Canadian Fireflys

Canadian 5th Armoured Division Firefly, Holland 1945.
Notice the camouflaging effort to the barrel to conceal it's identity as a Firefly.


Can someone provide me with a list of all Canadian units which were equipped with the Sherman Firelfy in WW II? Thank you.

Adam

Most Canadian Armoured (TANK)units by the late fall 1944 to the end of the War were equipted with the Fireflies. One per troop, then later you could see upto 2 per troop.


Cheers

Hi Adam

The tank you picture is from the 5th Armoured Regiment (better known as the 8th Princess Louise's (New Brunswick) Hussars) and was taken in Putten Holland in April 1945. The Regiment landed in Italy in Nov 43 and moved, with 5th Canadian Armoured Division, to North-West Europe in February 1945 and finished the war there.

Of note is that although it is indeed a 17pdr armed Sherman Firefly, it is not a Sherman Ic (US M4) or Sherman Vc (US M4A4) (the two main marks with 17pdrs) but rather is a Sherman Hybrid Ic. This is determined by the rounded cast hull front whereas the two previously mentioned types had more angular edges to the glacis and hull fronts.

I have seen pics of the following Canadian Armoured Regiments using 17pdr armed Shermans in both Italy and NW Europe.(in no particular order):

1st Hussars
8 PL(NB)H
British Columbia Regiment
Calgary Regiment
Fort Garry Horse
Governor General's Foot Guards
Sherbrooke Fusiliers
South Alberta Regiment

I am sure that all the Armoured Regiments in the Canadian Army eventually had Fireflies in their holdings by war's end but do not have any specific information to confirm that.

I too am to understand that eventualy there was at least one Firefly in every Troop of 3 tanks. Cdn Armoured Units in the UK began to get theirs as ealy as March/April 1944 and they were issued to Cdn Armd Units in Italy by Oct 1944.

The camouflaging of the Sherman 17pdr barrels stems from the Germans recognizing them as the greater threat, as opposed to the 75mm gun Shermans, and always tried to knock them out first. Hanno Spoelstra's excellent Sherman Register site has a couple of extracts of wartime British instructions on how to camouflage 17pdr barrel:
http://web.inter.nl.net/users/spoelstra/g104/firefly-cam.htm

regards
Darrell

Here's one from the Three Rivers Regiment...

Hi

Add the Little Dumb Sh*t Heads :lol: to that list too:


Dutch women and children sitting on a Sherman VC Firefly tank of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians)

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/faces/001048-119.01-e.php?&mikan_nbr=3524865&&PHPSESSID=093vh1mbl5jbnuga1hhhqqlgr2

And the Scared Cat Regiment:


Troopers with a Sherman tank of the Ontario Regiment on a railway flatcar en route from Italy to Northwest Europe, Mouscron, Belgium, 24 March 1945. (L-R): Troopers E.D. Gyles, J.R. Simmons, A.J. Cartner, Harry Clark.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/faces/001048-119.01-e.php?&mikan_nbr=3378550&&PHPSESSID=a33b2hlj7bg5ojlvo6p1mjepr7

And the Canadian Grenadier Guards (sorry, I have no humourous moniker for that Unit!):


A Sherman tank of The Canadian Grenadier Guards, Almelo, Netherlands, 5 April 1945.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/faces/001048-119.01-e.php?&mikan_nbr=3524144&&PHPSESSID=a33b2hlj7bg5ojlvo6p1mjepr7

And the British Columbia Dragoons too:


Tank crews of The British Columbia Dragoons lined up in front of their Sherman tanks during a review by General H.D.G. Crerar followed by a mounted marchpast, Eelde, Netherlands, 23 May 1945

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/faces/001048-119.01-e.php?&mikan_nbr=3223023&&PHPSESSID=a33b2hlj7bg5ojlvo6p1mjepr7



Lovely resource that. :)

regards
Darrell