Thunder Runs in Ukraine, Iraq and Chechnya - Do They Work?

5th April 2003 - Colonel David Perkins’ 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division launches an armoured raid deep into the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The raid, nicknamed “Thunder Run,” was the first of two attacks which drove behind enemy lines and eventually unhinged the Iraqi defense of their capital. But what exactly is a “thunder run” and how effective is this tactic? In this video, we will discuss the history of Thunder Run tactics in modern warfare, examples where it has worked well, and examples where it failed miserably.

Source List
Conroy, Jason, and Ron Martz. Heavy Metal: A Tank Company’s Battle to Baghdad. Dulles, VA: Potomac, 2006.
Fix, Robert G. Reconnaissance in Force: A Key Contributor to Tempo. Fort Leavenworth, KS: School of Advanced Military Studies, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, 1992.
Fontenot, Gregory, E. J. Degen, and David Tohn. On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2005.
Gall, Carlotta, and Thomas De Waal. Chechnya: Calamity in the Caucasus. New York, NY: New York University Press, 2000.
Gordon, Michael, and Bernard E. Trainor. Cobra 2.: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq. London, UK: Atlantic Books, 2007.
Mien, Major Goh Si. “‘Thunder Runs’: Panacea for Urban Operation?” Pointer: Journal of the Singapore Armed Forces, April 1, 2010.
Zucchino, David, and Mark Bowden. Thunder Run the Armored Strike to Capture Baghdad. London, UK: Atlantic Books, 2015.

[junfour]

"Thunder run" sounds cool. "Let's just line up and drive there" not so much.

[m.streicher]

I feel like we only lable something as a "thunder run" after its successful. You definitely don't here about every decimated convoy of light vehicles.

[Apollo-tjvm]

Everyone wants to do a thunder run until they get into a traffic jam

[einfisch]

When a thunder run works, boy does it prove effective. But if it doesn't, oh how the turns have tabled.

[christianlim]

The Flying Columns used by the US Army’s 1st Cavalry Division to breakthrough the Japanese Army to get to Manila in WW2 is another example of a Thunder Run success.

[pepebeezon]

thunder run just means using the fast move button in Wargame Red Dragon

[damiengore]

If you’re fighting an enemy that’s capable of fighting back, “thunder runs” end up as “cooked tankers”

[Tee-Ess]

Against a skilled or near-peer opponent, Thunder Runs are foolish. Some vehicles will inevitably get disabled and columns stopped. Now you have a 360 degree battle with you exposed and immobile.

[kosmokainen]

"Ran out of fuel and were captured wandering aimlessly" all this time and they had learned nothing...

[arnoldestipona]

Thunder run might be successful if some factors are existing
1) air superiority
2) within range of sufficient artillery support
3) enemy C4ISR is disabled
4) sufficient armor assets
5) all bridges and roads are passable
6) no micromanaging from higher ups-ground commander given the initiative
7) ground commanders and troops are eager to fight and given full support

[tsarobomba]

A point that can't be overstated and I don't see addressed in the video is the incredibly poor training of Iraqi forces in Baghdad. The RPG-7s, even with the old PG-7V warheads they usually had for them, were capable of perforating all of the rear, a large part of the side, and a very small portion of the frontal arc of the Abrams, and essentially all of the Bradley. The problem was that Iraqi forces simply were not able to use them, and when they did, the vast majority missed. Iraqi forces also were generally unable to organize any kind of cohesive defense and thus became isolated and vulnerable; especially relevant once the US had seized control of the city center.

[kenfulkerson]

While in Iraq in 05-06 we did Thunder runs on MSR to disrupt IED placements. On some occasions we did stop checks to look at shops for IED material. 1 such run netted 3 pages of bomb making material and munitions. It took EOD, 8-gun trucks and 3 M113 tracks to remove it all. We could not destroy in place as it was too close to needed electrical Infrastructure. Was supposed to be 4 hours, turned into 17 by the time we returned to the Barracks in the FOB.

[noablaespano]

In the 70s, Vietnamese force ignored the main Cambodian army and drove straight into Cambodian cities and won the war against Cambodia

[Perseus]

I can confirm the bar part. In 1986, stationed at Camp Casey, Korea, my battalion had at least 2 thunder runs. One to the bars of the local town and one a Sunday morning run through the same said town. These were lead by our battalion commander in each case. Good times. 😀😳

[Mike___Kilo]

I would define a "Thunder Run" more narrowly; I think the Americans' Thunder Run into Baghdad is the classic example. Ukrainian jabs and feints into Russian held territory are, IMO, not Thunder runs.

[syedmakbul]

Would love to see more videos about the wars others countries were involved in.

[wardasz]

"Thunder Run" is like "Blitzkrieg" - popular term coined by media/propaganda, not having any specified meaning in actual military doctrine.

[Rickardsson]

I really like the Call of Duty Deathscreen like quotes from patreons at the end of the video. Waiting for the eventual "Friendly fire - isn't." - Unknown.

[Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

Operation Compass by General O'Connor is another thunder run example, what was intended as a five-day raid lasted several weeks and resulted in the encirclement of the entire Italian 10th army some 150, 000 men, the British Eighth army around 36, 000 men captured 133, 000 soldiers, 400 tanks and 1, 293 artillery guns.

[schlirf]

Recon by fire, scaring the enemy commanders into making mistakes, temporarily cutting supply lines, (and reopening friendly supply lines), and of course causing infinite mischief against the enemy; yeah I'd say it works. (ps. Kim Olmstead explained Thunder Runs to us in the 1/1 CAV back in 1982)