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sHERMAN ic fIREFLY

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Medium tank M4The basis for the Sherman IC Fire-fly conversions were M4 Medium tanks, armed with the 75 mm gun and powered by the Continental R975 C1 radial engine. The M4

was the first welded hull produc-tion variant of medium tank M4. Its production started in July 1942 at the Pressed Steel Car Company, six months after the start of M4A1 production, and was finished in August 1943. Other manufactur-

ers were soon brought into the production stream. M4 produc-tion started at Baldwin Locomo-tive Works in January 1943 and was phased out in August 1943. M4s were also manufactured at American Locomotive Company

from February to December 1943, at Pullman Standard Car Company from May to September 1943, and at Detroit Tank Arsenal from August 1943 to January 1945. A total of 6,748 M4s were produced with the 75 mm gun of which

[Continued from page 49][Above] A long row of Shermans, including two Fireflies, rest along the main road of a small village, near the end of the war. The closest vehicle is a Sherman IC, possibly a Hybrid, named “Beast III”. On the left side of the rear hull the left upper corner of the unit sign is visible. The two visible num-bers “17” indicate the 1st Canadian Ar-mored Brigade. From the shape of the crews’ cap badges, they could belong to the Ontario Regiment. All the tanks have extra track as auxiliary armor and are covered by recently-cut conifer branches. Extension grousers are also evident all along the line. [DND Army 0156p via Steve Guthrie][Right] This Sherman IC Hybrid sits menacingly in front of a bomb damaged building, probably in the Netherlands, on 11 April 1945. The gun has been partially covered with mesh to break up its outline and there is a eight-barreled smoke grenade dis-charger mounted on the turret behind the mantlet. Near the end of the war these grenade dischargers appeared on many Canadian Army vehicles. Identification of the tank’s unit is dif-ficult, as it is not known which forma-tion it belongs to. [DND Army S-49827 via Steve Guthrie]

[Top] The tanks of the Polish 2nd “Warsaw” Armored Division massed for the Loreto parade on 15 August 1945. The photo shows the tanks belonging to the all-Firefly-equipped platoon of the 2nd Squadron, 1st Krechowiecki Lancers. The Sherman IC “Rycerz I” (“Knight I”, T-270012) appears in the foreground, while the remaining platoon’s three tanks are all Hybrid ICs. The 2nd Armored Division was expanded from the 2nd Armored Brigade on 7 June 1945. [PISM]

[Left] The right side of the Sherman IC Firefly “Rycerz I”. The leading tank is the Sherman III “Rozmach I” (“Im-petus I”). Note “Rycerz I” is fitted with the British All Round Vision cupola. [PISM]