It is quite commonly claimed that German gunners would prioritize, focus or single out Sherman Fireflies instead of other tanks. Yet, there is little to no evidence it in German sources, just to be sure I took a closer look at the information available to Germans based on the military intelligence from Fremde Heere West (Foreign Armies West) and experience reports that I found in the German military archives (BAMA).

Cover Images:
Official Army Photographer, Public domain, A GI inspects a British Sherman Firefly which has suffered a penetrating hit to its frontal armour and burned out, Normandy, 18 July 1944. (colorized by MHV)
U.S. ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY, Public domain, BRITISH TANK PATROLLING THE MEUSE AT NAMUR, 1944 (colorized by vonKickass)

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»» SOURCES ««

Bundesarchiv: various

Nachrichtenblatt Panzertruppen, various issues 1944-1945

Roman Töppel: Correspondence with Panzer Veterans

Buttjer Freimann: Signal Voice Messages

Fletcher, David; Zaloga, Steven J.: British Battle Tanks: American-made World War II Tanks, Osprey Publishing: Oxford, UK, 2018.

The Chieftain: Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: Sherman VC “Firefly" part 2, 28th March 2017, https://youtu.be/tYRFpe27SnA?si=BsnPlXTEzmnsSR9u last accessed: 28th July 2025

Zaloga: Zaloga, Steven: Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II, Stackpole Books: Mechanicsburg, PA, USA, 2008.

Hunnicutt, Richard Pearce: Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank., ECHO POINT Books & MEDIA: Brattleboro, Vermont, USA, 2015.

Doubler, Michael D.: Busting the Bocage: American Combined Arms Operations in France, 6 June-31 July 1944. Combat Studies Institute: U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Buckley, John: British Armour in the Normandy Campaign, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Ltd: London, UK, 2006.

Hart, Stephen A.: Sherman Firefly vs. Tiger: Normandy 1944. Osprey Publishing: Oxford, UK, 2007.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease_Sherman_tanks#British_nomenclature

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnance_QF_17-pounder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QF_3.7-inch_AA_gun

00:00 Intro
01:58 Determining what the Germans knew
02:28 FHW Sherman Report July 1944
04:46 Experience Report Normandy 6th to 24th June
10:48 Underestimation of the 17 Pounder?
13:17 Patreon
13:46 Tactical Notes 6th June to 24th June 1944
15:03 Nachrichtenblatt der Panzertruppen 1944/45
18:59 Dissemination of Information
20:12 British Statistical Data
22:01 German Veteran Statement
23:53 Conclusion

#firefly #germanpov #germanperspective #germanarmyww2 #ww2 #militaryarchives