gazzavc

You would never waste the AP capacity of a Firefly with HE rounds. 17pdr Mk I HE rounds were universally disliked by their crews. The round was too high velocity and tended to "dig in" before exploding. In early 45 there was a 17 pdr Mk II HE rounds which was a reduced velocity round (lower propelant charge) which helped. The 17 pounder gun tanks carried maybe 10% of the loadout with HE, and even that was stored in the ex co-drivers storage bins. The main load was APC , APCBC and APDS for anti-tank work. There were always enough 75mm armed Shermans about to chuck all the HE around that was needed. Gary

In regards to ammo loadout , the loading scales for the 1st Airlanding Anti-Tank battery at Arnhem were as follows: Both types were well provided with the new and still secret “Sabot” (APDS) ammunition which could penetrate any German armour then known and, thus equipped, the 6-pounder with its lower profile was claimed to be the most effective anti-tank gun in service at the time. The 6-pounder traveled in a Horsa glider with its jeep, gun detachment and ammunition. The long barrel of the gun did not permit space for a trailer so the ammunition had to be accommodated in and around the towing jeep. Forty two rounds per gun were carried of which fifteen were normal armour piercing shot (APCBC) and twenty seven were Sabot (APDS). The 17-pounder, being longer and heavier, was carried in the larger Hamilcar glider along with its towing vehicle, a specially adapted Morris Commercial which carried the gun detachment and the ammunition consisting of twenty armour piercing (APCBC) and ten Sabot (APDS) rounds per gun. http://www.1stairlandingantitankbattery.com/ Hope this helps. Gary