NationMaster - Encyclopedia: M7 Priest

The Howitzer Motor Carriage M7 was an American self-propelled artillery vehicle produced during World War II. It was given the official nickname Priest in British service, due to the pulpit like machine gun ring and following on from the Bishop self propelled gun. This developed into a tradition of naming self-propelled guns after ecclesiastic titles with the Sexton and Abbot. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (486x640, 126 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The metre, or meter, is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: SystÃ¨me International dUnitÃ©s). ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ... A picture of a destroyed M113 armoured personnel carrier showing a section of the armour. ... The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... A U.S. M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called mobile artilley or locomotive artillery) vehicles mount a large howitzer (or alternatively mortar or rockets) and are used for long-range indirect bombardment support. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the globe... The Bishop was a British self-propelled artillery vehicle based on the Valentine II chassis. ... General characteristics Length 20 ft 1 in/ 6. ... General Characteristics FV 433 Field Artillery, Self-Propelled (Abbot) Length: (gun forward) 5. ...

History

Witnessing the events of the war, American observers realized that they would need a self-propelled artillery vehicle with sufficient firepower to support infantry operations. Lessons learned with half-tracks (such as the T19) also showed that this vehicle would have to be armored and fully tracked. It was decided to use the M3 Lee chassis as the basis for this new vehicle, which was designated T32. The M3 Medium Tank was an American tank used during World War II. In Britain the tank was called Lee and its modified version, with a new turret, was called Grant. As a rush job intended to be brought from design to production in a short period, the M3 was... A chassis (plural: chassis) consists of a framework which supports an inanimate object, analogous to an animals skeleton; for example in the construction of an automobile or of a firearm. ...

After reworking the M3 by providing an open topped superstructure, mounting a 105mm howitzer and, following trials, adding a machine gun; the T32 was accepted for service as the M7 in February 1942 and production began that April.

While the first M7's were produced for the US Army, supply was soon diverted to support the lend-lease policy. 90 M7's were sent to the British 8th Army stationed in North Africa, who were also the first to use it in combat during the Second Battle of El Alamein. The M7 soon proved itself successful and the British requested 5,500 of them, an order which was never fully completed. US Army Seal The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The Lend-Lease program was a program of the United States during World War II that allowed the United States to provide the Allied Powers with war material without becoming directly involved in the war. ... The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations in World War II, fighting in the campaigns in North Africa and Italy. ... North Africa is a region generally considered to include: Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara The Azores, Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Madeira are sometimes considered to be a part of North Africa. ... The Battle of Alamein, or more correctly the Second Battle of El Alamein, marked a significant turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II. The battle lasted from October 23 to November 3, 1942. ...

They did find problems with the M7 though, as the primary armaments were of American, not British standard. This meant that the M7's had to be supplied separately, causing logistical complications. It was a problem that was only truly resolved in 1944 on arrival of the 25-pounder-armed Sexton. Until that time though, the British continued to use the M7 throughout the North African Campaign, the Italian Campaign and even a few during the early days of the Normandy Invasion. After the Sexton did appear, most British M7's were converted into armored personal carriers dubbed Kangaroo. General characteristics Length 20 ft 1 in/ 6. ... The North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, of World War II took place in the North African desert during 1940-1943. ... The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war. ... The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ... East German BRDMs on parade during celebrations of the 40th anniversary of East Germany in 1989 Armoured personnel carriers (APCs) are light armoured fighting vehicles for the transport of infantry. ... Kangaroo personnel carrier A Kangaroo was a World War II British or Commonwealth armoured personnel carrier, created by conversion of a tank chassis. ...

In US service the M7 was a great success. Each US Armored Division had three battalions of M7s, giving them unparalleled mobile artillery support.

A total of 3,490 M7's were built and they proved to be reliable weapons, continuing to see service in the U.S. and allied armies well past World War II.

Variants

The first M7's produced were modified M3 Lee medium tanks. In order to maintain a low silhouette, the howitzer elevation had to be restricted to 35°. In May 1942, after only a month of production, the vehicle was altered to increase its ammunition stowage from 24 to 69 rounds. This was achieved by placing seven rounds on the left wall, five on the right, and storing the remainder under floor plates. The M7 also went through a fairly rapid shift from being based on the M3, to having more commonality with the M4 Sherman. The first major example was an adoption of the M4's three piece housing, single piece casting and suspension. In British service, some M7's carried a wireless radio at the cost of sacrificing 24 rounds of ammunition storage. The M4 Medium Tank was the main tank designed and built by the US for use in World War II. In the UK lend-lease M4s were dubbed M4 General Sherman after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, continuing a practice of naming American tanks after famous Generals. ...

Completing the shift, the M7B1 was fully based on the M4A3 Sherman chassis. It was standardized in September 1943, and declared substitute standard in January 1945.

During the Korean War, the limited elevation of the howitzer became noticeably problematic and it was increased to 65°. The machine gun mount also had to be raised to give a 360° firing arc. The Korean War (Korean: í•œêµì „ìŸ/éŸ“åœ‹æˆ°çˆ), from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ...

A Canadian APC conversion of the M7 for use by British and Commonwealth units in Europe. The Kangaroo could carry 20 infantry plus a crew of two. 102 were converted between October 1944 and April 1945. They were superseded by the Ram conversions. General characteristics Length: ? m Width: ? m Height: ? m Weight: 32 t Suspension: sprung bogie Speed: 25 mph ? km/h (road) ? km/h (off-road) Range: ? km Primary armament: Mk. ...

See also

The following is a (partial) listing of M series military vehicles used by the US Army. ...

External links

Categories: American self-propelled artillery | World War II self-propelled artillery | World War II American armored fighting vehicles | Cold War American armored fighting vehicles An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, equipped with protection against hostile attacks and often mounted weapons. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the globe... The Stuart was an American light tank of World War II in use with British forces prior to the entry of the USA into the European theatre. ... The M3 Medium Tank was an American tank used during World War II. In Britain the tank was called Lee and its modified version, with a new turret, was called Grant. As a rush job intended to be brought from design to production in a short period, the M3 was... The M4 Medium Tank was the main tank designed and built by the US for use in World War II. In the UK lend-lease M4s were dubbed M4 General Sherman after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, continuing a practice of naming American tanks after famous Generals. ... The M22 Locust was an American airmobile light tank used during World War II. Contents // Categories: Light tanks | World War II United States tanks | Stub ... General characteristics Length 5. ... The Heavy Tank M26 Pershing was an American tank used during World War II and the Korean War. ... A U.S. M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called mobile artilley or locomotive artillery) vehicles mount a large howitzer (or alternatively mortar or rockets) and are used for long-range indirect bombardment support. ... The Stuart was an American light tank of World War II in use with British forces prior to the entry of the USA into the European theatre. ... Self-propelled anti-tank vehicles, generally known as tank destroyers, are a type of armoured fighting vehicle, used primarily in the defensive role in destroying enemy tanks. ... General characteristics Length 6. ... The Gun Motor Carriage M18 was an American tank destroyer of World War II. It was often given the nickname Hellcat and is recorded as being the fasted tracked armored fighting vehicle during the war. ... M36 during the Battle of the Bulge in January, 1945 The Gun Motor Carriage M36 was an American tank destroyer in World War II. It was often referred to as the Jackson or Slugger. ... M3 Half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. ... M3 half-track The M3 half-track was an armoured vehicle used by the United States during World War II. Categories: Military stubs | World War II American armored fighting vehicles ... // Military armored cars A French VBL reconnaissance vehicle. ... General characteristics Length 5 m Width 2. ... The M3 Scout Car was one of the most important, although less heard of, vehicles in U.S. service during World War II. It was used in a similar fashion to the Jeep. ... The M20 Armored Utility Car, also known as the M20 Scout Car, was an M8 with the turret removed. ... General characteristics Length: 11. ... This page details tank production by the United States of America during World War II. Light tanks Stuart series The USA began 1940 with the M1 and M2 Combat Cars (later designated M1 Light Tank). ...

Contents

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Variants

See also

External links

History