The next New Vanguard title is on the Sherman Firefly. This was a uniquely British adaptation of the US Sherman. It came about due to the British not having a tank that was able to do anything with the German Tigers and Panthers that were met in Europe. Though one was on the way (the Comet), its prolonged development meant that it wouldn't be ready to deploy until the war was nearly over.

The British 76mm anti-tank gun was a fine weapon that was able to knock out German tanks, however, it was long and relatively heavy. Adapting this to the Sherman was not a simple thing as for one thing, it had a hefty recoil. This was solved by moving many items out of the turret (such as the radio, which was put into an armored compartment cut into the back of the turret). A new mount was needed and the barrel was actually lengthened to provide smooth operation. A side opening breech also had to be developed and thanks to the additional length of the ammunition, the crew was lessened by one so that the radio operator/forward machine gunner's  position could be used for shell storage.

Needless to say, all of this was a difficult thing to accomplish, especially as there was not much official enthusiasm about it in the beginning. Because of the additional weight and other modifications done, a specific variant of the Sherman with all the needed subsystems was the only one that could be used for conversion.

Author David Fletcher is pretty much a tank enthusiast and has done several other fine armor volumes, including several on the Sherman. He does a superlative job of telling of the trial, tribulations and war record of the Firefly. Tony Bryan's superb illustrations and the accompanying period photos further enhance the experience. One interesting thing I noticed is that the illustrations are no longer gathered in the center of the book, but dispersed into the sections about which the illustration refers. A good move on Osprey's part as it makes the illustrations more relevant.

Overall, an excellent reference into this important British tank and one that you should get for your library.

February 2008

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