- Yes.
- No.
- In a future Dutch/BeNeLux techtree.
- In the French BeNeLux sub-tree
- Other (Please explain in the comments).
- I said “No” in the first question.
Hello everyone, I’m on a mission to suggest every single M4 Sherman tank used by the Netherlands!
This is the Dutch M4 Composite Firefly IC!
A Dutch M4 Composite Firefly IC driving through a training area
Source: Foto's
History
Spoiler
As soon as the second world war had ended, the Netherlands was in a bad shape. Years under German occupation had left it broken and without any kind of Army. Getting the Army up and running again was a top priority for the Netherland leadership.
Luckily when all the allied forces were moving out of Europe they didn’t take everything with them. Many large militairy dumps could be found in various locations. In the Netherlands there were two large onces, one at the Deelen Airbase, and one near Enschede. The Deelen dump was filled with ex-Canadian equipment, and the Enschede dump with both British and Canadian equipment.
The total list of different gun and vehicle types present in those dump is far to much to list here. But during 1946 many of these vehicles were purchased for a cheap price. Everything bought from these dumps were given a class designation R1, R2, D or S.
- R1 stood for simple repair (Within 50 work hours)
- R2 stood for thorough repair
- D stood for disassembly for spare parts
- S stood for demolition.
Any of the vehicles with the R1 or R2 class would end up getting repaired and put in service.
Later it was determined that a total of 7373 vehicles were present in these militairy dumps.
The Bureau of Spoils of War would end up buying 1168 of these for a total of 1 Million Guilders. 253 of these were of the R1 class, 731 were R2 and 184 were of class D or S.That now starts to bring us to the topic of this suggestion. The dump in Enschede was mostly filled with tanks, and most of those were Shermans of various types. The Dutch would, at atleast some point, have every single main Sherman variant in service. From the M4 to the M4A4.
The exact number of Dutch M4 Composite Firefly’s in these early days in unknown. The problem was that due to a lack of proper identification of the various sub types of Shermans, the M4 Composite was simply added up with the M4A1’s. In 1951 this was however changed, and a total of 46 had been accounted for. The source I’m using for this does not mention 17 pounder specifically, so it’s unclear if any of these were armed with a 75mm gun for example.
A large number of the Dutch Shermans were used for training schools. And, from what I can find, the same was done with these M4 Composite Firefly’s. A lack of photos of these tanks on the National Archives also makes me think that these Composite Firefly’s didn’t really have a large role outside of the training grounds. The Dutch Army also had M4A4 Firefly’s, which can be seen in a slightly more active role, so I’m guessing these Composite versions were not liked liked as much. Or looking at the two good photos I did find of them, their condition was not great so they remained in the training grounds.
That pretty much marks the end for the Dutch M4 Composite Firefly IC. Really not much to talk about, that’s sadly what happens with tanks used only by training schools
*Sadly there are no special features that would set this M4 apart from the standard M4 Composite model.
Specifications
Spoiler
Mass: 31.5 tons
Crew: 4Powerplant: Continental R-975 C1 radial engine
Engine horsepower: 400 hp
Max speed: 39 km/h
Suspension type: Vertical Volute Spring System (VVSS)
Track extensions available: “Duckbill” end connectors on the outside of the tracksArmour:
Hull: (Large Hatch, Late 1-Piece Differential Cover)
- Front: ~63.5 mm at ~47°
- Sides: 38.1 mm at 0° + 25.4 mm Applique Armor plates at specific spots
- Rear: 38.1 mm at 9°
- Roof: 19.5 mm
Turret: (Modified D50878 turret, 17-pounder gun mount)
- Mantlet: 50.8 mm
- Front: 76.2 mm
- Sides: 50.8 mm
- Rear: 63.5 mm
- Roof: 25.4 mm
Armament:
- 1 x 1 75 mm QF 17-pounder cannon
- Ammunition storage: 80 rounds
- 1 x 1 12.7 mm M2HB machine gun
- Ammunition storage: 800 rounds
- 1 x 1 7.62 mm L3A1 coaxial machine gun
- Ammunition storage: 5000 rounds
Ingame
Spoiler
I know what you might say, it’s just another M4 Sherman. And you’d be right! Normally the vehicles I suggest are unique vehicles I’d want to see ingame. But in this case it’s just a M4A1 Sherman.
The reason I’m suggesting this, and all other Dutch operated Sherman tanks, is because I feel that they are still a necessary part of a potential independent BeNeLux techtree (Not the sad sub-tree we have now). ← Written on the 26th of Januari 2025We have just one M4 Composite Firefly in the game for the Italian techtree, so this could be a nice second one to add. I really like the Sherman Firefly, so the more the better!
Ofcourse the BeNeLux has been added to France, so this is now the only option where Dutch vehicles will go to. But it must be said that the Netherlands and France have nothing in common, and do not make sense to combine together ingame.
Another angle of the same Firefly in the training area
Source: Foto's
That would be all for today, see you next time!
Sources
Spoiler
Main source:
- “Wiel en Rups, Voertuigen van de landmacht 1945-2015” book by Sander Ruys
Extra sources:
Engine:
Photos: