History, technical details and pictures

History of the M7 Priest

Before the start of the WW2, the U.S. military wanted to develop a more powerful mobile artillery. Engineers reused the chassis of the tank M3 Stuart and modified the structure of the armored vehicle, opening a space capable of integrating a 105 mm Howitzer M2A1 L/22.5 gun.

The M7 tank has, for its protection, a small turret on the front-right which can be equipped with a 12.7 mm machine guns. The shape of the turret recalls churches chairs, where priests are doing their preaching, thus the M7 tank was nicknamed "Priest".

The British were the first to use the M7 Priest on the battlefields of North Africa, including El Alamein. Considered by the military allies as a self-propelled guns of good quality and strong, the M7 Priest was used throughout the Second World War, but also during the Korean War as "M7B2".

Actually resistant, the M7 self-propelled gun could hardly climb the heights, because of its very important weight.

M7 Priest sheet

Country creator/user: USA
Name: M7 Priest

Rate of fire: 6,19 m
Width: 2,87 m
Height: 2,54 m
Weigth: 22 700 kg
Maximum speed: 40 km/h

Main gun: 105 mm M2A1 L/22.5
Secondary armament: 12,7 mm HB M2

Engine: Ford GAA, 450 hp

Crew: 7

Front shield: 62 mm