American Self-Propelled Guns

GUN MOTOR CARRIAGE M7 "Priest"
M7 Priest	DIMENSIONS
	Mass (mt): 22.96	Length (m): 6	Width (m): 2.53	Height (m): 2.86
	TIME PERIOD: 1942 (M7 Priest) to End of War (M7B1 Priest)
When the M3 Grant went into production, its chassis was quickly co-opted to make an open-topped self-propelled carriage for a 105mm howitzer. Equipped with an unusual "pulpit" cupola for a machine gun, this self-propelled gun was nicknamed the "Priest." In 1943, after the M4 Sherman became the standard American medium tank, a new version of the M7 based on the M4A3 chassis, the M7B1, was created and standardized. The British were so impressed with the Priest that they wanted 5,500 for their own use between 1942 and 1943, a desire that the Americans could not fulfill. However, because of the precarious situation of the Royal Army in North Africa, 90 Priests allocated for American armor resources were diverted to the British in September 1942. The M7B1 Priest then went on to be the progenitor of the Wolverine tank destroyers M10 and M36.

GUN MOTOR CARRIAGE M40
M40 SPG	DIMENSIONS
	Mass (mt): 36	Length (m): 6.62	Width (m): 3.13	Height (m): 2.66
	TIME PERIOD: 1945 to End of War
A replacement for the M12, the M40 was designed on the M4A3 chassis to carry the new M1 155mm howitzer. Intended to be used as an indirect-fire artillery piece rather than a direct-fire anti-tank gun, it had very little armor, no forward protection for the gun crew, and no secondary machine guns. It was first used in the battle for Cologne and served in its support role well until the end of the war.