Adrian Barrell

Hey, don't tell everyone how easy it is, you'll blow it for me..... In all honesty, if it's been re-engined and re-gunned, it will be a fair amount of work regardless of the starting point but yes, a firefly would be the best place to start. At the very least, you are restoring rather than creating. Finding the parts is getting increasingly harder all the time, not least because there are more people trying to find them. Firefly specific parts were never very numerous to start with.

Be that as it may, there was reason to keep regiments type specific because of fuel requirements and spares. As to all Shermans being functionally identical, that's just not the case. M4A2 has extra controls that other models do not and likewise M4A4 is different in many ways relating to D&M. Add in different traverse systems which were often type specific and there is quite a bit of distinct variation. Not hard to learn but not ideal. Photographic evidence suggests British Army formations were generally not mixed to any great extent.

But that's no Firefly! M4A1 regunned with a 76 in a M34A1 mount. nice find though!

I hope people don't think I'm taking the p**s about the grizzlyfly, Mark can do what he wants with his own tank, I just feel the true situation should be known to avoid a myth being taken as fact. Allthough about 40 Grizzlies came in to the UK from Portugal, out of a total production run of 188, very few seem to have survived here. I can only think of nine off the top of my head.

Yes please, I'd love to see them.

The five position rotary light switch replaced the earlier pull switch, which itself came in early (four position) and late (five position), sometime in 1944, so it is wartime. The ignition switch that resembles it but without the button is, I think, post war.

Only Sherman I and V were converted. Both early and late (hybrid) M4s were converted. A small number of M4A3s were converted for the US Army in Italy but I don't think they were issued for service. For the Borden Firefly:- http://ecifirefly.com/walkaround/walkaround-index.html For the Belgium Army Museums:- http://tankfreak.tripod.com/id2.html

Must be a small runway unless it's a runway extension..... do tell!

Not quite. The Grizzlyfly as I call it is a Canadian built M4A1 known as a Grizzly. About forty were imported from Portugal by Ian McGregor in the mid 80's. The owner has modified his to resemble a Firefly and although M4A1 was never used as a base for Firefly conversions, there is a properly converted Grizzly at Camp Borden in Canada, seemingly a prototype that never developed beyond that stage. The ex-Yugo tanks are all M18s and M36s with the M36s being re-engined with T54 engines.

Hmmmm, dessert.....

Pierced steel planking. Clip together metal strips for building.... runways! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PSP-Pierced-Steel-Planking-Marsden-Marston-Matting-10ft_W0QQitemZ230317849437QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090106?IMSfp=TL090106111002r27539

Building a runway Jack?

Generally yes, they were issued by type to units but not always! The obvious problem came when issuing Fireflies to a unit equipped with Sherman III, M4A2 as there was no Sherman IIIc and so units had a mix of diesel and petrol vehicles. According to research by Peter Brown, the following were held in June 1944. 11th AD Sherman V and Vc Gds AD Sherman V and Vc 4 AB Sherman II and Vc 8AB Sherman II DD, III and Vc 27AB Sherman III, V DD and Vc 30 AB Sherman V and V crab 33AB Sherman I, II and Vc 1TB Sherman I and II 4 Cdn AD Sherman V and Vc 2 Cdn AB Sherman III, V DD and Vc Polish AD Sherman V, Ic and Vc I think the 8AB Sherman II DD should be III DD. Later on, I suspect the mix became greater, certainly the number of 17 pdr tanks increased. There were also a few OP and ARVs scattered throught the formations, usually of a similar fuel to the gun tanks but not exclusively.

:rofl:That's the truth!

I think a lot of it is we all have a common interest but unlike a lot of forums, I'm thinking historic aviation in particular, we all participate. Ok, not all of us have vehicles though most do and there is a distinct lack of wannabees here. We're all in it together. I certainly feel I have a lot of friends here, many of whom I have yet to meet! It's my favourite forum and I thank Jack for it.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of another running M4A4 hull other than mine or Jims in the UK. Ken Lyons is doing one in NI but he is fitting a GAA. The Copelands have an M4A2 which has at least a welded hull but all the others that spring to mind are M4A1s in various guises. So a proper Sherman V based troop might have to wait a little while!

Though when he gets there, he'll be deaf.....

I don't think Alastair was suggesting a troop of Fireflies, just a 'normal' troop of three 75mm and one 17 pdr.

There are currently no restored Fireflies in the UK, discounting Bovingtons. There is the Belgium Army Museums Vc and a presumably privately owned Ic hybrid on the continent, both running/restored. There are two Vc restorations going on at the moment in the UK, not hard to guess whose but at this moment in time, neither have a multibank engine ready. There is the Grizzlyfly that appears at Beltring and Mons but that doesn't count. The Firefly turret with cut off 17 pdr is currently at mine for work but will be ready to return soon. I like the idea of a proper troop!

The M51 used a 105 tank gun but it was a French weapon and not the L7 as fitted to Centurion. The earlier M50 used a French 75mm closely based on the Panther gun.

Well, let me think.......:sweat: If anybody knows, it's you Hanno!

Just for Mark!

Indeed, the closed cabs look very futuristic.

That's an M5A1 HST.

Alastair, the only confirmed attendance so far is at Debach, a local airfield museum open day on June 7th. Adrian