Tamiya 1/48 British Sherman IC Firefly

The British Armoured Divisions' Trump Card

As Britain struggled to develope tanks capable of equalling the superior German Panzers, the decision was made to convert existing stocks of M4 Sherman tanks, delivered to the UK as part of the Lend-Lease Act.

The so-called Sherman Firefly featured a long-barrelled 17 pdr. anti-tank gun, that was much more effective than the original 75mm gun, capable of penetrating a Tiger I's frontal armor at over 1,000 metres using regular ammunition. The majority of Fireflies were adapted from M4A4 tanks, designated Sherman V by the British, while some were made using the earlier M4, or Sherman I in British usage. Vehicles rearmed with a 17 pdr. gun were given the suffix C, with the resulting units being Sherman VC and Sherman IC.