Tuesday - March 2, 2010

Vehicle:Sherman Firefly

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Sherman Firefly
Image:vehicle_cmnw_sherman_firefly.png Health 550 Max Speed 5 Sight 35
Cost image:Manpower.png450image:Fuel.png100 Acceleration 1.5 Detection 0/0
Time 65 Deceleration 5
Hotkey: F Population 10 Rotation 35 Target Type armour_sherman
Upkeep 9 Crush Human true Critical Type armour
Crush Mode crush_medium Rear Damage Enabled true

   Cromwell Command Tank Veterancy

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Tactics

  • While the armor is not great, the Firefly has a great range and penetration. As a result keeping the tank at max range allows it put out very respectable damage without taking any itself.
  • Another reason to keep the Firefly at maximum range is a set of range modifiers applied to its reload time. As strange as it sounds, the main gun reloads faster at long range and gets significant short range penalties.
  • With the 2.3 patch it is also necessary to keep a Command Tank in range to get the most out of it.
  • Using hulldown on your Firefly is often a fatal mistake, as the enemy can then easily close in and exploit the reload time penalties as well as the weak rear armour.
  • The Panther is often considered to be the archenemy of the Firefly. Since both units have enough firepower to penetrate the enemy's frontal armour with every single shot and both have comparable mobility, the aforementioned short range penalties of the Firefly become the most important factor in such a duel. In close combat, the Panther will usually slaughter the Firefly without much resistance, while at maximum range, the opposite might be true (the Firefly outranges the Panther).


History

Fireflies were introduced to armored brigades and divisions in 21 Army Group in 1944 just in time for the Normandy landings. After experience in the Battle of Normandy, it was decided to employ them by assigning one (later two) to each four-tank troop instead of concentrating them in Firefly-only troops or squadrons.

They were among the few Allied tanks capable of taking on the German Panther and Tiger tanks at normal combat ranges. Though they were no better-armored than most M4 versions, the 17-pdr anti-tank gun offered far better performance than the standard 75 mm gun which had been chosen for the infantry support role. Even using the regular APC round it could penetrate the front armour of a Tiger I at up to 1,000 meters; with the more advanced APCBC and APDS rounds that became available towards the end of the war, it could penetrate at over 2,000 meters. The principal disadvantages of the Firefly were its low rate of fire (about half that of a 75 mm Sherman), due to the cramped nature of the turret and difficulty in reloading a gun turned on its side, and the very large, bright muzzle flash of the 17-pdr gun.


Requires

   Cromwell Command Tank

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Built From

   Armor Command Truck

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Support Abilities

   Hull Down Position

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Vehicle Upgrades

   Tank Crew Commander

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Vehicle Weapons

   17 Pounder Firefly

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   Besa Coaxial Vehicle

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   Besa Hull MG

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