thunder run

English

Etymology

The military term originated in American English during the Vietnam war, denoting a somewhat different tactic.

Noun

thunder run (plural thunder runs)

1. Synonym of thunderbox (“device for creating a thunder sound effect”)
   • 2001, John A. Leonard, Theatre Sound, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 5:

     Much ingenuity went into the production of devices such as wind machines, rain boxes, thunder sheets and thunder runs to serve the demands of the play, and it is a sobering thought that […]

2. A quick surprise penetration attack deep into enemy territory, designed to confuse and potentially break enemy lines, akin to an interdiction operation featuring heavy usage of combined arms warfare.
   • 2005 January 31, Jason Conroy, Ron Martz, Heavy Metal: A Tank Company's Battle to Baghdad, Potomac Books, Inc., →ISBN, page 264:

     The two Thunder Runs are also prime examples of the importance of tanks in this war. Had we not taken tanks in on those days and instead relied on PCs or Strykers, we would have had a number of vehicles destroyed and more than one […]

   • 2007 December 1, David Zucchino, Thunder Run: The Armored Strike to Capture Baghdad, Open Road + Grove/Atlantic, →ISBN, page 326:

     During the thunder runs, they had been aggressors. They had closed on the enemy and killed him. But during their summer in Falloujah in 2003, they had been confronted with the new, postinvasion reality: They were no longer on the attack […]

   • 2011 January 26, Eitan Shamir, Transforming Command: The Pursuit of Mission Command in the U.S., British, and Israeli Armies, Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 137:

     According to Keegan, the disintegration of the Iraqi army should not diminish the American success. The finest examples of mission command-based maneuvers were the two “thunder runs” (swift and unexpected, massive armored, deep penetrations designed to unbalance the enemy) directed toward Baghdad.