thunder run

Noun

thunder run (plural thunder runs)

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

   Synonyms:

   thunderbox

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.
   • 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[…]2005 January 31, Jason Conroy, Ron Martz, Heavy Metal: A Tank Company's Battle to Baghdad, Potomac Books, Inc., →ISBN, page 264
   • 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[…]2007 December 1, David Zucchino, Thunder Run: The Armored Strike to Capture Baghdad, Open Road + Grove/Atlantic, →ISBN, page 326