M7 "Priest" Self-Propelled Gun in the Battle for Cherbourg, June 1944

June 18, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

An M7 Priest 105mm self-propelled gun from the 14th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Armored Division “Hell on Wheels,” moves through the ruins of Cherbourg during the Allied push to capture the strategic port.

Cherbourg, France — June 18, 1944.
A self-propelled howitzer M7 "Priest" rumbles down a battered street in the shattered port city of Cherbourg. This particular vehicle, mounting a 105mm howitzer on the chassis of an M4 Sherman tank, belonged to the 14th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, part of the legendary 2nd Armored Division, known on the battlefield as "Hell on Wheels."

Fresh from the beaches of Normandy, the division rolled north to cut off and capture the vital port of Cherbourg, still heavily defended by German forces. The destruction in this photo speaks volumes: cracked roads, twisted rails, broken buildings — and American armor advancing like a tide.

On the right stands a railroad crossing barrier, part of the Cherbourg–Paris line, once a key artery of German military transport. Now it’s just another splintered checkpoint passed by Allied artillery on its way to help pound Nazi positions into dust.

The M7 Priest, nicknamed for its pulpit-like machine gun ring, was designed to keep pace with fast-moving armored columns and provide devastating indirect fire support. It earned a formidable reputation in both Europe and the Pacific, but here, in the narrowing streets of a dying German stronghold, it brought salvation for the Allies and judgment for the occupiers.

📷 Technical photo data:
📸 Photographer: Unknown U.S. Army photographer
🌐 Source: upload.wikimedia.org
📅 Date: June 18, 1944
📍 Location: Cherbourg, France