DESCRIPTION: As the U.S. Army began to evaluate the needs of armored warfare, it became apparent that the armored division’s artillery would need to have the same mobility as the tanks. To meet this requirement, the M7 “Priest” was developed. The M7B1 utilized the chassis of the M4 “Sherman” tank and the standard M101A1 105mm howitzer. The M7s first saw service with the British in 1942 and first saw battle at the Battle of El Alamein in North Africa. They nicknamed the vehicle “Priest” since all British self-propelled artillery was named after church officials (e.g. Bishops, Sextons). A total of over 4,200 M7 and M7B1s were produced between 1942 and 1945. The M7B1 continued to serve in the Texas National Guard into the mid-1950’s and was replaced by the M52. Crew: 7 Weight: 25tons (22,500 kg/ 49,500 lb) Height: 8 ft 4 in/ 2.54 m Width: 9 ft 5 in/ 2.88 m Length: 19 ft 9 in/ 6.02 m Engine: Continental 9-cylinder radial piston engine Horsepower: 375 hp/ 279.6 kW Maximum Range of howitzer: 11,200 yards/ 10,241 m Speed (road): 26 mph/ 41.8 kph Range (road): 125 miles/ 201 km Armament: Main: 105mm M101A1 Howitzer (with 69 rounds) Secondary: 50 cal M2 Machine Gun, anti-aircraft (with 300 rounds)