The M7 Priest is a Self Propelled Howitzer developed by the United States during the Second World War, mounting a 105 mm M2A1 howitzer on an M3 Lee medium tank chassis. It entered service in 1942 and was widely used by US and Allied forces for mobile indirect fire; the open-top fighting compartment and pulpit-like machine-gun mount inspired the "Priest" nickname. The 32-tonne tracked vehicle is crewed by four — driver, gunner, commander, and loader — and is powered by a Continental R975-C4 radial engine producing 460 hp for 14.4 hp/t and a top speed of 39 km/h.
The 105mm M2A1 howitzer fires HE (M1) and anti-tank (M67) rounds with a 7.5-second reload and 35 rounds stowed; the commander's cupola has a stabilized 12.7mm M2 machine gun. Sights are a 4x telescope for the howitzer with no rangefinder or stabilizer on the main gun.
