M7 Priest - USA: books - history, types and construction

M7 Priest 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage

Based upon the ubiquitous Grant/Sherman tank, the M7 Priest is the iconic Allied self-propelled howitzer. It was the most widely manufactured vehicle of its type in World War ll and was utilized by the US, British, Canadian and Free French forces. Its combat debut was with Montgomery's Eight Army at El Alamein and it fought subsequently in every major campaign through Sicily, Italy, Normandy and the final battles in Germany.
In addition to covering all variants of the Priest, this book also looks at the major derivatives, including the British/Canadian Sexton and the US M12 155mm GMC.

Contents: Introduction - Design & Development - Operational History - Variants - Bibliography - Index.

M7 Priest : Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives

The M7 Howitzer Motor Carriage, dubbed the Priest, was the most successful and widely used example of American self-propelled artillery during WWII. Examples continued to be used by the U.S. Army during the Korean war, and beyond, even serving Allied countries into the 1970s.
Coined the Priest due to its pulpit-like structure for the gun commander, this armored fighting vehicle would see action in North Africa, Italy, and the D-Day landings in Normandy and all the way to Germany.