With the arrival of the Grant and Sherman tanks from the USA, and delays in some of the better Cruiser tank designs, Great Britain at last started to redress the firepower issue with our tanks. Taking the Sherman, in order to counter the thicker armour in the German Panther and Tiger tanks, it was decided to modify the Sherman turret in order to accommodate a bigger gun.
The bigger gun came in the form of the powerful 17 pounder anti tank gun adapted to fit in a tank. With this weapon the Tank stood a very great chance of penetrating the Panther and even the heavier Tiger tank. The longer gun though, made it an easily identifiable target for the Germans eager to destroy this new threat. Crews therefore tried where possible to disguise the gun making it look like the standard 76mm gun and less of an enticement to German gunners!!
