M7 Priest | |
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![]() M7 preserved at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland | |
Type | Self-propelled gun |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
Used by | United States Army Argentine Army[1] Austrian Army[2] Belgian Army British Army Canadian Army French Army Israel Defense Forces Italian Army Norwegian army Pakistan Army Philippine Army Philippine Constabulary Republic of China Armed Forces Bundeswehr (West German Army) Yugoslav People's Army[3] |
Wars | World War II |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | American Locomotive Company (M7) Pressed Steel Car (M7B1) Federal Machine and Welder (M7) |
Produced | April 1942 – July 1945[4] |
No. built | M7: 3489, M7B1: 826 M7B2: 127 converted from M7B1[4] |
Variants | M7, M7B1, M7B2 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 50,640 lb (22.97 metric tons) |
Length | 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m)[5] |
Width | 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) with sandshields |
Height | 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m)[5] 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) over AA machine gun |
Crew | 8[4] |
Armor | 12–62 mm[5] |
Main armament | 105 mm M1/M2 howitzer 69 rounds |
Secondary armament | 1 × 0.5 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun 300 rounds |
Engine | Continental R-975 C1/C4 Ford GAA (M7B1) 400 or 340 hp (298 or 254 kW) |
Suspension | Vertical volute spring |
Operational range | 120 mi (193 km) |
Maximum speed | 24 mph (39 km/h) on road 15 mph (24 km/h) off-road |
The 105 mm howitzer motor carriage M7 was an American self-propelled artillery vehicle produced during World War II. It was given the service name 105 mm self propelled, Priest by the British Army, due to the pulpit-like machine gun ring, and following on from the Bishop and the contemporary Deacon self-propelled guns.