M7 Priest Motor Gun Carriage

M7 Priest production line at American Locomotive Company, January 1943.

M7 Priest Motor Gun Carriage at desert training near Iron Mountains, CA early in World War II. Lt. M. Hutchison of Enterprise, AL is at the extreme right. Cpl. L. Roberts from Graham, TX is at post behind the howitzer. The third soldier is identified as Col. R. Downing of DeKalb, MO.

M7 Priest Motor Gun Carriage towing a trailer, 1943 photo.

M7 Priest Motor Gun Carriage of B Battery, 300th Armored Field Artillery Bn., X Corps. Occupants are (L-R): Sergeant First Classs Allen J. Helms, Chief of Section; Corporal Joseph Stair, Gunner; Sergeant Richard N. Null, Lanyard Man; Corporal Robert C. Smith, Cannoner. All the men are from Cody, WY. Photo taken 1 July 1951 in Korea.

M7 Priest Motor Gun Carriage at 4th Infantry Division Museum, Ft. Hood, TX, 2 December 2005. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.

M7 Priest Motor Gun Carriage at 4th Infantry Division Museum, Ft. Hood, TX, 2 December 2005. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.

M7 Priest Motor Gun Carriage at 4th Infantry Division Museum, Ft. Hood, TX, 2 December 2005. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.

M7B2 Priest Motor Gun Carriage at 4th Infantry Division Museum, Ft. Hood, TX, 2 December 2005. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.

M7 Priest Motor Gun Carriage

The Motor Carriage, M7 (Priest) is a self-propelled 105mm howitzer built on an M4 Sherman tank chassis and lower hull. It differs from the Sherman tank with a new superstructure in the front mounting a standard 105mm M2A1 howitzer, offset to the right. It is also armed with a .50 cal. machine gun. The M7 Priest was developed starting in June 1941 (designated T-32) and was first used by the British in North Africa. Total production was 4,267 units.

The 25 ton M7 Priest is powered by a Continental A05-895-4 500 hp gasoline engine which moves it at up to 24 mph on the road. The M7B2 variation had a slightly higher pulpit area than the M7. They were manufactured by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, NY. It was superseded by the M-52 105mm Self-propelled Howitzer in the 1950s.

M7 Priest Motor Gun Carriage, view from rear of vehicle, 1943 photo.

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