For those wondering why Darjeeling is in this picture, it's because she's a part of the Sherman Firefly training due to it's use by the UK during WWII.

BrokenEagle98 said:

For those wondering why Darjeeling is in this picture, it's because she's a part of the Sherman Firefly training due to it's use by the UK during WWII.

I believe you're right, as I remember World of Tanks has a Sherman in the UK Tech Tree. At least its better than that M3 Lee (Grant)!

From what I knew of the Sherman Firefly, it was a UK variant of the Sherman (their gun mounted onto the tank), so I was kind of confused when the US themed team had it.

Damn it Darjeeling you're cramping up the tank compartment as if it isn't cramped already.

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I'm kinda surprised these two groups with the Firefly aren't pictured together more.

I like how Darjeeling looks in the princess outfit. :-) I can't see enough of Naomi to tell what her costume is supposed to be. How did Erika even get in there with that mecha thing on?!? XD

NWF_Renim said:

From what I knew of the Sherman Firefly, it was a UK variant of the Sherman (their gun mounted onto the tank), so I was kind of confused when the US themed team had it.

I remember talking to my dad and he said that it was based on an american armored division that served under Montgomery and apparently god some British Armor, including Fireflies.

ToastedWaffles said:

I believe you're right, as I remember World of Tanks has a Sherman in the UK Tech Tree. At least its better than that M3 Lee (Grant)!

There was also an up-armoured version of the Sherman called the Grizzly, used by Canada

... and Erika's costume is a KT mecha musume. that KwK 43 is cramping.

NWF_Renim said:

From what I knew of the Sherman Firefly, it was a UK variant of the Sherman (their gun mounted onto the tank), so I was kind of confused when the US themed team had it.

It was never actually used by the Americans, despite the British giving them two to play around with. Simply, because the gun mounted, was a British-made 17-Pdr (Derived, ironically, from a French gun). That's right, the premire Tiger-Killer of a Medium tank that Britain developed to put a 17-pdr on a mobile fire platform to support the weaker LV 75mm Sherman guns, the Matilda II's 2pdr, and the Churchill's 75mm's and 6pdr's, was refused for use by the US forces, BECAUSE it wasn't an American gun. Instead, America developed the M4A1 76(W) Sherman. A Regular M4A1 (initial production model) Sherman, with a Wet-Stowage Ammo Rack, and the Low-Velocity 75mm replaced with a Medium-Velocity 76mm. They used the same 76mm on the M4A3E8, like "Fury" from the film. While more effective against Panthers, it was still not enough to score a Firepower Kill or a K-Kill on a Tiger unless you got it in the rear (which would only really give you a Firepower Kill), unlike the Firefly's MUCH more powerful gun.

We Brits also mounted it on the M-10 Tank Destroyer (Or as we called it, the "Wolverine"), to make the Achillies.

The main reason we mounted it on a Sherman, was because we only needed to lengthen the turret and put the gun on its side, while work on the Cromwell, the Comet, and the Centurian wasn't progressing well, even though they were being designed FOR the OQF-17pdr Anti-Tank Gun.

As for why Saunders has it? It's because it's an American chassis. The Developers decided to give them the powerful Firefly, because it's still a Sherman hull. It's the same reason Anzio has the Carro Armato P 26/40 Heavy Tank, because it was built in Italy. They never fielded it, because they surrendered before they could. The ones that had been built, the designs, the parts, everything, were taken by the Germans instead.

HawkeyeNFO said:

I like how Darjeeling looks in the princess outfit. :-) I can't see enough of Naomi to tell what her costume is supposed to be. How did Erika even get in there with that mecha thing on?!? XD

If you watch the video from the link in the commentary, it shows Naomi in a cowgirl outfit. Although she's not shown, Kay is dressed up as an angel with a huge set of wings, accomplishing the difficult task of having an even more crowding outfit than Darjeeling. Also, although it may not be obvious to most, the princess outfit Darjeeling is wearing is from the movie "Roman Holiday" as worn by Audrey Hepburn.

wolffenrirhelix said:

...

I don't doubt there was national pride involved, but I've read that the US didn't adopt the 17-Pounder simply because their own 90mm M3 performed about the same, and because the 76mm M1's HVAP round had similar penetration performance to the 17-Pounder's APCBC. The US did however adopt the 6-Pounder as an infantry AT gun — that's precisely what the 57mm M1 is.

Also, Achilles was the name of all British-used M10 GMCs. Many retained the original 3 inch AT Gun. They were designated Achilles I or II based on their engines, with a c added to the end of the numeral to designate 17-Pounder armed vehicles.

Lastly, Tigers could be knocked out frontally by M1-armed Shermans within sufficient range, and the side armour was the same thickness as the rear, so one wouldn't need to get all the way to the back in any case. The good thing about the Firefly and Challenger was that they could KO heavier German tanks at the sorts of long ranges where the latter were at their most effective and feared.

NWF_Renim said:

From what I knew of the Sherman Firefly, it was a UK variant of the Sherman (their gun mounted onto the tank), so I was kind of confused when the US themed team had it.

A much better option would have been the fact that toward the very end of the war the US actually converted a number of vehicles for their own use (though none seem to have been issued and it was largely political more then likely), some of these were apparently based on rolled steel A3 hulls which would have made them visually distinct and unique compared to the cast hull British versions.

Nell said:
The good thing about the Firefly and Challenger was that they could KO heavier German tanks at the sorts of long ranges where the latter were at their most effective and feared.

No they couldn't AP bounced off even panther hulls at ranges down to nearly point blank, sabot was so inaccurate it was functionally worthless at range and it's supposed penetration meaningless. The British themselves gave it a 1 in 6 chance of striking a target the size of a Panther turret at long (1+km) range. HVAP wasn't as powerful, but it was regarded as the most accurate shell type of any tested during the war which counts for allot and it would go through a Panther turret at very long distances.

The sole "common" situation the 17 pdr had any advantage over a 76mm with HVAP available was shooting at the hull of a panther at very close (>500 meter) range. Anything heavier then a Panther was very rare and in most cases much better dealt with by simply shooting at the sides then attempting to engage it with flukely sabot that probably wouldn't even work if it hit the heavier armored hulls. The only issue with the 76mm gun was that HVAP was needed earlier and in greater amounts, supplied with the needed shell types the 76mm was totally adequate for general purpose use and considerably better then the 17 pdr in basically any area besides raw penetration.

The 17 pounder with WORKING sabot might have been something special, but the sabot never worked during the war.