Editing M7 Priest (section)

==Operational history==
A total of 3,489 M7s and 826 M7B1s were built. They proved to be reliable weapons, continuing to see front-line service in the US and other armies well past the end of World War II.<ref name="M7 Priest 105mm HMC"/><ref name=Yeide/>

=== North Africa ===
During the [[North African campaign]], 90 M7s were received by the British [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|Eighth Army]] in North Africa, which was also the first to use it, during the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], alongside the [[Bishop (artillery)|Bishop]], a self-propelled gun based on the 87.6&nbsp;mm calibre [[Ordnance QF 25-pounder]] gun-howitzer.<ref name="Bishop, p.121">Bishop, p. 121.</ref>

The British Commonwealth armies had [[Logistics|logistical]] problems in supplying the M7, as it used US ammunition that was not compatible with standard British artillery pieces or tank guns, and had to be supplied separately.<ref name="Bishop, p.121"/> Whereas the [[Sexton (artillery)|Sexton]] – a rival self-propelled gun developed in Canada - featured the standard British QF 25-pounder (on an M3 or M4 chassis).<ref name="Bishop, p. 120"/>

Despite supply problems, British Commonwealth forces used the M7 throughout the campaigns in North Africa and [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy]].

=== Northwest Europe ===
During the [[invasion of Normandy]], from June 1944, the artillery regiments of the British [[3rd Division (United Kingdom)|3rd]] and [[50th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|50th]] divisions, and the Canadian [[3rd Canadian Division|3rd Division]] were equipped with the M7; however, these were replaced by towed 25-pounder guns in early August.<ref>John Keegan, ''Six Armies in Normandy'', The Viking Press, New York, 1982, pp. 126–27</ref>

[[File:The British Army in the Normandy Campaign 1944 B6657.2.jpg|thumb|left|M7 Priest passes by a [[Humber scout car]] as it moves into position to support an attack on [[Battle for Caen|Caen]], 8 July 1944.]]

During the [[Battle of the Bulge]], each US armored division had three battalions of M7s, giving them unparalleled mobile artillery support.<ref>Collins, Michael. King, Martin. ''Voices of the Bulge: Untold Stories from Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge''. MBI Publishing Company, 2011. p. 193</ref>

===Pacific War===
The M7 was also used by US and British forces in [[Pacific War|Pacific and Asian theaters]].

During the [[Burma campaign]], the Priest played a significant role, in particular, at the [[Battle of Meiktila]] and the advance on Rangoon (1945).

From early 1944 it was used in the [[South West Pacific theater]], by the US [[Sixth United States Army|Sixth Army]] in the later stages of the [[New Guinea campaign|campaign in New Guinea and surrounding islands]]. The M7 also saw action in the [[Philippines campaign (1944–45)|Philippines campaign]], with the US [[Eighth United States Army|Eighth]] and Sixth armies.

=== After World War II ===
'''Korean War'''<br />
M7 Priests remained in use during the [[Korean War]], where their flexibility, compared to [[towed artillery]] units, led the US Army on the path to converting fully to self-propelled howitzers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gourley|first1=Scott R.|title=The Korean War's Land Battle Legacy|url=http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/the-korean-wars-land-battle-legacy/|website=Defense Media Network|access-date=30 March 2016}}</ref> The limited gun elevation of the M7 (35 degrees) hampered its ability to shoot over the tall Korean mountains, so 127 M7B1s were modified to permit the full 65 degrees elevation in a model known as the M7B2. After the Korean War, many of these were exported to [[NATO]] countries, notably Italy and Germany.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zaloga|first1=Steven J.|title=M7 Priest 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage|date=2013|publisher=Osperey Publishing|isbn=978-1-78096-025-8|page=45|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yrSdCwAAQBAJ&q=israeli+m7+priest&pg=PA46|access-date=31 March 2016}}</ref>

'''Israel'''<br />
Israel acquired a number of M7 Priests during the 1960s and employed them in the [[Six-Day War]], the [[War of Attrition]] and the [[Yom Kippur War]] where three M7 units, the 822nd, 827th and 829th Battalions in the IDF [[Northern Command (Israel)|Northern Command]], supported operations in the [[Golan Heights]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Asher|first1=Dani|title=Inside Israel's Northern Command: The Yom Kippur War on the Syrian Border|date=2014|publisher=University of Kentucky Press|location=Lexington, Kentucky|isbn=978-0-8131-6766-4|edition=2016 US|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zyONCwAAQBAJ&q=180mm+gun+syria&pg=PT29|access-date=31 March 2016}}</ref>

'''West Germany'''<br />
The new [[West Germany|West German]] {{Lang|de|[[Bundeswehr]]|italic=no}} received 127 Priests as its first self-propelled artillery vehicle. They entered service in 1956 and were used until the early 1960s.