I agree, and can see a number of advantages for a horizontal breech block, particularly with the block sliding away from the loaders position, which would then make the handling of the large 17-pdr round easier to move sideways into alignment with the chamber.
The elevation of the gun would be restricted by, among other things, the design of the mantlet/turret external interface and internally what is located beneath the downward swing of the breech. So with regard to internal room, it would depend on the turret basket depth and stowage design. Was this so cramped in the Sherman as to dictate the manufacture, in the middle of a war, of a different breech when the vertical sliding breech was already in production?
Mike
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