M7 Priest field mod?

[Douglas Reid]

Can anyone help with what looks like a field mod. On p.49 0f Terence Wise's D-Day to Berlin there is a photo of M7 Priests of 33rd Field Artillery Regt. taken June 1944. The M7s have what appears to be a crudely welded cradle for the 105mm gun. I've not seen any reference to this mod. What was it for and was it used by US as well as British units

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Douglas,

Not having seen the picture, I think what you refer to is part of the deep wading system for the Priest. It was a sheet metal contraption temporarily fitted under the gun to prevent water entering the hull through the gun mounting.

H.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Douglas,

Is this the picture and/or the "crudely welded cradle" you refer to?



Picture source: my web page on THE PRIEST KANGAROO

Hanno

[Douglas Reid]

Hi Hanno
Yes that's the picture. I've seen pictures of M7s with full wading equipment but the contraption below the gun does not seem to be part of it. It also looks to be very heavy duty compared to the wading gear and the welding is crude to say the least! It's more like some sort of improvised cradle for the gun to rest on when travelling yet they had a travelling lock behind the breech.

[Bob Carriere]

...it seems to have the same arrangement ....... so it is not a special fix for one vehicle......

Bob C