M7 Priest

M7 Priest
Pays	USA
Type	Self-propelled gun
Manufacturer	American Locomotive Company
Produced	April 1942-July 1945

Photo Gallery on an M7 Priest, officially named 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7, the M7 Priest is a self-propelled gun produced during World War II by the United States. Priest is the nickname given by the British, due to the fact that the machine gun placed on a rail gave the impression that the tank was equipped with a pulpit. It followed the English Bishop and they officially called it 105mm SP Priest. (The British liked to give names related to religion to their self-propelled guns (Priest - priest, Bishop , bishop, Sexton - sacristan), a tradition that lasted until the 1960s with the Abbot (abbot).)

Source: M7 Priest on Wikipedia

M7 Priest – Walkround
Photographer	Unknow
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	92

M7 Priest 01

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M7 Priest 08

M7 Priest 09

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Technical features: Équipage : 7 Longueur : 6,02 m Largeur : 2,87 m Hauteur : 2,95 m Masse au combat : 22 970 kg Blindage : coque:51 mm avant Armement principal : Howitzer 105 mm M2A1 (69 obus) Armement secondaire : 1 Mitrailleuse Browning M2 de 12,7 mm (300 balles) Moteur : Wright (Continental) R975 C1 400 ch (299 kW) Suspension : ressorts verticaux en spirales Vitesse sur route : 40 km/h (24 en tout terrain) Puissance massique : 17,4 ch/tonne Autonomie : 193 km

M7 Priest Walk Around
Photographer	Kevin Seymour
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	27

M7 Priest

Design and Origin

Chassis Base: Initially built on the chassis of the M3 Lee medium tank. Later variants utilized the improved M4 Sherman tank chassis.
Nickname Origin: British troops dubbed it the “Priest” due to the ring-mounted machine gun position, which resembled a pulpit.
Design Feature: It was characterized by an open-topped superstructure, which gave the crew easy access to the main gun but offered limited protection from shell fragments and shrapnel.
Role: Provided indirect long-range fire support (artillery) and direct fire support for infantry and armor.

General Specifications (M7 HMC)

Specification	Detail
In Service	1942 – 1950s (US Army)
Main Armament	105 mm M2 Howitzer
Secondary Armament	1 x .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2 Browning HMG in a “pulpit” ring mount
Weight	~15.8 tonnes
Crew	5 to 6 (Commander, Driver, Gunner, Loader, etc.)
Armor (Max)	12 – 62 mm
Max Speed (Road)	42 km/h (26 mph)

Key Variants

Variant	Chassis Base	Key Feature / Change
M7 HMC (Original)	M3 Lee	Initial production run; utilized components of the M3 Lee tank.
M7B1 HMC	M4A3 Sherman	Standardized on the M4A3 Sherman chassis to simplify logistics and maintenance.
M7B2 HMC	M7B1 Modified	Post-WWII modification; machine gun mount raised and howitzer traverse capability increased for the Korean War.
“Kangaroo”	M7 Field Conversion	Canadian and British field conversion where the howitzer was removed to create an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC).

The M7 Priest was highly effective in providing crucial, mobile artillery fire, seeing combat from the deserts of North Africa and Sicily to the hedgerows of Normandy and beyond. It remained a primary piece of self-propelled artillery for the U.S. and allied forces into the 1950s.