During World War 2 the British Army realized the Sherman medium tank was inferior against German armor, especially the Tigers and Panthers. They needed to take the standard Sherman and find a way to field a larger more effective main gun. This was accomplished by installing their venerable 17 Pounder high-velocity cannon in an enlarged turret. This new Sherman variant was christened the "Firefly" and the British finally had a tank that could go toe to toe with any German tank.