News from Heroes and Leaders mod

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British OQF 2-Pounder 40Lmm ATG

The Ordnance QF 2-pounder ("Ordnance, Quick Firing"), or simply "2 pounder gun", was a 40 mm (1.575 inch) British anti-tank and vehicle-mounted gun employed in the Second World War.
With its tripod mounting which permitted rapid all-round traverse, this was the best AT gun in service in 1939. However, the loss of 509 2pdrs in France virtually eliminated the Army's stock of AT guns, and forced the British to give 2pdr production top priority for another year (thus delaying the development of the 6pdr). In the early desert fighting the 2pdr was entirely adequate, but as the Panzers acquired thicker armor it became less and less able to deal with them. Moreover, when the Germans would locate the position of a 2pdr, if possible they stood their Pz IV off beyond its effective range and leisurely shelled it into submission. By 1942 it was dangerously obsolete—but even so, it fought on until the fall of Tunis. Its usual transport in the desert was the 2pdr Portee (see British Vehicle Note 77). In the PTO the 2pdr remained in use throughout the war, though by the end of 1943 in India-Burma it was officially authorized only in the AA/AT regiment of light divisions.
2pdrs were used in AT regiments with four guns per troop, and from early 1942 began appearing in infantry and motor battalions in two or four four-gun platoons respectively. The AT troop of infantry recce regiments that fought in North Africa from late 1942 had six 2pdrs; later these were exchanged for 6pdrs. As a side note, HE did exist for the 2pdr, but was rather ineffective and apparently not widely issued. As with many other British guns, the 2pdr was named for the weight of the projectile it fired.
It was used in the Battle of France and during the North African Campaign. In its vehicle-mounted variant the 2-pounder was a common main gun on British tanks early in World War II, as well as being a typical main armament of armoured cars, such as the Daimler, throughout the war. As Axis tanks' armoured protection improved, the 2-pounder lost effectiveness and it was gradually replaced by the 6-pounder starting in 1942, though some remained in service until the end of the war.

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OQF 6-Pounder 7-cwt 57Lmm ATG

The Ordnance Quick-Firing 6-pounder 7 cwt was a 57 mm anti-tank gun, and primary gun of both the British and United States Army (as the 57 mm Gun M1). Although designed before the start of the war, it did not reach service until the North African Campaign in April 1942. There, it replaced the 2-pounder as an anti-tank gun, allowing the 25-pounder gun-howitzer to revert to its intended artillery role. Limitations of the existing 2-pounders were apparent even as the gun entered service and an effort was made to replace it with a much more capable weapon starting as early as 1938.
The gun design was complete by 1940 but the carriage design took until 1941. The production was further delayed by the defeat in the Battle of France. The loss of most of the heavy equipment of the British Expeditionary Force was left behind in France. Unlike the 2-pounder, the new gun was mounted on a conventional two-wheeled split trail carriage. As a smaller and more manoeuvrable gun, the 6-pounder continued to be used by the British Army for the rest of World War II.
The 6-pounder first saw action in May 1942 at the Battle of Gazala. It made an immediate impact on the battlefield as it was able to penetrate any enemy tank then in service. AT regiments began receiving it shortly afterward, and used it in four-gun troops. By the second battle of Alamein, three-fourths of the AT guns in an infantry division's AT regiment, and all the AT guns in an armoured division, were 6pdrs. Infantry battalions began exchanging their 2pdrs for 6pdrs in early 1943, and at the end of the North African campaign infantry battalions destined for the ETO were authorized a platoon of six 6pdrs in their support company. In North Africa, a motor battalion equipped with 6pdrs had sixteen (four platoons) such guns, but by 1944 in the ETO this had been reduced to three platoons. In 1944, airlanding battalions had two six-gun 6pdr platoons; in early 1945 each troop was reduced to four guns. In the PTO, 6pdrs apparently were used only in AT regiments. Prior to the invasion of Italy in 1943, 6pdrs were carried en portee.

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OQF 17-Pounder Mark I 76,2LL ATG

The Ordnance Quick-Firing 17-pounder was a 76.2 mm (3 inch) gun used as an anti-tank gun on its own carriage, as well as equipping a number of British tanks.
The requirement for a 3-inch AT to replace the 6-Pounder was issued in early 1941, and the resulting weapon entered production in mid-1942. In the autumn of 1942, British Army Intelligence began to suspect that the new German Tiger tank might soon appear in North Africa. The 17-Pounder AT was in production at this time but, due to numerous delays, no carriages had yet been completed.
The 17-pdr is a success story. Available in good time to deal with the later German AFVs, it "frequently" failed to penetrate the Panther's glacis plate armour even at 300 yards and needed three good hits on a Panther's hull front to ensure penetration as most rounds merely scuffed the surface.
HE ammunition was, as with the 6-pdr, over-looked for over a year and, as with all high-velocity weapons, its explosive effect was inferior to low-velocity weapons of identical calibre since the shell walls had to be stronger (i.e. thicker) to resist the greater forces imposed at the expense of the explosive filling.
The towed anti-tank gun was also a beast of a gun to conceal and man-handle, to the extent that a prototype motorised version, (similar to the post-war Soviet 85mm gun) was made albeit not put into production.
It began equipping AT regiments in mid-1943, and in action proved to be one of the very best AT guns of WW2—a fine compromise between weight and hitting power. A troop comprised four guns.

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British OQF 25-Pounder Mark II 88mm ART

A British gun of excellent quality was the celebrated 25-pdr, which made a passable anti-tank gun in the desert for want of anything better. The Ordnance Quick-Firing 25-pounder, or more simply 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was the major British field gun and howitzer during the Second World War, possessing a 87.6 mm calibre.
It was introduced into service just before the war started, combining both high-angle and direct-fire abilities, a relatively high rate of fire, and a reasonably lethal shell in a highly mobile piece. Its special turntable, an ingenious feature, permitted rapid traverse by a single crewman and greatly enhanced its anti-tank capabilities as did the fitting of a modified open (as opposed to dial) sight for use in poor light in January 1942.
This anti-tank capability owes its origins to a decision made in 1938 that all 25-pdrs of the divisional artillery were to be primarily responsible for their own anti-tank defence but its high silhouette usually denied it sufficient cover in the desert to remain undetected long enough for close ranges shots where hits were more likely to be obtained.
The 25pdr Mk II first saw action in Norway, but was not used again in the ETO until 1941. It first appeared in Africa in early 1941. In North Africa, the need for a gun more potent than the 2pdr resulted in 25pdr regiments being split up more and more often as the campaign progressed, with individual troops and batteries parceled out to various units and mobile columns. While the 25pdr performed well as an AT gun, such use seriously impaired the artillery's ability to provide concentrated fire when needed. It was only when 6pdrs became available that the 25pdrs were able to fully revert to their traditional role. Once in full production, the 25pdr equipped field regiments in every theatre, becoming the standard—and sole—artillery piece in non-PTO infantry divisions. Four guns made up a troop.

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OQF Bofors Mark III 40Lmm AA

The Ordnance Quick Fire Mark III Bofors 40 mm gun is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors and became the British Army's standard light anti-aircraft weapon. The Bofors gun equipped light anti-aircraft regiments in all theaters through-out the war. A battery initially comprised four guns, but by 1943 it had been enlarged to six.
The main self-propelled version of the Bofors used the gun set on the chassis of a Morris Commercial four-wheel drive lorry, this was known as the "Carrier, SP, 4x4 40mm, AA Bofors". Such guns were used in support of Army divisions to provide swift protection against air attack without the need to unlimber. They saw service in North West Europe, where six SP Bofors of 92nd Loyals Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, landed with the British 3rd Infantry Division on Sword Beach on D-Day to protect the vital bridges over the Caen Canal and Orne River (Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge), shooting down 17 German planes. Later in the campaign, SP Bofors were used extensively for ground shoots as well as in an anti-aircraft role. In British army service the Bofors found a highly specialised role: during the North Africa Campaign at the Second Battle of El Alamein, they were used to fire tracer horizontally to mark safe paths for units through the German minefields. This practice was further developed during operations in North-West Europe, where bursts of colour-coded tracer were used to define the axis of advance of the different formations in large-scale night attacks. During the Ardennes Offensive, RAF Regiment Light Anti-Aircraft squadrons shot down 43 German aircraft and damaged 28 others during attacks on eleven RAF forward airfields on New Year's Day 1945.

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OQF 3.7-Inch 94*mm AA

The Ordnance Quick Fire 3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun, first mooted in 1920 but not produced until 1938, was one of the best AA guns of its day and a lost opportunity to field a more powerful British version of the famous and deadly German 88mm Flak 18 or 36, albeit a less mobile one. However, it was designed solely for AA fire, and the gun layers sat with their backs to the target so was little used for direct fire vs ground targets. On rare occasions it was used against Axis armour in France and the desert, and was issued with steel AP shot for self-defence against tanks, though lacking the correct sights and crew arrangement for a true dual-purpose role.
The gun being used successfully to harass Axis road traffic during the siege of Tobruk, and for counter-battery fire. This led to low-angle range tables being issued in May 1942. According to the official history of the Mediterranean campaign, 60 OQF 3.7-inch guns were fitted with sights for the ground role in April 1942, for the Battle of Gazala. The gun's air-burst capability cost Japanese troops dear at the hands of Heavy AA batteries in Burma, when it was re-deployed in the ground support role there, one unit being known as `The Twelve Mile Snipers'. In the ETO its air-burst capability was also very effective against German mortars and other ground tar-gets.
By 1940 some 500 were in service, dispersed throughout the Empire. Later Marks incorporated an automatic fuze setter and power rammer for the shells, which doubled the gun's ROF. In the latter half of the war, it was often employed as artillery, using indirect fire.

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British Mark VIB Vickers Tu HMG Tt

The Light Tank Mk VI was the sixth in the line of light tanks built by Vickers-Armstrongs for the British Army during the interwar period. The company had achieved a degree of standardization with their previous five models, and the Mark VI was identical in all but a few respects. The Mark VI series formed the bulk of British armored strength in 1939-40. Although intended for colonial duties and as recon vehicles, they were often forced to act as battle tanks—with predictably heavy casualties. The Mk VIB was numerically the most important model, with 832 produced. In all, about 1180 of the Mk VI series were built. Its armament consisted of two water-cooled Vickers MG, one .50-cal and one .303-cal. The end of production in 1940 included 100+ Mk VIC, which carried a 15mm MG and a .303-cal MG, both air-cooled.
The turret, which had been expanded in the Mk V to allow a three-man crew to operate the tank, was further expanded to give room in its rear for a wireless set. The weight of the tank was increased to 4,900 kg, which although heavier than previous models actually improved its handling characteristics, and an 88 horsepower engine was added to the model to increase its maximum speed to 56 km/h. It had the Horstmann coil-spring suspension system, which was found to be durable and reliable, although the fact that the tank was short in relation to its width and that it pitched violently on rough ground made accurate gunnery whilst moving exceptionally difficult. The Mk VI possessed a crew of three consisting of a driver, gunner and commander, who also doubled as the radio operator; between 4 mm and 14 mm of armour, which could resist rifle and machine gun bullets, and its armament consisted of one water-cooled 7.7 mm Vickers machine gun and one .50 inch Vickers machine gun.
Mk VI types were used in troops of three in the light tank squadrons of armoured and light tank regiments, and in the divisional cavalry regiments. Four Mk VI were included in the HQ of both a light tank squadron and an Army Tank battalion of each Army Tank company. Mk VI models fought in Belgium, France, North Africa, and in other areas including Greece, Crete, Syria, Singapore, and Java.

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British Tetrarch Mk VII T40L LT

In 1937, the Vickers-Armstrong firm began the development of a light 3-man tank equipped with an entirely new suspension consisting of four equal road-wheels on each side. The prototype was tested in 1938 and was adopted by the British army the same year. Intended as the replacement for the Light Tank Mk VI, the Tetrarch entered production in 1940. However, at about that time it was decided that armored cars would be used for reconnaissance, so only 171 Tetrarchs were built, although the production was started again in 1941, and 20 units was delivered to the USSR. The Tetrarch was the latest in the line of light tanks built by the company for the British Army. It improved upon its predecessor, the Light Tank Mk VIC, by introducing the extra firepower of a 2-pounder gun.
The British Army ruled out the use of Tetrarchs in the North African Campaign and were first used in action in Madagasdar, in May 1942, by a Special Service Tank Squadron. Thereafter they were held in reserve for airborne use, with the Hamilcar glider being designed specifically to transport them. In June 1942, Tetrarchs were attached to the 1st Airborne Division after it was decided that the design allowed its use as an air-portable light tank to support British airborne forces. A lack of gliders prevented their participation in the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943 instead they were attached to the new 6th Airborne Division and became part of the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment, and was air-landed in Normandy on the evening of 6 June 1944. The tanks were landed by glider, where their appearance caused the Germans to cancel a counter-attack at a key moment in the battle. The same unit used them in Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945.

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3. Stuart III T37LL LT:

These were the designations given to the U.S. M3 and M3A1 Light Tanks. The British, eager to supplement their supply of tanks in the Middle East and recognizing that the M3 in some ways approximated the effectiveness of their own Cruiser tanks, requested in early 1941 that it be Lend-Leased. Although officially named Stuarts, all light tanks of the M3-M5A1 series were commonly called Honeys due to their impressive reliability and handling characteristics. The British made certain changes to their M3, such as deleting the fixed BMG (to increase stowage space), altering certain crew positions and responsibilities, and adding smoke dischargers to some vehicles. Stuarts became the first U.S.-built tanks to see action in WW2 when they took part in Operation Crusader; in that battle they fully equipped the 7th Armoured Division's 4th Armoured Brigade and were used as Cruiser tanks. Thereafter in North Africa their numbers diminished as the increasing armor thickness and gun size of German tanks outpaced the Stuarts' development potential. In early 1942, several regiments newly equipped with Grant tanks each received a squadron of Stuarts whose primary function now became screening and reconnaissance; other Stuarts were attached to various units as escort/HQ vehicles. By the second battle of Alamein (10/42), Stuarts were being used in North Africa only in the 7th Armoured Division's 4th (Light) and 22nd Armoured Brigades, and in the 2nd New Zealand and 9th Australian Divisional Cavalry Regiments.
In the PTO, Stuarts retained more of a primary combat role since in many ways they remained superior to the Japanese tanks they occasionally encountered. There they were used first in Burma, by the 7th Armoured Brigade's 7th Hussars and 2nd RTR; then later on Papua by elements of the 2/6th Australian Armoured Regiment; and lastly in India and Burma by the 7th Indian Light, and 45th Indian, Cavalry Regiments. A Stuart troop comprised three such tanks—except in HQ squadrons and in 1942 when "mixed" with Grants, where it had four. The recce troop of a 1944-45 armoured regiment or tank battalion was a special case, comprising eleven or twelve Stuarts.

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4. Stuart V T37LL LT

The M3A3 Light Tank or Stuart V was carried out in USA only for export. It was equipped with a welded hull and a superstructure to the inclined walls, as well as new turret with back projection to accommodate the radio station. It was used by the British and of Commenwealth armies in Italy and Western Europe. The production of the M3A3 was stopped in 1943 in favour of M5. The M3A3 was produced with 3427 specimens and 2045 were delivered to the British. Stuarts apparently not used in the ETO until 1944, after a recce troop had been added in late 1943 to the HQ squadron of each armoured regiment and tank battalion; by mid '44 most armoured recce regiments also had such a recce troop. The Stuart V was the most common model of the series in the ETO. The Yugoslav Partisans received as many as 56 in late 1944. Stuarts were driven, or dragged and/or winched by bull-dozers up steep slopes to catch the Japanese with their proverbial trousers down and demolish their formidable bunkers in terrain thought by them to be safe from tank attack.
While the Stuart was adequate in the desert, by 1944 it was outdated and less well regarded; in Normandy it was described as an "atrocity on tracks" with a gun incapable of harming "anything tougher than a water-truck" and too tall and conspicuous even for the intercommunication, let alone recce, roles now assigned to it.
The systems used on later versions of the Stuart that had power traverse suffered from considerable 'back-lash' in the mechanisms; even after British modifications the hand traverse and elevating gear on the early Stuarts was so poor that crew were reluctant to traverse the turret in action. When the Lee / Grant's 37mm gun was used at all, crews also preferred to use manual rather than power traverse. One advantage of US traverse systems over British equipment was that they were run from batteries, and so could be used 'silently' with the tank's engine turned off.

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British A13 Mk II T40L MT

The A9, first in the Cruiser tank series, replaced the obsolete 1920s-era Medium Mk II. Cost was a primary consideration in the A9's design, resulting in very thin armor being used. Besides mounting the new 2pdr gun it also carried three Vickers water-cooled MG, one coaxial with the main gun and two in small sub-turrets flanking the driver. 125 were built, including a small number of the CS version with its 3.7-in howitzer. A9 types were used by the 1st Armoured Division in France in 1940, and by the 3rd RTR in Greece in 4/41. In North Africa they served in the 2nd and 7th Armoured Divisions, and some were with the besieged garrison of Tobruk in 1941. A troop of Cruiser tanks comprised three such AFV.
The design requirements of the A10 called for an infantry-support tank with thicker armor than the A9, to be built at as low a cost as possible. As a result, the A9 was simply modified: Extra armor plates were bolted on, its cramped and disliked MG sub-turrets were replaced by a normal BMG, and its maximum speed was reduced to improve reliability. A production run of 175 was completed. They were used more or less interchangeably with A9 and A13 types. Most of the Cruiser tanks sent to Greece in 1941 were A10 types.
The performance of the Russian BT tank sparked consideration of a much faster Cruiser, resulting in the A13. The uparmored version was known as the A13 Mk II—or alternatively as the Cruiser Tank Mk IV or IVA, with the Mk IV having a water-cooled CMG and the Mk IVA an air-cooled CMG. 133 Mk IV and 172 Mk IVA (including a limited number of CS tanks), were built. A13 types were used in the same manner as A9 and A10 in France, Greece and North Africa, forming the striking power of British armoured divisions until replaced by the Crusader.
In Heroes and Leaders mod, the A13 tank represents the entire A # tank series with a 2pdr gun.

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British Crusader II T40L MT

The Crusader was loosely based on the A13 Mk II and the unsuccessful A13 Mk III Covenanter. It was fast, low-slung, and better armored than its predecessors, but was notoriously unreliable due to having been ordered directly into production in August 1939 without sufficient testing. The Crusader II featured a slight increase in armor thickness, but retained the 2pdr gun which was now obsolete vs the newest PzKpfw III and IV. The Crusader CS carried a 3-inch howitzer. Both the Crusader I and the early Crusader II carried a BMG mounted in a sub-turret that was disliked due to being cramped, poorly ventilated, and often impossible to exit in an emergency; hence it was often removed.
The lower part of its angled turret acted like a lever at each shell impact, dislodging the turret from its mounting, or a hull vulnerable spot above the ammunition racks, where, if red hot metal fragments penetrated, they triggered a fire. There were also issues with the engine overheating, oil leaking, and problems with the cooling filter system, mostly caused of sand erosion.
If the Crusader turned to be effective in Libya against Italians, it was another affair against the "Desert Fox". While its speed, light protection and armament could deal with most German Panzer I and IIs, the Panzer III, equipped with the long barrel 50 mm gun, and the Panzer IV and its 75 mm, were more than a match. Plus, German tactics, using a feint retreat under the cover of well-placed AT guns, including the fearful 88 mm, proved deadly effective.
The Crusader first saw action with the 6th RTR of the 7th Armoured Brigade in Operation Battleaxe—the abortive attempt to relieve Tobruk in June 1941—during which more Crusaders were lost to breakdowns than to combat. Thereafter it became the most numerous Allied tank in the desert until the arrival of Grants and Shermans.

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British Lee/Grant T37LL MT

After the bulk of their modern tanks had been lost in France, the British sent a tank mission to the U.S. in an attempt to obtain the production of British tank designs in American factories. The mission placed "cash & carry" orders for the M3 "Lee" Medium Tank straight off the drawing board, but with a new turret of British design. This they named the "Grant", while "Lee" was used for the standard versions of the M3 series (which were Lend-Leased somewhat later). 167 Grants, divided between the 1st and 7th Armoured Divisions, were present at the start of the Gazala battles (the Grant's first use in combat). They provided a nasty surprise to the Germans, for they substantially increased the effective engagement range of British tank units and for the first time gave them an effective HE-firing weapon to deal with A-T guns. The Lee/Grant design had several drawbacks, such as its bulk and the positioning of its 75mm gun in the hull—but nevertheless it at last provided the British with a tank that could engage the German panzers on more even terms; in fact it was sometimes referred to as "ELH" (Egypt's Last Hope). At Gazala the establishment of a Grant-equipped armoured regiment was either two squadrons of Grants and one of Stuarts or one of Grants and two of Crusaders. By the second battle of Alamein some 170-180 Lee/Grants were available for immediate action and their regiments often contained a mixture of Shermans, Grants and Crusaders. After the North African campaign most Lees and Grants were shipped to India and Australia, with some eventually seeing combat again in eastern India and Burma. 1,685 Grants were built, and 1,202 Lees were Lend-Leased to the British. A Lee/Grant troop comprised three such tanks.

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Sherman IIA:

When news of Tobruk's fall on 21 June 1942 reached Churchill, he immediately asked Roosevelt for as many new Shermans as could be made available. In response it was first proposed that Gen. Patton and the entire U.S. 2nd Armored Division should be sent directly to Egypt. Orders to this effect were issued, but were then cancelled when it was learned that, due to the problems inherent in such a move, the division could not arrive there until late in the year—which might well be too late. Consequently, Shermans were taken from units in the U.S. and shipped to Egypt. By the time of the second battle of Alamein, 8th Army had 285 of which some 250 were available for immediate action; about two-thirds of these were Sherman IIA. Only 942 Sherman IIA were Lend-Leased to the British, and its prominence on the battlefield was soon eclipsed by other Sherman types.
The Sherman II carried most ammunition low in the hull rather than in the more exposed panniers located above track level used in other dry-stowage types. Most fires were blamed on poor ammunition stowage discipline by crews, as many British, US, and German vehicles carried far more ammunition than had been authorised. Certainly the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, part of 5th Guards Armoured Division, suffered only 5% "brew-ups" during "Operation Bluecoat", and attributed this to a policy of not carrying any ammunition outside the armoured stowage bins in their dry stowage Shermans. Both British and German analysis revealed that while the fitting of spare track plates to augment a vehicle's own armour might boost morale, it made little difference to overall protection, and on vertical or near-vertical armour could actually compromise it. But the British at least did not waste time trying to convince superstitious and sceptical crews of this fact, who could not help but notice that whereas the Germans usually added appliqué steel or concrete armour when up-grading their older AFVs, most British vehicles were incapable of bearing--officially least—this extra weight.

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Sherman IIIA

Of all the 75mm Sherman types available in quantity to the British, they liked the Sherman III best due to its better speed, performance and reliability. About one-third of the Shermans available to the 8th Army at the second battle of Alamein were of this type. Despite being regarded as only a temporary expedient, the British were very fastidious about which versions of the Sherman were used, and rejected diesel-engined and other "minority" types because of their smaller interior space (M4A1 and M4A2) and perhaps because there would be long-term spare parts problems (M4A3). 5,041 were Lend-Leased to the British, and another 382 to the Free French.
In comparison, the Sherman fitted with only standard-width tracks needed good roads to be really effective when conditions were muddy or "soft". Because only gasoline-powered Shermans were converted, those units with 75mm diesel-engined Shermans had the additional complexity of having to use two different fuels for their tanks, though many un-armoured vehicles in such tank units had to be supplied with gasoline fuel anyway.
In July 1943 the Sherman was unwisely dis-missed as "...less reliable than the Valentine [doubtful], more vulnerable than the Matilda [probably untrue], slower and more conspicuous than the Crusader" [true, assuming the latter had not broken down], and had "... a proneness to catch fire [true], [an] indifferent gun-sight [true], inferior secondary armament [true, no decent sights on the hull MG], vulnerable hatches and louvres". The reliability of the radialengined Shermans was also deemed inferior to the Cromwell, but all other sources disagree, and at the end of the day these US vehicles did the job asked of them.

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Sherman V:

The British Empire received 17,184 Sherman tanks from the USA under Lend-Lease, roughly 78% of all American Shermans provided worldwide under this program. This includes Sherman tanks used by all members of the British Empire and those Allies who were equipped by the UK, such as the Polish Armed Forces in the West.
The Sherman V was the British designation for the U.S. Medium Tank M4A3. The British became the primary users of the M4A3 Sherman V, which they found to be far more reliable than did the few US users (mainly for testing within the continental USA). M4 Sherman I, M4A1 Sherman II and M4A2 Sherman III were also used in (roughly) that order of importance. Free Polish and Czechoslovak-in-exile armoured units supported and equipped by the British had M4A1s, M4A2s and some M4A4s. 7,499 Sherman V were built, of which 7,413 were Lend-Leased. Of these, 7,167 went to the British, making the Mk V the most numerous Sherman type available to them. Another 274 Sherman V were Lend-Leased to the Free French. 2,096 Sherman V were Lend-Leased to the British.
A Sherman troop officially contained three such tanks, but in NWE and Italy most actually had four, with the extra being a Sherman Firefly or Sherman IIA—with the exact configuration dependent on the date and unit. However, a Sherman troop in the armoured recce regiment of the 1st or 6th Armoured Division in Italy comprised two Shermans and two Stuarts (with the latter often being turretless).

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Sherman IIA(a)

This was the U.S. Medium Tank M4A1(76)W. Almost all those received by the British were sent to Italy, as Montgomery wished to avoid additional supply complications in his 21st Army Group. Eventually, however, some were used in NWE by the 2nd Armoured Regiment of the 1st Polish Armoured Division. Initially in Italy, one Sherman IIA was allotted per tank troop if available, but later it equipped entire troops. 1,330 Sherman IIA were Lend-Leased—all to the British. "A" in the British designation denoted the 76mm gun.
The British forces in Italy did not use their standard cruiser tanks (such as the Crusader). Instead, in their place, they used Shermans and turretless Stuart tanks (such Stuarts, as well as regular gun-tank Stuarts, equipped their reconnaissance troops). In general, the Shermans acted in the infantry support role in difficult (mountainous and hilly) terrain against fixed-type German defences and fortifications. At the end of 1944, 76mm-, 105mm- (howitzer) and 17-pdr-armed Shermans began to be fielded by the British troops as they came up against the German-built and strongly-defended Gothic Line.
Sherman use by British and Commonwealth in Europe was comprehensive. The British Shermans were able to tackle enemy rearguard units and defending troops by using high-explosive (HE) shells which were fired indirectly at them whilst the German 5 cm Pak 38 anti-tank gun was only effective against the Sherman if it could engage it from the more-vulnerable sides. More of the British armoured units in North Africa were converted to increasingly-larger quantities of Shermans over time from their successful outcome at El Alamein.

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Sherman VC(a) Firefly

When it became obvious that the Challenger would not be available in time for the Normandy landings, the Sherman was suggested as an alternative to carry the powerful 17pdr gun. The feasibility of this was doubted, but an experimental installation proved it would indeed work with a minor adaptation of components. Subsequently a rush con-version program produced enough 17pdr-Shermans (nicknamed Fireflies) by June 1944 to provide an average of one per non-DD Sherman troop, and one per Cromwell troop in the 7th Armoured Division's 22nd Armoured Brigade. The Firefly at last gave the British a tank whose gun equalled or bettered those mounted in the majority of German tanks, as well as being superior to all U.S. tank guns. It was often used from an "overwatch" position; i.e., sitting back behind cover, protecting the forward ranks of 75mm Shermans against Tigers and Panthers. The Panzers rightly feared it, and had standing orders to attack Fireflies first in any engagement. The Firefly had neither a BMG nor its corresponding crew-man, his position being used to stow extra MA rounds. The most common version of the Firefly was the VC, a converted Sherman V; the next most common types were the IIC and the Hybrid IC (the latter being based on the Sherman I and equivalent to the IIC in game terms). "C" in the British designation denoted the 17pdr gun. In all, about 600 Fireflies were produced.

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Sherman IB

The Sherman IB was a version of the Sherman M4A3 105 tank that carried a 105mm howitzer, and was powered by the Wright-Continental R975 engine. 593 were Lend-Leased, all to the British who used them only in Italy. They were usually employed as CS (Close Support) tanks, often being called upon to provide indirect-fire support. "B" in the British designation denoted the 105mm howitzer.
The M4 105mm versions of the tank were based on the Medium Tank M4E5. They were the only late production versions of the M4 not to use wet shell storage. The M4E5 had carried 68 shells - 45 in floor racks, 21 in racks in the right sponson and two in a ready rack in the turret. The production M4(105) carried 66 shells in armoured floor and sponson racks, but eliminated the ready rack. To allow access to the floor racks most of the turret basket was removed. The M4(105) introduced the other changes from the "ultimate" design, including the sharp-nosed version of the differential and final drive housing, new driver seats and a vision cupola for the commander. The M4(105) entered production at the Detroit Tank Arsenal in February 1944, and 1,641 were built between then and March 1945. Of these 593 went to the UK, where they were designated the Sherman IB.
The last 841 M4(105)s were built with the HVSS suspension and wide 23in tracks. Early tanks were given the standard split circular commander's hatch, but during the production run the new vision cupola was installed. Originally the power traverse system was removed from the 105mm tanks, on the grounds that they wouldn't be engaged in fast moving armoured combat, but in service it was found that they often needed to fire on widely separated targets, and so the power traverse system was reintroduced (arriving in Europe at the very end of the war).

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British Cromwell IV T75 MT

The experiments of combat in North Africa had shown the real need for an armament more powerful than the gun of 57 mm, and able to use the same ammunition of 75 mm which the American gun of the same caliber. Centaur III (remotorized) equipped with this armament were renamed Cromwell IV. This gun of 75 mm was slightly lower than the gun of the American 75 mm M3 gun(Sherman) but higher than of the M2 gun of same caliber (Grant I). A version with welded hull Cromwell IVw (W = welded), was also carried out. The Cromwell Mk.IV was the most numerous variant with 1935 tanks built.
Development of the Cromwell, a distant descendant of (and intended replacement for) the Crusader, began in early 1942. It featured the powerful Rolls Royce Meteor engine (a variant of the famous Merlin aircraft engine used in the Hurricane and Spitfire), and by 1944 carried a 75mm gun derived in part from the 6pdr and specifically designed to fire the same ammunition as the Sherman. It was the fastest British Cruiser tank—though later models were geared down to improve the reliability of the suspension—and numerically was the most important British-built tank in 1944-45. Cromwells equipped the 7th Armoured Division's 22nd Armoured Brigade and the armoured recce regiments of the 7th, 11th, Guards, and 1st Polish Armoured Divisions—all of which fought only in NWE. A troop officially comprised three such tanks, but generally a fourth tank was also present—a Sherman Firefly for a troop in an armoured regiment, or a Challenger for an armoured recce regiment troop.