Light self-propelled howitzer M7B2 "Priest"

It was based on the chassis of the M3 Lee/Grant main battle tank. The gun, a 105mm M2A1 howitzer, was mounted on top of the gun carrier, to the right of the vehicle centerline, in an open-topped superstructure. In the direction of travel to the right of the gun, a Browning M2 machine gun was installed in a pulpit for anti-aircraft and close-range defense. This pulpit owes the M7 its nickname "Priest". The first prototype was tested in Fort Knox in 1942 under the designation "T32" and then quickly approved.

The vehicle was first used in 1942 in the Battle of El Alamein, in North Africa, as the "Light Tank Howitzer M7". Even after the war, the "Priest" was produced in series and then also used in the Korean War. Numerous changes were made to the post-war version from 1954 onwards. For example, the gun mount was installed higher, which increased the elevation range from 35° to 65°, and the cockpit for the anti-aircraft machine gun was raised by 10 cm. This version was given the name "M7B2" and was now based on the chassis of the Sherman M4A3 medium battle tank. Only this variant was introduced in the Bundeswehr from 1956 and used until 1966.

The variant M7B2 exhibited here was used by the Augustdorfer Panzerartilleriebataillon 215 in the period from 1956 to 1966.