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The German Army introduced the Tiger 1 tank in 1942 which sent the Allied forces into a frenzy.
The need to overcome the German armour was becoming more apparent to the British Army and led to the development of new radical vehicles.
Due to delays and difficulties with the entirely new designs of the Cruiser Mark VIII Challenger and Cromwell, the British government were open to the idea of modifying an existing tank.
The British Army used Sherman tanks extensively during the war. Though they anticipated the development of their own tank models shortly the 17 pounder installation in the Sherman was eventually accepted despite initial government opposition.
After solving the challenging problem of fitting such a large gun in the Sherman's turret, the Firefly was put into production in early 1944 in time to equip Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group for the Normandy landings.
The nickname Firefly was adopted due to the bright muzzle flash of the main gun.
The 17-pounder was a formidable weapon that it gave the Firelfly a real punch on the battlefield.
The Sherman Firefly was possibly the most valuable tank in the hands of British and other Commonwealth commanders as it was the only tank in the British Army capable of reliably penetrating the frontal armour of Panthers and Tigers at standard combat distances in Normandy.
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