M7 Priest

"Let us lay upon them, the wrath of GOD!"

"Let us lay upon them the wrath of GOD, with greater accuracy!"

The M7 Priest was an American-designed Self Propelled Gun (SPG) that was primarily used by the British and American armies. It earned its name from its interesting design, with the BMG mount making it look like a priest's pulpit.

Mid War

The Stats

Late War

The later stats

IRL

The M7 started as a modified M3 Lee chassis that could hold a 105mm cannon, after American observation of the war found a need for SPG within their armored divisions. Lessons learned from the failed T19 (TL;DR, a half track with a mortar) influenced the development of the vehicle as a dedicated tracked SPG. Later in the war, the vehicle was built on the M4 chassis with the adoption of the Sherman as the primary tank for the United States to ease logistics.

The British got their hands on some of the first vehicles, and while they found them to be decent enough vehicles, the 105mm Howitzer used separate ammunition from other British guns, which complicated logistics. They saw reliable service in Africa with the Bongs, and served a vital role in the Pacific Theater due to its BMG providing protection from Infantry while the cannon could shell the Japanese troops hiding in their bunkers. The United States mass produced the things to the point where they were a common sight during the liberation of the Philippines and were attached to every armored division during the Battle of the Bulge. They would be withdrawn from service in favor of the M4(105), which allowed gunners to fire the same round from a fully protected turret, although with less elevation. However, the British phased them out with the towed QF 25-pounder, converting them into early APCs to speed up the movement of troops through Europe after the Normandy landings.

Post war, the M7 was exported to DA JOOOOZ Israel, West Germany, and Italy. The M7 saw service in Korea due to its greater mobility compared to traditional artillery cannons, though the gun had to be modified to aim at a higher angle to fire over the relatively high Korean mountains. In Israeli service, it served throughout most of the Early Israeli wars, playing a critical role in holding the still controversial Golan Heights.