History
The US army knew they needed a self-propelled artillery piece to support armored operations and infantry. The vehicle had to be provided with enough firepower and armored against enemy fire. The chassis of the M3 Lee was used as a base and it was combined with a 105 mm Howitzer. It also received a .50 Cal Browning machine gun for protection.
The chassis of the M4A3 Sherman was used for later versions of the 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7. This version was designated M7B1.
A 155 mm Howitzer version was also made especially for targets in the Mountains. And an M7 Kangaroo was made, here the main armament was removed to transport troops and equipment together with an advancing armored unit. This M7 Kangaroo was a first version for the American army of an armored infantry vehicle, this variant was also called Defrocked Priest or Unfrocked Priest.
A total of 3,489 M7s and 826 M7B1s were built. They proved to be reliable weapons, continuing to see front-line service in the US and other armies well past the end of World War Two. They converted 127 M7B1’s into M7B2 versions. The first M7’s were based on the M3 Lee chassis, as the war developed the M4 Sherman chassis were used. The M7B1 were solemnly based on the M4 chassis and the 127 M7B2 were converted from these M7B1’s after the Second World War and used in the Korean War.
This particular M7 SPG is a M7B1 made by the Pressed Steel Car company with a Ford GAA engine.
Specifications
The 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7 was manufactured by the American Locomotive Company from April 1942 to July 1945. After World War II it was used in the Korean War. The M7 Priest had a length of 6.02 meters, a width of 2.87 meters and was 2.95 meters high. It weighed 22970 kilograms and had a top speed of 24 km/h off road, 39 km/h on road. It had an operational range of 193 kilometers. Its armor was 12 to 62 mm. The main weapon was a 105 mm howitzer with 69 rounds. With its crew of 7 it could fire 4 to 6 of the 20 kilograms shells a minute. Secondary it had one M2 Browning 12.7 mm machine gun with 300 rounds.
Priest and the Brits
The M7 Priest got its name because the 105 mm howitzer was placed in a surrounded turret. This dome was reminiscent of a pulpit and was a reference to a saint, a priest.
The 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7 was supplied to several countries and used on almost all fronts. The English were impressed by the vehicle and together with the Canadian engineers they developed their own M7 Sexton with a 25-pounder gun based on the M7 Priest.
