The Hole British Engineers Cut Into the Sherman — Why Tigers Died

In World War II, British engineers deliberately cut a hole into the Sherman tank — a modification that broke every rule of armored warfare and finally gave Allied crews a way to kill German Tiger tanks at range.

This is the story of the Sherman Firefly, the forbidden 17-pounder conversion that changed tank combat in Normandy and forced German heavy armor to retreat for the first time.

During World War II, Allied tank crews faced a deadly imbalance on the battlefield. German Tiger tanks dominated armored combat with superior firepower and armor, while standard Sherman tanks struggled to penetrate them at combat ranges.

British engineers responded with a desperate and controversial solution: converting the American Sherman tank to carry the powerful 17-pounder anti-tank gun. The result was the Sherman Firefly — a modified tank that required cutting a hole into the turret armor to make the gun fit.

This video explores why British engineers took that risk, how the Firefly performed in Normandy, and why the modification worked despite violating every principle of tank design. Through battlefield engagements, crew experiences, and post-war analysis, we examine how the Firefly changed the balance of armored warfare and why German Tiger crews suddenly began to fear a tank they once dismissed.

From the Tiger problem in North Africa to Normandy hedgerows, from the death of Michael Wittmann to the clash of Allied doctrines, this is the story of how a crude battlefield modification altered World War II tank combat.

00:00 The Tiger Problem
04:12 Why Shermans Couldn’t Kill Tigers
08:45 The 17-Pounder Gun
13:40 Cutting the Hole
18:55 The Sherman Firefly
24:30 The Cost to Firefly Crews
30:15 Firefly vs Tiger in Normandy
38:20 Michael Wittmann and the Firefly
45:10 Why the U.S. Rejected the Firefly
50:40 Sometimes You Have to Cut a Hole

#WW2
#TankWarfare
#ShermanFirefly
#TigerTank
#MilitaryHistory

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