To the average person, this vehicle looks like a tank, but it’s not. It’s an artillery piece. One key difference is the main gun, a 105 mm Howitzer. Compare this to a 75 mm gun on a Sherman tank. Also on the M7 the crew is riding on top of the vehicle in the open unlike a tank crew tucked away safely inside the tank. So the men on the M7 had no armor plating protecting them in combat. But the track gave this gun the mobility to advance alongside tanks and infantry into the thick of battle.
My father-in-law served on an M7 in the 276th Armored Field Artillery Battalion. When his son asked him what he did in WWII, the veteran told him he was on a tank, rather than trying to explain to him about the track-mounted artillery piece. So as a boy my husband proudly proclaimed to his friends that his father served on a tank with Patton. As he grew older my husband learned more about the war and he continued to ask his father questions. Although reluctant to talk about his WWII experiences, the ex-GI explained that the vehicle he manned was actually an M7 105 mm Self Propelled Gun, also called an M7 Priest. (The British dubbed it “Priest” due to the .50 caliber machine gun mounted in a drum-like ring on the front that resembled a priest’s pulpit.)
The former soldier rarely relayed stories about the war. When he did, he told of experiences during the Battle of the Bulge, Remagen Bridge and the invasion of Germany as part of Patton’s Third Army. GI’s on the front didn’t know the big picture. He said that as long as they were moving, they figured things were going good.
Reading the history of the 276th AFA BN put their role in the war in perspective. I learned that these artillery pieces were assigned to whatever front or division needed their support. So, like other artillery units, the 276th was not included in the combat records of any particular division, which makes research for specific details much more difficult. Fortunately we have a copy of the official account printed immediately after the war and given to each soldier in the unit.
Last summer while visiting relatives in Michigan, my brother-in-law took us to a VFW outside Flint where an M7 Priest is on display. For the first time my husband saw, in person, a gun like his father’s. Having served in an armored unit himself, my husband has been around many tanks, but seeing and touching this vehicle thrilled him. He even climbed up on top in the rain to gain perspective on his Dad’s experience riding atop the powerful gun. That day we both made a connection to his Dad and his experiences during the war, experiences that changed a 19-year-old forever.
If you are interested in the history of action aboard the M7 during the second world war, read “Longneck, A History of the 274th AFA BN” by Jack K. Morrison or “Payoff Artillery – WWII” by Frank H. Armstrong. Both these veterans give fascinating accounts of their service in these unique units.
Barbara Whitaker 
Hi – my father Bill Powell also served in the 276th, ‘C’ Battery. Did you ever attend any of the reunions? I attended a few, perhaps we met!
We have not attended reunions. I remember my mother-in-law mentioning a reunion years ago, but my father-in-law, Dewey Paul Whitaker, would not go. I don’t think he wanted to dredge up painful, old memories. He died in 1999. Is your father still living? If so, please ask if he remembers Paul? He was in “H” Battery.
My Grand father was also with the 276th. I have a few pictures of them.
My Dad was also in the 276th Armored Field Artillery (Battery B). You mention in your blog that you, ” Fortunately we have a copy of the official account printed immediately after the war and given to each soldier in the unit” of the units combat records.
I am making a scrapbook of my Dad’s service and would love to include a copy of this document.
Is there anyway you could e-mail it to me?
teredg1946@hotmail.com.
Exactly what I was looking for, thank you for posting.
An M7 Priest is to be restored near Orleans France. It was used after D Day to fight the German army in Normandy. The restoration will demand a lot of work.
Attached are two pix of the M7
The First AD is at Ft Bliss and has restored M7 on display, I also display models on Facebook; Hobbies in a Barn
My father, Edwin J Rottet, was part of Battery A of the 276th A-FAB and he is in the photo above, entitled s”Dad’s Gun,” and is in the front row, second from the left. He was a buck sergeant and the crew chief for the vehicle. I believe he also attended several military reunions through the years. Unfortunately, he died in 1978 in Bedford IN.
Thanks for visiting my website and making a comment. So good to hear from someone who was on my father-in-law’s gun, “Cry N Room.” We did not know the names of the men in this picture so thanks for identifying your father. I found his name on the Roster of the 276th listed in Battery A as Rottet, Edwin J., Sgt, 1342 Leopold St., Jasper, Ind.
Barbara, thank you for replying. It may interest you to know that I recently purchased a 1/35th scale model of an M7 Priest from Italeri modelling company. Very nice model with a wonderful surprise for us. The model was based on “Cryin’ Room,” and even has the decals appropriately located as in the photo. Though there is only a female figure in white on the gun, I did notice in the photo that another reclining female figure had been emblazoned on the right side of the white star on the left side, but it had either been erased or worn off. Still, an amazing find for our relatives, don’t you think?
Thanks for telling me about the model M7. Just ordered one for my husband.
Hello again, Barbara. On the back of my father’s copy of the above photo of the Battery A crew, the following notations are described. “Left to Right Front row: {Lennon or Sernon}, Rottet, Stover, Erly. 2nd row: O’Brien, Swank, Bruce “Hedge row,” Clifford, {Peppers or Geppers}. I hope this list will help aid your identification of the men. I have never been able to find an official roster of the 276th, so your input would be very helpful. Thanks.
Hello again, Barbara. On the back of my father’s copy of the above photo of the Battery A crew, the following notations are described. “Left to Right Front row: {Lennon or Sernon}, Rottet, Stover, Erly. 2nd row: O’Brien, Swank, Bruce “Hedge row,” Clifford, {Peppers or Geppers}. I hope this list will help aid your identification of the men. I have never been able to find an official roster of the 276th, so your input would be very helpful. Thanks.