The ‘Priest’ Kangaroo Armoured Personnel Carrier, in Canadian Service, 7 August to 30 September 1944
August 28, 2014
by Mark W. Tonner
Introduction
In North-West Europe, during the later half of 1944 and into 1945, the Canadian Army used two types of armoured vehicles that came to be known as a Kangaroo. The Kangaroo was the world’s first fully tracked ‘Armoured Personnel Carrier.’ This ingenious concept was devised by Lieutenant-General G.G. Simonds, the General Officer Commanding, II Canadian Corps, as he searched for a way to reduce the high casualty rate amongst his infantry. His solution also allowed them to move at ‘tank speed,’ along with their supporting tanks, from start line too final objective.
‘Priest’ Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers with troops of the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division aboard, on the evening of 7 August 1944 prior to the launch of Operation TOTALIZE. Source: 1 CACR Association & Archive.
Birth of the ‘Priest’ Kangaroo Armoured Personnel Carrier
Near the end of July 1944, General H.D.G. Crerar, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, First Canadian Army, had instructed Lieutenant-General Simonds, to prepare plans for a breakthrough in the Canadian sector, telling Simonds to, “draw up plans for an actual attack, axis Caen-Falaise, objective Falaise” (Operation TOTALIZE, 7-10 August). On 31 July, Simonds verbally gave Crerar his appreciation of the situation and outline plan, with Simonds emphasizing that:
the ground is ideally suited to full exploitation by the enemy of the characteristics of his weapons. It is open, giving little cover to either infantry or tanks and the long range of his anti-tank guns and mortars, firing from carefully concealed positions, provides a very strong defence in depth”
On 2 August, Simonds put both his appreciation and outline plan on paper and sent it out to his divisional commanders. In his covering letter to the divisional commanders, Simonds wrote in part
“The infantry accompanying the armour to first objective in Phase One must go straight through with the armour. Arrangements have been made for about 30 stripped Priests’ chassis to be available to each of the infantry divisions (2nd Canadian and the British 51st (Highland)) operating in Phase One for this purpose …. The essentials are that the infantry shall be carried in bullet and splinter-proof vehicles to their actual objectives.”
This innovation was the first use of what have since come to be called armoured personnel carriers, in which infantrymen rode into battle mounted in vehicles with the same armoured protection and mobility as the tanks that accompanied them.
An example of the M7 ‘Priest’ 105-millimetre self-propelled gun, pictured here as No. 4 gun, “E” Troop, 78th Field Battery, 13th Canadian Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, in Normandy, July 1944. This particular vehicle (S215830) was itself converted to a ‘Priest’ Kangaroo armoured personnel carrier, and subsequently was one of the initial 50 issued to the 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron, on 1 September 1944. Source: MilArt photo archive.
The concept of carrying troops into battle in specially adapted tanks had been tried as far back, as the Canadian Corps’ Amiens (France) offensive of August 1918, during the Great War of 1914-1919. Trials had been conducted in the United Kingdom during 1942-1943, in the use of armoured sleds carrying infantry, which were towed by tanks, and which was put into practice by the United States Army at Anzio (Italy) in early 1944. I Canadian Corps, at that time in Italy (1944), had also suggested the use of ‘stripped’ down universal carriers,1 towed by tanks, as armoured infantry carriers, in the attack. However, Operation TOTALIZE marked the first battlefield appearance, of specialized armoured troop-carrying vehicles of the sort, which had the same armoured protection and mobility as tanks.
On 31 July, Lieutenant-General Simonds sought to obtain American permission to modify the M7 ‘Priest’ 105-millimetre self-propelled guns, which were just being withdrawn from the 12th, 13th, and 14th Field Regiments, Royal Canadian Artillery, of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. These regiments had been equipped with the M7s for the Normandy landings, of 6 June 1944, and subsequent bridgehead battles, but were now turning these into Ordnance, upon being re-equipped with towed 25-pounder equipments.2
This permission being obtained, the urgent task of converting these equipments was set in motion. On the evening of 31 July, Brigadier G.M. Grant, Deputy Director of Mechanical Engineering, First Canadian Army,3 was instructed by Crerar, to set up an organization to convert 72 M7 ‘Priest’ 105-millimetre self-propelled guns to armoured personnel carriers by 9 August. This date was soon however changed to 6 August with “as many as possible” by the night of 5 August. At noon on 1 August, Major G.A. Wiggan,4 Officer Commanding, 2nd Tank Troops Workshop, Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, was called to the Deputy Director of Mechanical Engineering office at First Canadian Army headquarters. Here he was instructed to carry out the task of converting these 72 M7 ‘Priest’ 105-millimetre self-propelled guns into armoured personnel carriers. Major Wiggan was instructed to set up an ad-hoc Advanced Workshop Detachment5 (code named ‘AWD Kangaroo’) to carry out these conversions.
‘Priest’ Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers, with troops of the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division aboard, on the evening of 7 August 1944, prior to the launch of Operation TOTALIZE. Note the driver’s vision aperture in the open position, with the driver seated above on the top of the upper front plate. Source: 1 CACR Association & Archive.
The conversions were to be made in such a way that the Priests could be converted back into self-propelled guns. The process consisted of removing the 105-millimetre gun, with mount and mantlet, and all artillery related equipment, and welding armour plate across the gap left by the removal of the gun. The interior ammunition stowage bins, and crew seating, was also removed, resulting in a spacious interior. The additional armour plating that the previous artillery crews had added along both sides of the fighting compartment, for added protection, was retained. At the same time the radial engine was subjected to an overhaul (the 100-hour check), the M7 ‘Priest’ having a 450-horse power Continental R975 radial aircooled 9-cylinder aircraft engine that required a thorough check after every 100-hours of operation (the overhaul itself would normally take seven days to complete). Finally, the vehicle was given a general serviceability check of the transmission, differential, brake linings and running gear. Keep in mind that at the time of conversion, the original M7 ‘Priest’ 105-millimetre self-propelled guns, had been in constant action, from their early June landings in Normandy, up until the decision was taken to convert them into armoured personnel carriers, leaving very little time, for proper maintenance by the artillery crews, due to the urgent need, and demands made on them to provide artillery support, too on going operations. By the time of conversion, these equipments, were in quite rough mechanical shape, and the urgency under which they were converted, left little time, but for the most basic of mechanical repairs, in order to have them serviceable for the forthcoming Operation TOTALIZE.
On 2 August, ‘AWD Kangaroo’ was established within the Rear Maintenance Area of 21st Army Group,6 in two fields near Bayeux, France. This was about twenty miles (32-kilometres) from the start line for Operation TOTALIZE. It consisted of elements of fourteen Canadian and British, electrical and mechanical engineering units,7 and consisted of 250 all ranks, 250 all ranks, who pooled their efforts and skills into the project. The first crews arrived late in the afternoon and, by last light, had 14 vehicles stripped.8 The hours of work established were from 5:00 to 11:00 A.M., and 12:30 to 5:00 P.M., and 6:00 to 10:00 P.M. daily, but with the urgency of the situation, 4:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M., was the norm. All Canadian and British electrical and mechanical engineering units within First Canadian Army were canvassed for electric and gas welding equipment, along with the tradesmen to go with them. Unlimited access to welding rod, armour plate, radial engine parts, oxy-acetylene welding sets and gases and radial engine overhaul stands were required.
‘Priest’ Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers, carrying troops of the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade, with tanks of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, on the evening of 7 August 1944, moving to their start line prior to the launch of Operation TOTALIZE. Source: 1 CACR Association & Archive.
The armour plate came from the ‘Help Yourself Park’ of “W” crocks (the name given to tanks salvaged from the battlefield that were declared beyond repair), and after this source was exhausted, steel plate from the Schneider Steel Works in Caen and from wrecked and stranded Naval craft on the beaches was tried. Both were found to be unsuitable, so mild steel ½-inch plate from the steel mills in the south of Caen was used. These plates were welded over the opening left by the removal of the gun, in the form of spaced armour, that is, one plate welded over the opening from the outside and one welded over the opening from the inside, with the space between the plates being filled with sand.
A brief description of the specifications of the ‘Priest’ Kangaroo Armoured Personnel Carrier
The ‘Priest’ Kangaroo hull, was constructed of rolled and cast homogeneous steel, of welded assembly, and was 19-feet, 9-inches in length, 9-feet, 9¼-inches wide, and stood at a height of 8-feet, 4-inches, with a ground clearance of 17 1/8-inches. The armour of the upper front plate was a ½-inch thick, that of the lower front plate was 2 to 4 ½-inches thick, well the sides and rear plates were also, a ½-inch thick. The interior of the hull was divided into two compartments, the fighting compartment, and the rear compartment (or the engine compartment) which housed the power unit (engine) and transmission gear. The driver’s position, was located in the left-front of the fighting compartment. The driver was provided with a large vision aperture, with a small vision port protected by very heavy glass, for use, when the large vision aperture was closed, although most drivers preferred to keep the large vision aperture open in all but the heaviest enemy fire. They felt it was not really safe to drive using the small vision port only, their field of view was too restricted and their vehicle was often used in rather tight quarters. The driver was also provided with a removable windshield which could be fitted into the large vision aperture, when operating the vehicle, with the aperture in the open position. A large box was provided for its stowage, when not in use, which was mounted to the driver’s left, on the inside, of the front armour plate. The driver carried out opening and closing of this aperture, from within the vehicle.
A rear view of troops ‘embussed’ (loaded) in a ‘Priest’ Kangaroo. Note the thickness of the upper left-side additional armour plating, and the ‘absence’ of the basic pioneer tools, except for a lone shovel, on the engine compartment top plates. This particular vehicle, saw service as the No. 4 gun, “F” Troop, 43rd Field Battery, 12th Canadian Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, before conversion to that of a ‘Priest’ Kangaroo armoured personnel carrier. Source: 1 CACR Association & Archive.
Many of the ‘Priest’ Kangaroos retained their anti-aircraft/ground defence .50-calibre Browning heavy machine gun M2, heavy barrel, which was mounted in a ring mount, on the right-front corner of the fighting compartment, underneath which, on the hull side interior wall, stowage was provided for boxes of .50-calibre belted ammunition. About 60% of the ‘Priest’ Kangaroos retained their No. 19 wireless sets (a radio set) for communications. The No. 19 wireless set consisted of an “A” set for general use, and a “B” set for short range inter-tank work at the troop level, and an intercommunication unit for the crew. Access to the vehicle was gained by four pairs of grip bars, with two pairs being mounted on each side of the fighting compartment, which served as ladders to the fighting compartment. Access to the engine was provided through two engine compartment top plates, and through a set of rear engine doors, located below the rear plate of the upper hull. Located within the engine compartment, were four fuel tanks, with a total fuel capacity of 176 gallons. The ‘Priest’ Kangaroo had a road speed of approximately 25-miles per hour, and a cross-country speed of approximately 15-miles per hour. The suspension used on the ‘Priest’ Kangaroo, was the ‘Vertical Volute Spring’ type, which consisted of 12 wheels in six bogies, with three bogie assemblies per track. The two wheels in each bogie assembly were pivoted on arms against a vertical spring which was protected by the bogie carrying bracket. A return roller was mounted either on top of, or behind, the bracket, the entire bogie assembly forming a self-contained fitting unit.
