Tiger Killer, At Last!

Historical Background

The M4 Sherman was the American and other Western Allies' main combat tank during World War 2. The Sherman was originally armed with a short-barreled, medium velocity M3 75mm gun. Against the workhorse Panzer III and IV, the gun could penetrate their armour within 910 meters (1,000 yards). That was considered sufficient and Intelligence reports of the more powerful Tiger and Panther tanks were discounted (as both of them were originally deduced to be heavy tanks and thus being more limited in number). Furthermore tests of the follow-on 76mm gun seemed to indicate that it was able to destroy both of the German 'cats'. However, the Army Ground Forces rejected the 76mm gun. By 1943, most German Panzer IVs of 1943 was armed with the 7.5-cm KwK 40, causing a disparity in firepower between the panzers and the Shermans. This however provided the impetus to re-arm the Sherman with the M1 76mm gun, beginning in April 1944. Despite new gun, the Sherman still cannot penetrate the frontal armour of a Panther or a Tiger unless under favourable circumstances. While the Allies can afford it, it is said that it took 5 Shermans to knock out a single Tiger through shots on the Tiger's thinner side or rear armor (4 Shermans to draw the Tiger's fire in order for the fifth Sherman to maneuver into position).

The British were more astute in anticipating the development of German panzers and had begun development of a 76mm anti-tank gun even before the earlier 57mm predecessor (the Ordnance QF 6-pounder AT gun) entered service. An idea was floated to mount the 76 mm/ 17-pounder gun on Shermans but was rejected by the Ministry of Supply's Tank Decision Board. The decision was made as it was intended that the Shermans then in service with the British Army would be replaced  by a new generation of British tanks in the anti-tank role such as the Cromwell (originally intended to be armed with a Vickers high velocity 75-mm gun with superior performance to the M1 and M3), A30 Challenger (armed with the 17-pounder) and the A34 Comet and A41 Centurion. All of these tanks were expected to replace the Sherman and the prospect of mounting the 17-pounder on the Sherman was not seen to be desirable. Nevertheless unofficial attempts continued. In early 1943, Major George Brighty of the Royal Tank Regiment was convinced that the Sherman would make a better platform for the 17-pounder than the A30 Challenger. However, his attempt was stymied by the Sherman's turret, which was too small to allow for the recoil of the gun. In June 1943, Lt. Colonel George Witheridge, a friend of Brighty, was transferred to Lulworth Armoured Fighting School, where Brighty was posted. Like many others, Witheridge was critical of the A30. Upon learning of Brighty's attempt, he lent his assistance, advising Brighty on how to resolve the recoil issue. The Department of Tank Design however gave notice to the duo to stop their efforts. Witheridge however used his connection with Major General Raymond Briggs, Director of the Royal Armoured Corps and successfully lobbied Claude Gibb, the Director General of Weapon and Instrument Production at the Ministry of Supply to make it an official Ministry project. 

Now an official government study, the prototype was transformed into a working tank by W.G.K Kilbourn, a Vickers engineer working at the Department of Tank Design. The basic problem of the long recoil was solved by totally redesigning the recoil system. The original towed 17-pounder was loaded from the top and taking into account the loader's position and the height restrictions inside the turret, the breech was rotated 90°. The radio would have to be relocated further to the back by cutting a hole at the rear face and adding a bustle to mount the radio. The gun cradle would have to be shortened to allow the gun to fit inside the turret. This however affected the stability of the gun and a new barrel was designed to help solve the problem. The larger breech and and the recoil system of the 17-pounder restricted the ability of the loader to escape through the single turret hatch in an emergency and a new hatch was cut over his position. Finally, the co-driver/hull machine gunner's position was eliminated to make room for ammunition, as the 17-pounder ammo took more room than 75-mm rounds.

The Ordnance QF 17-pounder gun was the most powerful British tank weapon of the time, able to penetrate 131mm of armour at 30° from 1,000 meters using APCBC round. The more powerful, but more limited APDS rounds can penetrate 209 mm of armour from the same distance. Nevertheless, the 17-pounder was inferior against 'soft' targets due to lack of effective HE rounds. The powerful blast of the gun also kicked up huge amount of dust and smoke, making it difficult for the gunner to adjust the fall of the shot, not to mention revealing the tank's position to the enemy. The cramped turret and large 76mm rounds also restricted crew mobility inside the turret, reducing the rate of fire compared to regular Shermans. The bright muzzle flash of the gun also gave rise to the tank's nickname: 'Firefly'. Apart from massively improved firepower, the Firefly offered no mobility nor protection advantage over regular Shermans although the mantlet was 13 mm thicker.

Towards the end of 1943, enthusiasm for the Firefly began to grow, helped by the fact that the A30 Challenger was suffering from delays and only a few would be ready for Operation Overlord. Worse, it was also realised that the Cromwell's turret ring is too small to mount the high-velocity 75mm gun, leaving it armed with the general purpose Ordnance QF 75mm. In February 1944, an order for 2,100 Fireflies were placed. The Fireflies were distributed among the British armored formations, initially within the 21st Army Group for Operation Overlord, at the ratio of one Firefly to three regular Shermans (or Cromwells) in a troop. By the end of the war, the composition was 50:50. During the Normandy campaign, the Panthers and Tigers only comprised 30% of German panzer strength at Normandy. However, the British and Commonwealth forces actually faced up to 70% of the total panzer strength, as well as half of the elite Waffen-SS Panzer Divisions at Normandy. Although the majority of the panzers were the 'regular' Panzer IVs and Sturmgeschutzes, the Firefly became a most valued British tank as it was the only one capable of defeating a Tiger or a Panther at normal combat ranges.

The Germans noticed that these long-barreled Shermans pose a greater threat to their heavy Panzers and instructed tank and anti-tank gun crews to make the destruction of Fireflies a priority. In turn the Firefly crews understand that their long gun barrel was now a distinctive identification and proceeded to disguise it with camouflage netting or painting the front half of the barrel in a counter-shade pattern in order to disguise it. However, despite the countermeasures, it was actually the manner in which the Fireflies were deployed that reduced the chance of a Firefly being knocked out early. Fireflies took part in battles from Normandy until the end of the war but perhaps their most well-known engagement was on 8 August 1944 during Operation Totalize. Fireflies from A Squadron, 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 33rd Armoured Brigade, B Squadron, 144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, 33rd Brigade and A Squadron, Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade ambushed a group of four Tiger tanks and several Panzer IV tanks and Sturmgeschutz IV assault guns of the 3rd and HQ Companies of the schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung 101. A Squadron of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry positioned themselves at the Delle de la Roque woods near the village of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil. When the panzers appear the squadron (and others in the ambush position) hold their fire until the enemy gets in range. When the order was given, Firefly Velikye Luki (the 1st Northants' tanks were named after Russian towns and villages) of A Squadron managed to destroy three Tiger tanks, one of them was Tiger '007' commanded by the notable ace SS-Haupsturmfuhrer Michael Wittman. Velikye Luki's gunner, Trooper Joe Elkins was generally credited as the man who killed Michael Wittman although there is a possibility that Wittman was killed by the tanks of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers, who opened fire at a closer range.    

Although an order for 2,100 Fireflies were made, the actual number was difficult to determine. The Firefly conversion was based on the hulls of the M4 (Sherman I), M4 Composite (Sherman I Composite) and M4A4 (Sherman V). The suffix 'c' was added after the mark number to denote 17-pounder armed vehicle.

The Kit

Dragon has released a number of Sherman Firefly kits over the years with more improvements with each release. Until Tasca (now Asuka) came out with their Firefly kit in 2006, the third (I think) incarnation of Dragon's Firefly (kit number 6182)  in 2003 was the best Firefly in the market. This release feature, among others, a shortened (corrected) hull, thicker turret cheek armor, barrel travel lock and better details overall. However the weld seams are of the recessed type whilst most, if not all, Shermans have raised weld beads. Furthermore, according to Terry Ashley of Perth Military Modelling Site, the gun barrel is too long by 10mm. Tracks, as usual with Dragon at the time, is of the separate link type (not Magic Track though). Also included are 'duckbill' extended track end connectors.

This is a limited-release boxing of kit 6182, in conjunction with Dragon Expo '06. Also included in this kit is a sprue from Dragon's M26 Pershing kit (12.7mm MG and the obviously not to be used turret fittings) and a sprue from their Sherman Tulip kit for the turret rear extension (also included are the rockets for the 'Tulip' Shermans). Decals are the same with kit 6182 which provide markings for two vehicles: 'Carole', a Firefly attached to 13/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own), 27th Armoured Brigade, in which Trooper Douglas Kay served as her gunner during the Normandy campaigns, and 'Allakeefek', 4th County of London Yeomanry. A correction sheet was included to rectify some of the marking errors for 'Carole'. However, the bonus figures originally included in kit 6182 were not included in this limited release. A small PE fret rounds up the package.

Construction

I started the building process with the suspension. The six sets of vertical volute suspension system (VVSS) took some time although the build was not as complicated as certain other companies' VVSS. Yet, the Dragon VVSS lacked the bolts on the skids; perhaps Dragon should take a leaf from Academy and include bolt-heads on the sprue. After finishing the VVSS, they were set aside and I turned my attention to the lower hull. The rear panel and the mounting for the suspensions were cemented on the main body. The transmission cover was also added at this time. Since the running gear would be mounted by this time, I painted them and the lower hull first. After reading build articles of Sherman III in Tamiya Model Magazine International and KV-1 in Fine Scale Modeler, I decided to experiment with Mr Surfacer 500 to enhance the looks of cast armor. Dipping a brush in MS500, I apply it by stippling the brush onto the transmission cover. Once dry, I sanded it a bit. The turret also received the similar treatment.

The upper hull was then mated to the lower portion. The upper hull, like the rest of the kit, was well done but still sporting the recessed weld beads. I reminded myself to place stretched sprue on the panel lines, flood them with Tamiya Extra Thin cement and turn them into raised weld beads but end up realising I have not done so only after decaling! The fairing around the hull machinegun port was removed, a rather difficult job using hobby knife. This was then followed by the rest of the fixtures and fittings on the hull except the pioneer tools. A  bit of confusion was raised when the stowage box was shown placed on both its usual place at the end of the hull and another position on the glacis plate. After looking at available photos, Carole was shown having its storage box relocated on the glacis plate for D-Day so that she can be fitted with deep wading trunks; the box was placed in its original location once ashore. So I placed the storage box on its regular location. Now comes the love-hate part of the build: the tracks! The track assembly come in three pieces - two end connectors and the link itself. In order to have some flexibility, I only glued one side of the end connector, leaving the other to move freely. I believe I took the longest time in completing the track run, as I am not familiar with the multi-piece system, yet it wasn't that hard.. When complete, the track run, together with the uncemented idler and sprocket wheels were removed for painting.

The turret was next on the line and there wasn't much of a problem here, except the interior was devoid of any details. The surface texture was enhanced using the method I mentioned above. Although PMMS mentioned that barrel was too long, I left it as it was as I weren't confident of my ability to make a straight, perpendicular cut.  There is a slight gap between the bustle extension and the turret itself, which I closed using stretched sprue. As I intended to build Carole, the turret mounted storage box was fitted. By the way, I should have consulted reference photos  of Carole - the turret-mounted box was placed higher than the position shown in the instructions. The PE parts were then attached, comprising of antenna base, light brush guards and air intake grill on the rear hull. The commander's hatch was left unattached as I was thinking of adding a figure.

Painting and Decaling

I painted the model using Mike Starmer's mix of SCC15 Olive Drab of XF-61 Dark Green, XF-62 Olive Drab (I substituted it with Gunze OD) and XF-3 Flat Yellow.  Once dry, I applied the decals. The corrected sheet however did not include properly-shaped recognition star on the rear hull and Dragon still instructed modellers to use the funny-looking one in the original decal sheet. The number at the back of the turret was actually not painted onto the tank itself but on a piece of cloth. I replicated it by placing the decal onto a plain paper, paint the back of the paper and hang it onto the stowage box using white glue. The tank was then given a wash to bring out details and in order to have that used look. meanwhile I painted the tools using Steel for the metal parts and XF15 Flat Flesh for the wooden ones. The wooden parts were then given a wash using Tamiya XF64 Red Brown. Once dry, they were attached to their respective locations on the tank.

Finishing

Even though Dragon provided an M2 12.7mm MG for the commander's station, pictures I found on the internet shows that a Browning M1919 7.62mm was used instead. I used one from Academy's US Machine Gun Set. The gun is painted XF69 NATO Black and drybrushed with silver and graphite powder. I used a figure from Miniart's British Tank Crew Set to sit in the open hatch. Comm wires for the headphone was made from copper wires found in speaker cables. For stowage, I used bags from Academy's Allied and German Tank Supplies Set, a generic box from Academy's Tank Supplies Set II, 17-pounder ammo boxes from Bronco (which I painted with Tamiya's 'wrong' batch of XF-62 Olive Drab just to differentiate it from the colour of the tank). Jerricans from Tamiya's Allied Vehicle Accessory Set (just to make a difference, I used the US-pattern cans) and a 2-gallon 'flimsy' from Bronco.  A pair of spare track links were placed on both sides of the turret. A strip of plastic was cemented between the front mudguards and a length of spare track from Tamiya's old M4A3 kit was placed between the strip and the transmission cover, together with a flimsy.

Finally, Mig Productions' European Dust pigment was mixed with water and applied all over the bottom half of the model. When dry, a stiff brush was used to remove the excess.

Conclusion

The kit is very nice although it took Dragon three times to get it (mostly) right. The parts fit well and have nice details. It has been however been eclipsed by Fireflies from Tasca/Asuka. Yet, it is still perfectly acceptable especially those who are not rivet counters. The tree-part track link was quite tedious (to me at least) although by making it workable, it eases the job a bit. Recommended as an alternative to the Asuka Firefly (should you be able to find it nowadays).

Epilogue

In Issue 7, Volume 35 of Military Modelling, there is an article about 'Carole' and C Squadron in general, which I reproduce here. C Squadron, of which Carole was assigned to, was designated the 'wading' squadron of the 13/18 Royal Hussars for D-Day. It consisted of the HQ troop with two Sherman Mk.III and four troops, numbered 1 to 4, each equipped with three Sherman III and one Sherman VC. The Hussar's tanks had individual names beginning with squadron alphabet painted in red on black rectangle on the forward upper hull. To the rear of the name panel was the squadron's tactical symbol (circle for C Squadron). As the Royal Hussars were the senior regiment, the tactical markings were in red. Carole was assigned to 2 Troop, C Squadron on 6 June 1944. The other Shermans in 2 Troop were 68 Charmer, 69 Cameo and 70 Cavalier. Carole was crewed by Sergeant Fred Scamp (commander), Trooper Douglas Kay (gunner), Trooper Fred Shaw (loader) and Trooper Bill Humphries (driver). The tank took its name after Sergeant Scamp's daughter, who was born in that year. Carole and her comrades took part in the Normandy campaign from 6 June 1944 to 20 August of the same year.

In July however, the 27th Armoured Brigade was disbanded and the 13/18 Royal Hussars were transferred to the 8th Armoured Brigade. They continued the advance into Germany and unfortunately on 12th February 1945, Carole was knocked out by a German anti-tank gun near the town of Goch. The shot pierced the turret front, killing the commander, Sgt Scamp and Trooper Kay's replacement, Trooper Wilcox (Kay was on leave that day). Trooper Kay was then reassigned to another Firefly. The 8th Armoured Brigade finished the war near the city of Bremen.