Captured British Sherman "Firefly" in German service

[Steve T]

And here is that Panther

Don't our chaps look happy

Mind you, driving around in a Panther with all those Typhoons and Thuderbolts about must have been a tad dangerous. I'd have painted the bioggest bloody Union flag on the top as POSSIBLE !!!

Steve T

[big ned]

Hi Steve,

That's a nice pic of 'Cuckoo'! Here's a couple more showing her true markings. It makes sense when you think of all those rocket firing P-47 'Jug Jockeys' with itchy trigger fingers around at the time!

'Cuckoo' was written on both sides of the turret,(you can just see it behind the middle crewmans feet in the first pic).

The Panther was put to good use until spares eventually ran out in early '45, when it was abandoned near Maastricht.

Regards, Ned.

[Pompa Mike]

I really wouldn't want to fiddle around with the enemies equipment it seems to easy to get shot up by your own guys. When I was in the service the outline of the soviet tanks were drilled into our head we didn't look for decals. But then again I worry too much.

[OKW]

I don't think it would have mattered what you painted on the vehicle, if you watch the gun camera film from strafing aircraft, allowing for film quaility etc, it would be pretty much what the pilot would have seen and the view looks small and fleeting, if in doubt blow it up, motto of the American Luftwaffe.
I wonder if any of the panther crew, British, are still around and what their views on the vehicle were, or if they were recorded somewhere.
Didn't the firefly have a muzzle brake fitted as standard, the basic Sherman didn't have one, and didn't this cause problems for the crews as only Axis vehicles had brakes and if you saw a vehicle lurking with a brake then the policy was get the first shot in.

[Ostm63]

I had an interview with a german vet who was Panzerjäger in Normandie, he told me that they used the name "Tommykocher"
in english "tommycooker" for the Sherman tanks. One hit with the 7,5 and most of them started to burn like a flare.

Has the name firefly for shermans something to do with that behavior or is that something different ?!

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Herbert, no, the Firefly name has nothing to do with the Sherman's nasty reputation for catching fire.

The British liked to give their tanks names instead of just using the American number designations. But this was not an official name, but a "nickname".

Cheers, Ade.

[jimpy]

in english "tommycooker" for the Sherman tanks. One hit with the 7,5 and most of them started to burn like a flare.

Apparently they, Sherman tanks, were also known as "Ronson's", because "they light first time, every time".......after a well known cigarette lighter firm of the time who claimed just that!

[Adrian Stevenson]

Later versions of the Sherman tried to solve this problem with better armour and wet ammo stowage.

Cheers, Ade.

[sebfrench76]

hello from France everybody!Surfing on the net,I found on a very professional kit builders site this incredible Firefly with a fake gun ,mounted to miss the Germans AT team.Can you confirm the veracity of such a strange sherman ?

[Adrian Stevenson]

Wow! that IS strange! I have not seen this set up before.

Cheers, Ade.