Sergeant Gordon's Sherman Firefly (called Velikye Luki - A Squadrons tanks were named after towns in the Soviet Union) had yet to fire his gun in action.[13] With the Tiger tanks in range, the order was given to fire, what followed was an almost twelve minute battle that saw Ekins destroying all three Tigers that No. 3 Troop could see (there were actually 7 Tiger tanks in the area heading north along with some other tanks and self propelled guns).[10][11]
A short time later, the main German counterattack was made in the direction of C Squadron. A Squadron (less Sgt Gordon who had been wounded and had already bailed out of the Firefly) moved over to support them and in the resulting combat, Ekins destroyed a Panzer IV before his tank was hit and the crew were forced to bail out.[13]
One of the Tigers Ekins is credited with knocking out was that of Michael Wittmann, though there is still some controversy over whether Ekins really killed Wittman as Fireflies of the Sherbrooke Fuisilier Regiment were also firing at the Tigers from a closer range of 150 m (160 yd).
This Figarti model is of this exact tank
panda1gen
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View attachment 42671
This Figarti model is superb IMO and long awaited. I look forward to the K&C Irish Guards version. perfect for Market Garden.
Overall the Firefly proved itself a very successful tank despite the fact it was only intended as a stopgap tank until future British tanks like the Comet and the Centurion came into service. While Normandy had priority, Fireflies also served with distinction in Italy in British and Commonwealth units.
Operators
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sherman Firefly
[edit] Notes and references
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Firefly
This Figarti model is superb IMO and long awaited. I look forward to the K&C Irish Guards version. perfect for Market Garden.
Overall the Firefly proved itself a very successful tank despite the fact it was only intended as a stopgap tank until future British tanks like the Comet and the Centurion came into service. While Normandy had priority, Fireflies also served with distinction in Italy in British and Commonwealth units.
Operators
-
Argentina
- Belgium
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- India
- Netherlands
- Pakistan
- Lebanon - 16 sold by Italy to the Lebanese Army, 2 passed on to the Al-Murabitun militia in 1976.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sherman Firefly [edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k J. Buckley. British Armour in the Normandy Campaign 1944.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Fletcher, David (2008). Sherman Firefly. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1846032776.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hart, Stephen (2007). Sherman Firefly vs Tiger. Osprey Publishing.
- ^ http://www.wwiiequipment.com/17pounder.aspx
- ^ http://www.freeweb.hu/gva/weapons/british_guns5.html
- ^ Ness, Leland, Jane's World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles — The Complete Guide, HarperCollinsPublishers 2002, p. 22
- ^ Zuehlke, Mark (2004). Holding Juno: Canada's Heroic Defense of the D-Day Beaches: June 7-12, 1944. Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 1553651022.
- ^ Reid, p. 414
- ^ Tout, A Fine Night for Tanks
- ^ a b c Reid, Brian. No Holding Back (Robin Brass Studios, 2005)
- ^ a b c Tout, Fine By Tank D to VE Day
- ^ Tout, Fine Night For Tanks
- ^ a b c d Hart, Pg 52-69
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Firefly
Attachments
panda1gen
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Kevin, a most informative post(s) I didn’t realise that it was such a simple conversion.
Jeff
Thanks Jeff. I also found it informative whilst doing the research on the Firefly. Wikepedia has some good stuff and it is a good Figarti model imo. I hope to get the K&C Firefly soon. Like buses, you wait for ages then...............
Sherman Bulldozer
This is reprentative of a 30 Corps Dozer pushing up Hell's Highway......
The bulldozer blade was a 1943 field modification, adding the hydraulic dozer blade from a Caterpillar D-8 .
The later M1 dozer blade was standardized to fit any Sherman with VVSS suspension and the M1A1 would fit the wider HVSS. Some M4s made for the Engineer Corps had the blades fitted permanently and the turrets removed.
Earlier in the ETO after D-Day,before the Culin hedgerow cutter was fitted, breaking through Bocage hedgerows relied heavily on Sherman dozers.
panda1gen
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Market_Garden#101st_Airborne_zone
Operation Market Garden opened with Allied success all round. In the first landing, almost all troops arrived on top of their drop zones without incident.
In the 82nd Airborne Division, 89% of troops landed on or within 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) of their drop zones and 84% of gliders landed on or within 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) of their landing zones. This contrasted with previous operations where night drops had resulted in units being scattered by up to 19 kilometres (12 mi). Losses to enemy aircraft and flak were light; German flak was described in reports as "heavy but inaccurate"[citation needed].
In the south the 101st met little resistance and captured four of five bridges.
The bridge at Son was blown up as they approached it, after being delayed by a short engagement with a German Flak 88 mm Anti-aircraft gun and a machine gun.
Later that day several small attacks by the German 59th Infantry Division (a 15th Army unit that had escaped across the South Beveland isthmus) were beaten off, while small units of the 101st had moved south of Son.
Operation Market Garden opened with Allied success all round. In the first landing, almost all troops arrived on top of their drop zones without incident.
In the 82nd Airborne Division, 89% of troops landed on or within 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) of their drop zones and 84% of gliders landed on or within 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) of their landing zones. This contrasted with previous operations where night drops had resulted in units being scattered by up to 19 kilometres (12 mi). Losses to enemy aircraft and flak were light; German flak was described in reports as "heavy but inaccurate"[citation needed].
In the south the 101st met little resistance and captured four of five bridges.
The bridge at Son was blown up as they approached it, after being delayed by a short engagement with a German Flak 88 mm Anti-aircraft gun and a machine gun.
Later that day several small attacks by the German 59th Infantry Division (a 15th Army unit that had escaped across the South Beveland isthmus) were beaten off, while small units of the 101st had moved south of Son.
panda1gen
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17-25 Sep 1944 - Operation Market Garden, the airborne invasion of Holland begins. During the morning of 17 Sep, some 3,887 Allied aircraft, including 1,053 Dakota transports and 500 gliders towed by Stirling and Halifax bombers, were involved in supporting or airdropping 35,000 men behind enemy lines in three areas; Arnhem to the North, Eindhoven some 65 miles further south and Nijmegen in the centre. During the initial phase of the operation not one RAF transport was lost.
The attempted capture of bridges over three rivers met with fierce resistance on the ground, and air support from 2nd TAF Typhoons was needed to take out enemy gun positions.
Over the following 7 days, aerial resupply by Dakotas, Stirlings and gliders resulted in the loss of 238 aircraft and 139 gliders, but the bridges at Nijmegen and Eindhoven were captured.
Flight Lieutenant D S Lord of No. 271 Sqn, was posthumously awarded a VC for his conspicuous bravery during the resupply mission on 19 September; the only one awarded to a Transport Command pilot during the Second World War.
Above, see http://www.raf.mod.uk/
And below from:
http://www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/david_lord.htm
Born on 18th October 1913, in Cork, Southern Ireland, Flight Lieutenant "Lummy" Lord was a distinguished 31 year old Dakota pilot with 271 Squadron, who flew resupply missions to Arnhem. He had previously flown similar missions using DC3's with 31 Squadron in India, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, and Burma. In July 1943, his extensive service record was mentioned in dispatches, and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
On Tuesday 19th, while on the final approach to the drop zones and only three minutes away from them, heavy anti-aircraft fire tore into the wave of slow moving supply aircraft. Lord's plane received two hits on the starboard wing and the engine on that side burst into flames. At such a low height there was no way to extinguish such a fire, and so the only real option in such a situation would be to abandon the attempt to drop supplies and bail out before the fuel tanks exploded. However Lord refused to do so, and kept flying true and steady to make sure he dropped his supplies on target.
With his aircraft clearly in dire trouble, Lord was singled out for attention by most every German anti-aircraft gun in the vicinity. He continued on his path and reached the drop zone. After completing his run, Lord was informed by his calm and highly disciplined crew (three RAF personnel and four Army despatchers) that two canisters of supplies still remained. Lord turned the aircraft around for a second pass over the dropping zone, still under intense fire.
When all the supplies were at last dropped, and the aircraft had descended to the perilously low height of only 500 feet, Lord cried to his men "Bail out! Bail out! For God's sake, bail out!", while making absolutely no effort to do so himself. A few seconds later, the starboard wing exploded and the plane crashed in flames into the ground, just north of the Reijers-Camp farm on LZ-S.
There was only one survivor, Flying Officer Harry King, who was blown out of the side door when the engine exploded. King himself landed in no man's land between the British and Germans, but he managed to find the 10th Battalion and stayed with them until eventually captured.
The sight of Lord's crippled aircraft was witnessed by troops on the ground, who were so mesmerized by this single plane that they stood up in their trenches to will it on. They were all highly moved, in some cases to tears, by this tremendous display of courage and self sacrifice on their behalf. With flames licking wildly under the fuselage, many men were pleading with the crew to jump, but they would not, and instead the despatchers were seen to be continually throwing out more supply containers until the wing collapsed.
From the point that the engine caught fire to the moment of the crash, Flight Lieutenant Lord flew his Dakota, steadily while under very heavy anti-aircraft fire, for a total of 8 minutes. For his suicidal bravery and single-minded determination to get the supplies to those who needed it, David Lord was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
The great tragedy of this story was that the supply dropping zones had been overrun by German troops. Due to the radio blackout, the RAF knew nothing of this, and so David Lord and his men gave their lives desperately trying to drop cargo that would end up in the hands of the enemy.
The attempted capture of bridges over three rivers met with fierce resistance on the ground, and air support from 2nd TAF Typhoons was needed to take out enemy gun positions.
Over the following 7 days, aerial resupply by Dakotas, Stirlings and gliders resulted in the loss of 238 aircraft and 139 gliders, but the bridges at Nijmegen and Eindhoven were captured.
Flight Lieutenant D S Lord of No. 271 Sqn, was posthumously awarded a VC for his conspicuous bravery during the resupply mission on 19 September; the only one awarded to a Transport Command pilot during the Second World War.
Above, see http://www.raf.mod.uk/
And below from:
http://www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/david_lord.htm
Flight Lieutenant David Samuel Anthony Lord VC, DFC
Unit : 271 Squadron, 46 Group
Service No. : 49149
Awards : Victoria Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross
Born on 18th October 1913, in Cork, Southern Ireland, Flight Lieutenant "Lummy" Lord was a distinguished 31 year old Dakota pilot with 271 Squadron, who flew resupply missions to Arnhem. He had previously flown similar missions using DC3's with 31 Squadron in India, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, and Burma. In July 1943, his extensive service record was mentioned in dispatches, and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
On Tuesday 19th, while on the final approach to the drop zones and only three minutes away from them, heavy anti-aircraft fire tore into the wave of slow moving supply aircraft. Lord's plane received two hits on the starboard wing and the engine on that side burst into flames. At such a low height there was no way to extinguish such a fire, and so the only real option in such a situation would be to abandon the attempt to drop supplies and bail out before the fuel tanks exploded. However Lord refused to do so, and kept flying true and steady to make sure he dropped his supplies on target.
With his aircraft clearly in dire trouble, Lord was singled out for attention by most every German anti-aircraft gun in the vicinity. He continued on his path and reached the drop zone. After completing his run, Lord was informed by his calm and highly disciplined crew (three RAF personnel and four Army despatchers) that two canisters of supplies still remained. Lord turned the aircraft around for a second pass over the dropping zone, still under intense fire.
When all the supplies were at last dropped, and the aircraft had descended to the perilously low height of only 500 feet, Lord cried to his men "Bail out! Bail out! For God's sake, bail out!", while making absolutely no effort to do so himself. A few seconds later, the starboard wing exploded and the plane crashed in flames into the ground, just north of the Reijers-Camp farm on LZ-S.
There was only one survivor, Flying Officer Harry King, who was blown out of the side door when the engine exploded. King himself landed in no man's land between the British and Germans, but he managed to find the 10th Battalion and stayed with them until eventually captured.
The sight of Lord's crippled aircraft was witnessed by troops on the ground, who were so mesmerized by this single plane that they stood up in their trenches to will it on. They were all highly moved, in some cases to tears, by this tremendous display of courage and self sacrifice on their behalf. With flames licking wildly under the fuselage, many men were pleading with the crew to jump, but they would not, and instead the despatchers were seen to be continually throwing out more supply containers until the wing collapsed.
From the point that the engine caught fire to the moment of the crash, Flight Lieutenant Lord flew his Dakota, steadily while under very heavy anti-aircraft fire, for a total of 8 minutes. For his suicidal bravery and single-minded determination to get the supplies to those who needed it, David Lord was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
The great tragedy of this story was that the supply dropping zones had been overrun by German troops. Due to the radio blackout, the RAF knew nothing of this, and so David Lord and his men gave their lives desperately trying to drop cargo that would end up in the hands of the enemy.
Last edited:
aujj65
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panda1gen
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Good to see the diodrama continuing Ruth.
You are welcome Jane.
Something from the home front...........
panda1gen
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Thanks Joe.
One of the side effects of Market-Garden was with regard to the V2 offensive
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-2
The V-2 rocket (German: Vergeltungswaffe 2, retaliation weapon), technical name A4, was a long range ballistic missile that was developed by the end of the Second World War in Nazi Germany, specifically targeted at Belgian and sites SE England.
This version from Figarti
The rocket was the world's first long-range[3] combat-ballistic missile[4] and first human artifact to achieve sub-orbital spaceflight.[5] It was the progenitor of all modern rockets,[6] including those used by the United States and Soviet Union space programs, who gained access to the scientists and designs through Operation Paperclip and Operation Osoaviakhim.[7]
Over 3,000 V-2s were launched as military rockets by the German Wehrmacht against Allied targets during the war, mostly London and later Antwerp, resulting in the death of an estimated 7,250 military personnel and civilians.[citation needed] The weapon was presented by the Nazi propaganda as a retaliation for the bombers that succeeded in attacking ever more German cities from 1942 until the end of the war.[citation needed]
Following successes at Kummersdorf with the first two Aggregate series rockets, Wernher von Braun and Walter Riedel began thinking of a much larger rocket in the summer of 1936[12] based on a projected 25-metric-ton-thrust engine. During 28–30 September 1939, Der Tag der Weisheit (English: the day of wisdom) conference met at Peenemünde to initiate the funding of university research to solve rocket problems.[12]:40 By late 1941, the Army Research Center at Peenemünde possessed the technologies essential to the success of the A-4.
The three key technologies for the A-4 were large liquid-fuel rocket engines, supersonic aerodynamics, gyroscopic guidance and rudders in jet control.[2]The Inquisition must have helped with the three key technologies ...........................
At the time, Adolf Hitler was not particularly impressed by the V-2; he pointed out that it was merely an artillery shell with a longer range and much higher cost.[17]
In early September 1943, von Braun promised the Long-Range Bombardment Commission[2]:224 that the A-4 development was 'practically complete/concluded',[14]:135 but even by the middle of 1944, a complete A-4 parts list was still unavailable.[2]:224 Hitler was probably still not impressed with the weapon but was impressed by the enthusiasm of its developers, and needing a "wonder weapon" to maintain German morale,[17] Hitler authorized its deployment in large numbers.[18]
An estimated 20,000 inmates at the Mittelbau-Dora plant died constructing V-2s. Of these, 9,000 died from exhaustion and collapse, 350 were hanged (including 200 executed for acts of sabotage) and the remainder were either shot or died from disease or starvation.[19][20]
One of the side effects of Market-Garden was with regard to the V2 offensive
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-2
The V-2 rocket (German: Vergeltungswaffe 2, retaliation weapon), technical name A4, was a long range ballistic missile that was developed by the end of the Second World War in Nazi Germany, specifically targeted at Belgian and sites SE England.
This version from Figarti
The rocket was the world's first long-range[3] combat-ballistic missile[4] and first human artifact to achieve sub-orbital spaceflight.[5] It was the progenitor of all modern rockets,[6] including those used by the United States and Soviet Union space programs, who gained access to the scientists and designs through Operation Paperclip and Operation Osoaviakhim.[7]
Over 3,000 V-2s were launched as military rockets by the German Wehrmacht against Allied targets during the war, mostly London and later Antwerp, resulting in the death of an estimated 7,250 military personnel and civilians.[citation needed] The weapon was presented by the Nazi propaganda as a retaliation for the bombers that succeeded in attacking ever more German cities from 1942 until the end of the war.[citation needed]
Following successes at Kummersdorf with the first two Aggregate series rockets, Wernher von Braun and Walter Riedel began thinking of a much larger rocket in the summer of 1936[12] based on a projected 25-metric-ton-thrust engine. During 28–30 September 1939, Der Tag der Weisheit (English: the day of wisdom) conference met at Peenemünde to initiate the funding of university research to solve rocket problems.[12]:40 By late 1941, the Army Research Center at Peenemünde possessed the technologies essential to the success of the A-4.
The three key technologies for the A-4 were large liquid-fuel rocket engines, supersonic aerodynamics, gyroscopic guidance and rudders in jet control.[2]
The Inquisition must have helped with the three key technologies ...........................At the time, Adolf Hitler was not particularly impressed by the V-2; he pointed out that it was merely an artillery shell with a longer range and much higher cost.[17]
In early September 1943, von Braun promised the Long-Range Bombardment Commission[2]:224 that the A-4 development was 'practically complete/concluded',[14]:135 but even by the middle of 1944, a complete A-4 parts list was still unavailable.[2]:224 Hitler was probably still not impressed with the weapon but was impressed by the enthusiasm of its developers, and needing a "wonder weapon" to maintain German morale,[17] Hitler authorized its deployment in large numbers.[18]
An estimated 20,000 inmates at the Mittelbau-Dora plant died constructing V-2s. Of these, 9,000 died from exhaustion and collapse, 350 were hanged (including 200 executed for acts of sabotage) and the remainder were either shot or died from disease or starvation.[19][20]
Louis Badolato
Lieutenant General
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Three key technologies?
Nobody ever expects the inquisition . . .