The 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage (HMC) M7 was the workhorse of US Army motorised artillery units, allowing unparalleled close fire support. Built on the ubiquitous M4 Sherman hull, the open-topped superstructure held a 105mm howitzer supported by a .50 cal heavy machine gun on a ring mount – a characteristic which inspired the British to nickname the M7 as ‘Priest’ due to its pulpit-like appearance.
Almost 3,500 M7s were produced during WWII. In US service, the M7 was a great success. During the Battle of the Bulge, each U.S. armoured division had three battalions of M7s, giving them unparalleled mobile artillery support. The M7 Priest also saw action in the Pacific and throughout the Korean War. In North Africa, the British 8th Army used 90 M7s and, despite supply problems getting the right, American-made ammunition, the 8th Army continued to use the M7 Priest into Sicily and Italy campaigns. Several British and Canadian divisions used M7 Priests in the invasion of Normandy before being eventually replaced.
Box contains one resin and metal M7 Priest self-propelled gun, order dice, waterslide decals and game accessories.
In games of Bolt Action the M7 is classed as a light tank armed with a medium howitzer, and can be included in Armoured Platoons. It can also be used in games of Achtung Panzer!, the game of close-quarters tank-on-tank combat, its rules can be found in the Achtung Panzer! rulebook.
