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It was just that the barrel looked slightly longer than the standard 76mm gun fitted to the Sherman although difficult to tell from the angle that this picture is taken which is why I thought it an up-gunned variant. I had the idea that the U.K. used the 17 pounder gun for their upgrade but the U.S. used something else?
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...d405ea79-1.jpg
Picture of an Easy 8 and I believe that the army used the 17 pound gun also
---------- Post added at 06:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:16 PM ----------
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...c7f846d5b2.jpg
Better pic of a M4a3 76w without the the muzzle device
And the 76 mm gun was American made according to various sources and also equipped the M10 gun motor carriage
Isn't the 17 pounder just a different name for the 76mm?
I know that the Sherman with fitted with a 17 pounder gun has a barrel visibly longer than the standard gun fitted to the Sherman.
According to what I read the American 76mm was different and that Britain had sent over 17 pdrs to be installed in the Sherman's built for them. It was approx 200 barrels. So I think that most of the fireflys used by Britain were converted upon arrival in EnglandQuote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
Also the the 17 pdrs is 76.2mm with a 55 caliber long shell. So slightly bigger and according to the sources harder hitting.
There was a slightly different to the norm preserved tank on the show circuit here in the U.K. years ago which had an open top turret and from memory I think it was a "special" Sherman??? I remember seeing it a few times in the late 1970s/1980s and always thought it looked a bit strange having no top to the turret. I think the reason had something to do with the size of the breach and there not really being enough room within a Sherman turret?
What you probably observed was a tank destroyer, all of which had open top turrets, and suspension and tracks in common with M4 tanks. There was also a TD M18 that was designed from the ground up and was an outstanding success. Many people not familiar with TDs misidentify them as tanks. The TDs were sort of the battle cruisers of AFVs, the intent being to mount a gun capable of destroying a tank on a hull lightly or minimally armored to improve speed and maneuverability.
Absolutely. Tanks had complete turrets. That would have been a TD for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by RT Ellis