Sri Lankan 4th ARMOURED REGIMENT – Wheels to Tracks by Brigadier C S N B Mudannayake RWP USP psc edited by Ivan Welch, FMSO Foreign Analyst DEDICATED TO THE GALLANT MEN OF 4th ARMOURED REGIMENT WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE The long fought battle against story of their proud beginnings as told separatist insurgency was in its first by their first commanding officer. decade when the Sri Lanka Army introduced the main battle tank into its arsenal. Their effort in creating a new unit, procuring the vehicles, and preparing this unit for combat is a heroic episode in modern armour history. The lessons of combat are hard won and should be studied by those who take up 1 Type: T-55A MBT the profession in defense of their own countries. The 4th Armoured Regiment’s story is one of leadership, dedicated 1 http://www.armouredcorps.lk/index.php?option= service, and final victory. This is the com_content&view=article&id=122%3Aour- old-memories&catid=25&Itemid=9 1 surmounting earth mounds in paddy fields. The 76mm main armament of the Saladin armoured car became less effective against a determined and ruthless enemy fighting from hardened shelters and underground bunkers. Heavier firepower, on a mobile platform with better cross-country capability was desperately needed. Though the need was recognized Evolution of the Concept and supported by serving officers in The separatist conflict in the operational areas, senior Armoured north and east intensified in the late Corps officers had strong reservations eighties. This created a growing need for about introducing tracked vehicles to Sri greater fire power and cross country Lanka. One retired senior Armoured mobility in the battlefield. The Corps officer holding high government undulating sandy terrain of the Jaffna position in an emotional outburst said Peninsula, the western sea-board of “Tanks over my dead body!” Aversion Mannar District, and open dry paddy to tanks was difficult to understand. It fields with earth bunds of the Eastern could have been the emotional Province were impediments for wheels. attachment to wheels, false They became increasingly vulnerable to apprehensions about tracked vehicles, or RPGs as they slowed down on sandy soil lack of understanding about modern or when the bellies were exposed in 2 tracked vehicles. A reluctance to considerations that impacted the decision introduce battle tanks to fight a home- on the type of tank needed. grown insurgency or the inability to In early January 1991, I was break loose from the “wheels mentality” serving as Commanding Officer 1st may have been other reasons. Reconnaissance Regiment. Major The term “tank” is generally General Waidyaratne, Chief of Staff of viewed with concern and caution. It is a the army, and serving senior Armoured weapon system with enormous Corps officer, summoned me and destructive power and the employment Commanding Officer 3rd of tanks has both political and military Reconnaissance Regiment Lt Col Nihal implications. Such concerns kept the Marambe for a discussion on main battle debate on tracks versus wheels alive but tanks (MBT). Inquiries were made about did not make much headway. As the war the T-55 MBT. Lt Col Marambe and I escalated and the need for heavy fire had been exposed to the tank briefly support for the infantry became more during the Young Officer Course in evident, the army began to re-examine 1974 at the India Armoured Corps the need for tanks. Capital expenditure Centre and School, Ahmednagar, India, and prohibitive support and maintenance but had no hands-on experience on them. cost were major concerns. Type of The T-55s were front – line battle tanks armament, combat weight, night-fighting of the Indian Army during the early capability, fuel type, and the Navy’s sea seventies and were classified (off limits) lift capacity were tactical and technical for foreign students. Consequently, we 3 had received training on the older Paranagama, two officers from Sri Centurion MBT. Lanka Electrical and Mechanical The end of the Cold War in early Engineer Regiment, an Ammunition nineties saw down sizing of Warsaw Technical Officer from Sri Lanka Pact armies with thousands of ‘T Series’ Ordnance Corps, a Technical Officer battle tanks available for sale in the cash from Signal Corps, myself, Lt Col NR strapped former communist bloc Marambe, Commanding Officer 3rd countries. One such country was Recce Regiment and Majors Aruna Czechoslovakia. The Sri Lanka Army Perera and Milinda Peiris left for examined the available options and Czechoslovakia. The mission was to decided to procure a less sophisticated evaluate the T-55 MBT and submit a but versatile battle tank. After much report to the Ministry of Defence. deliberation, debate and discussion, a Czechoslovakia was an East decision was made to acquire the Czech European Communist country that was a built T-55 MBT. The Sri Lanka former member of the Warsaw Pact Armoured Corps was on the threshold of military alliance. It manufactured T-55s evolving from wheels to tracks, a much under license from the former Soviet awaited desire of the Army’s Union and was considered to be the most cavalrymen. technologically advanced country among Visit to Czechoslovakia the ten member states. After the fall of In August 1991 an eight-member the Soviet Union in the early nineties the Technical Evaluation Team headed by Warsaw Pact disintegrated and the Regimental Commander Brigadier T. Czechoslovakia broke loose from Soviet 4 influence and became an independent the Czech Armour Centre in Brno for a state. The country had two major ethnic briefing and display of equipment. We communities – Czechs and Slovaks. In later travelled to a picturesque little town the late nineties when Eastern Europe about 200 miles southeast of Prague transformed, many new independent called Zvolen, which housed a huge tank states emerged based mainly on ethnic yard. Next day, the team was taken to composition. Czechoslovakia separated the yard holding hundreds of canopy peacefully and became two Republics – covered tanks. There were T-55s, T-62s The Czech Republic and Slovak and latest T-72s. The Sri Lanka military Republic. delegation was mandated to select twenty-five MBTs, so we were escorted to a corner of the yard and shown some parked tanks. They certainly were not the best in the yard. Sri Lanka’s desire to procure a mere twenty five tanks did not seem to interest them much and the response was naturally lukewarm. It was later known Zvolen, Czech Republic 2 that the Czechs were expecting an The Technical Evaluation Team Iranian military delegation in the arrived in Prague, capital of following week to procure five hundred Czechoslovakia, and we were taken to tanks. Consequently, Sri Lanka’s 2 http://www.tourist- channel.sk/zvolen/indexen.html purchase and the visiting delegation 5 were of little significance. The hosts inquisitively scanning the Gold Leaf spoke very little and expected us to cigarettes smoked by some team accept the twenty five tanks chosen by members. That gave us a hopeful them without causing any breakthrough. Cigarettes were politely inconvenience. Following a casual walk offered and there was a spontaneous around the huge yard, we saw new tanks change in body language and attitude. that had hardly been used. They were They were now willing to move a few of scattered and mixed up in a huge maze the good tanks but not all of them. As of steel. It was stunning spectacle to see time passed team members were able to such a huge collection of battle tanks. break the ice and generate some friendly One wondered what devastation there conversation. It was casually mentioned would have been, had the Warsaw Pact that back home, Sri Lankan military fought a war with NATO in Eastern folks enjoyed a good drink and Scotch Europe. Whiskey was the preference. The Czechs The Sri Lanka team members were told there were enough stocks in had a daunting task ahead of them to the hotel and an invitation was extended persuade the uncompromising Czech for an evening get-together. The hosts Army hosts to agree to sell the better headed by a senior regional tank weapons. It meant churning-up the entire formation commander dropped by at the yard just to pull-out a few good tanks. hotel later in the day. Duty exempted Traditional Sri Lankan charm did not whiskey carried by the team was bring the desired results until one of us generously offered. noticed young Czech soldiers 6 Classic Sri Lankan hospitality hospitality, persuasion and above all and benign diplomacy changed the “Whiskey Diplomacy” seemed to have Czechs. Hard nosed, uncompromising done the needful. attitudes seem to melt faster than the ice cubes in whiskey glasses. Everyone had fun and enjoyed the evening. Late in the night, before saying good- night to the Sri Lankan hosts, the senior Czech army Czechoslovakian T-55 MBT4 officer was heard issuing instructions to The team inspected armament, his junior officers. He spoke in Czech communications equipment and and nothing could be understood, but the automotive areas and examined vehicle departing hand shakes were warm and documents prior to confirming strong. We felt a sense of achievement. acceptance. Discreet offers of additional 3What we saw the next day was a Gold Leaf cigarettes to the young Czech stunning surprise beyond soldiers assigned for fatigue work comprehension. When the team arrived enabled many extra tools and accessories early in the morning to commence from other vehicles in the yard to be technical inspections, twenty five of surreptitiously added to tank bins. The the best tanks chosen by the Sri Lanka bins were overflowing with additional team were meticulously lined up.