Sherman Firefly

> *For other variants, see Sherman Family.*
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In-game icon for the Firefly.

The Sherman Firefly (known colloquially as the Firefly) is a Tier VI British Medium Tank.

## Strategy

### Pros

* Great top gun; as very high penetration and a quick reload
* Decent mobility
* Gun mantlet is able to bounce some shots (though not consistently)

### Cons

* Bad armor, leaving it vulnerable to the KV-2 and SU-152's HE.
* Only -6° of gun depression
* Slow shell velocity

### As the Sherman Firefly

The Sherman Firefly is a British M4 Sherman equipped with a 17-pdr. gun. Its top gun, the OQF 17-pdr. Gun Mk. VII, has a fantastic amount of penetration for its tier and a quick reload. Unfortunately, the Firefly is lightly armored (it is basically a Tier V tank), and it can easily be penetrated by enemy shells. The sides are thin enough for 152mm HE shells to penetrate, thus causing the player to possibly go back to the garage.

#### Long-range sniping

The solution for a weakly armored tank with a good gun would be to snipe, this is supported by the fact that the Firefly has great dispersion and aim time values. However, the 17-pdr has a really slow shell velocity that can be seen in-game that makes sniping a hussle. The tank also has arguably low alpha, which makes sniping an even bigger hussle. Overall, not a tactic to use every battle. This should really be used in the most desperate of times- when going near the frontlines is too risky.

#### Midrange/Second-line support

The best way to play this tank will be going second-line support doing 'Peek-a-boom'. Find a good ridge or cover to hide behind, wait for the enemy, peek out quickly and shoot, then go back to cover before getting shot. Since your tank doesn't have great armor, this tactic relies on your mobility which you have quite a lot of. Try to peek out as little as you can, as that gives the enemy tanks a smaller target to hit. Avoid big caliber guns if possible, these range from 120-152 mm guns. 1 shot from these guns will either take half or more of your health, or one-shot you entirely. Inversely you should target lightly armored and armed tanks instead, as they are much easier targets to brawl with. *Never* go alone. This should be common logic for tankers. At least 1 teammate with you is adequate enough. Going alone may get you overwhelmed by enemy tanks as they rush you, sending you back to the garage. But there may be lucky moments where you meet no enemy tanks along the way, allowing you to flank. However, it makes the most sense going with your team rather than try your luck at going alone. Never show your side or rear to enemy tanks to avoid being penetrated with HE. Avoid being within the range of tanks that have the potential to 1-shot you.

## History

The original 75mm gun on the M4 Sherman was found to be too weak to penetrate newer German tanks like the Tiger when the British were using it during the North African campaign (USA had shipped the UK M4 Shermans as part of Lend Lease). As a result, the British found ways to improve the reliability of the Sherman. One such upgrade was using the best AT gun the British had at the time, the 17-pdr gun, and inserting it into the Sherman. Thus, the Sherman Firefly was born. However, the designers had to make a special compartment at the back of the turret to insert the radio into (as seen in the in-game icon for the Firefly), due to the size of the gun. It was also needed to cover the eyes of whoever was inside the tank due to the very bright flash that came when firing.

The Sherman Firefly was found to be a very effective tank killer as the war progressed. Combining both the reliable suspension and a good gun, it proved to be formidable against enemy Panthers and Tiger I. A Sherman Firefly is credited with taking out German tank ace Michael Wittmann.

## Trivia

* The Sherman Firefly used to be researched from the Sherman III before Update 5.5.
* The Sherman Firefly gets its name from the bright muzzle flash of the 17-pdr. These flashes were so bright in-fact, that when fired in a dark environment without closing your eyes, may potentially cause night blindness.
* A shoemaker was credited for taking out German tank ace Micheal Wittmann in a Sherman Firefly, but this is disputed.