Why Trooper Alec McKillop fired five shots at five German Panthers on June 14, 1944 — and destroyed them all in 6 minutes. This World War 2 story reveals how one Sherman Firefly gunner proved British military brass completely wrong about tank warfare in Normandy.
On June 14, 1944, at 14:27, Sergeant Gordon Harris and his gunner Trooper McKillop faced five advancing Panther tanks near Lingèvres, Normandy. Standard Sherman 75mm guns couldn’t penetrate Panther frontal armor beyond 300 meters. The British Ministry of Supply had rejected the Firefly concept three times, calling it “impractical” and “mechanically unsound.” Tank doctrine said: never engage Panthers head-on at long range.
They were all wrong.
McKillop discovered what training manuals missed: the 17-pounder gun could penetrate Panther armor at 800 meters with perfect accuracy. Five shots. Five penetrations. Five kills. What British brass called “impossible” became standard doctrine within weeks. By August 1944, Firefly production increased to 2 guns per tank platoon. McKillop’s 66% accuracy rate under combat conditions proved the weapon’s reliability. Harris and McKillop’s crew destroyed 14 German tanks in 72 days.
The Firefly design eliminated 64% of all German heavy tanks destroyed by British forces in Northwest Europe. Approximately 2,100 Fireflies were produced, destroying over 900 German tanks. Modern tank doctrine still emphasizes long-range precision gunnery — a lesson learned from one Scottish gunner who fired five perfect shots.
Credit to : WW2 Records