Canadian Sherman Firefly questions

[Alex van Riezen]

Hi all,

I'm currently researching this Canadian Firefly. It was lost in an ambush during the advance towards Putten on the 17th april 1945 in the Netherlands and later used used by the Germans. The strange thing is that the Germans replaced the muzzle brake with a German one from a PAK 40 afterwards. The vehicle is now in storage in the Netherlands, it still has the German muzzle brake. You can see pictures of this vehicle in 1945 in this link:

http://beute.narod.ru/Beutepanzer/us.../firefly-1.htm





I have the following questions:
- Which Canadian Unit lost this Firefly (probably 1st Troop, A Squadron, 8th Hussars)?
- Did this tank had a name?
- Are the names of the crew known?
- Is there a detailed combat report about the loss of the Sherman(s) on the 17th of April 1945?
- Was the muzzle brake damaged during this ambush? That may explain the German muzzle brake.


Some additional info about the Firefly which may help:
- Chassis number: C99205-5528
- Registration number: 30126631

Thanks in advance,

Alex van Riezen
The Netherlands