A30 Challenger tanks ... wavy barrels

[fsn]

Good afternoon Gentlemen.

The Firefly in NW Europe is often depicted with a "disguised" gun barrel. This is supposedly to hide it amongst standard 75mm armed tanks.


The Challenger didn't seem to have the same benefit when mixed with Cromwells.

... except in this picture .... which is apparently 1943 ... and Czech


... and this one which is 1945 Prague, and also the Czech brigade ...


So, aside from the Czechs, why didn't Challengers get disguised gun barrels?


One assumes it's because the differences between the Challenger and the Cromwell are greater than between the Sherman and the Firefly? Are there tactical or organisational reasons that made the wavy line unnecessary? 

[Sunray]

Good observations Stuart.  I suppose the question in my mind is, how universal was the disguised barrel on the Firefly?

Was it an official order/practice, or a field application in one unit that spread to some/most  others?

[fred.]

I wonder if this is because the Challenger is much bigger than the Cromwell, so disguising the barrel may be of little help

On the first photo the reverse shading (i.e. light colour underneath) actually works to disguise the barrel. This kind of colouring is often seen on animals, where their chest & stomach area is often light coloured. Its supposed to help with camouflage by reversing some the normal lighting effects.

[fsn]

Tbh there don't seem to be a lot of photos of Fireflies with wavy barrels. I wonder if it was something more trouble than it was worth. The osprey book on the firefly has only 4 picks of wavy barrels - 2 of them Polish.

[Leon]

Our Firefly website photo has a wavy barrel, nice little touch by JAD on that.

[Sunray]

Now you have done it Leon.  Someone will cry for a BKC rule that gives protection to a wavy barrel. The 88 crew will not be able to pick out such Fireflys for first round attack! 

[Leon]

Now you have done it Leon.  Someone will cry for a BKC rule that gives protection to a wavy barrel. The 88 crew will not be able to pick out such Fireflys for first round attack! 

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

With BKC I'd factor the Firefly into a Sherman base, use in 3 models as normal all with the same factor though, as the Fireflies seem to have been spread about amongst all the troops. Challengers may well have been different though. You can argue the same for US 76's in June-November 44.

[fsn]

I think though, His Saturnine Majesty has put his thumb on it.

Yes, Fireflies had wavy barrels. Photographic evidence is that they were not common. As many pictures of them being draped with netting and shrubbery. However, they add a splash of colour to otherwise uni-hued models. Therefore, wavy barrels become common amongst modellers.
Kiwis     False muzzle break on this one.



http://web.inter.nl.net/users/spoelstra/g104/firefly-cam.htm Interesting 1945 documents from 8th Army. Some indication the practice was more common in Italy than the NW.

Anyway. To go back to the original point, I'm leaving my Challengers (and now my Fireflies) with single colours.