Model of the American HMC M7 Priest howitzer

A plastic model of the M7 Priest self-propelled howitzer was made in 1:35 scale. Pictures were taken at the 12th International Modeling Festival Bytom 2015 in Poland.

"Priest" is the unofficial part of the name, gave by soldiers due to the characteristic shape of the shooting position, which resembles a church pulpit.

Mass production ran from April 1942 to June 1945. During this period, 4,315 copies were built. The design turned out to be successful and the weapon was used on all fronts of the Second World War.

In many countries, the howitzers were used long after the end of the global conflict. The United States modernized 127 vehicles and used them in the Korean War of 1950-1953. During this period, the Americans were withdrawing them and replacing with newer weapons.

The howitzer was powered by a gasoline engine. The M7 version was fitted out with a 9-cylinder aircraft radial engine with a displacement of 15945 cm³ (973 in³) and a maximum power of 298 kW (400 hp). On the other hand, the M7B1 version was equipped with an 8-cylinder car V engine with a displacement of 18,025 cm³ (1,100 in³) and a maximum power of 336 kW (450 hp).

Some technical data:

• Length: 6.02 m (19¾ ft),
• Width: 2.88 m (9⅖ ft),
• Height: 2.95 m (9.7 ft),
• Ground clearance: 0.43 m (16.9 in),
• Combat mass: 22.9  t (UK-22.54 tons, USA-25.24 tons),
• Speed at road: 40 km/h (24.9 mph),
• Off-road speed: 24 km/h (14.9 mph),
• Range: 130-200 km (81-124 mi),
• Crew: 7.

Armament:

• 105 mm (4.13 in) M1A2 howitzer with a supply of 69 rounds,
• Browning M2HB large-caliber machine gun caliber 12.7 mm (½ in) with a supply of 300 rounds.

Overcoming obstacles:

• Width of the ditch: 2.25 m (7⅖ ft),
• Depth of the ford: 1 m (3.3 ft),
• Height of the wall: 60 cm (2 ft),
• Driveway angle: 30°.

Another plastic model of the M7 Priest howitzer located in the Gallery.

Sources:

• https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/M7_Priest
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M7_Priest

17 Sept 2017