By Bill Graveland
PANJWAII, Afghanistan (CP) - It's the reason they're called "rolling thunder."
The throaty roar of engines announcing the approach of the squadron of Canadian Leopard tanks could be heard from kilometres away as they emerged from the mist and rain Saturday to back up ground troops in the war-torn Panjwaii district.
The 42-tonne monsters left Kandahar Airfield under the cover of darkness early Saturday morning in the first combat deployment of Canadian tanks since the Korean War.
Hours later they rolled down the streets of the village of Panjwaii in an impressive show of force on their way to the nearby forward operating base, or FOB.
Residents of Panjwaii, hearing the rumble of the metal tracks biting into the concrete, rushed from their homes to watch the biggest display of firepower since their war with the Soviets in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
It also caused excitement at the FOB. Battle weary troops, who have been fighting the Taliban on a regular basis, couldn't contain their glee.
"Merry Christmas to the Taliban," said one soldier.
"It's time to open a can of whuppass," said another.
The tank crews, members of Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) armoured regiment based in Edmonton, were excited to be finally joining the fight.
"This is definitely going to send a serious message to the Taliban," said Trooper Ian MacDougall, 30, of Burlington, Ont.
"Everybody likes the tanks. It's the first combat deployment since Korea. It's pretty interesting to be part of that."
Military officials will only say the Leopard tanks are there to "augment" the efforts of the Battle Group in this region, surrounded by mountains, fields of opium poppies and marijuana and a former stronghold of the Taliban.
Moving the tanks through the village was no accident.
"I'm confident the sign of the tanks showing up will represent to the people around here and probably the Taliban as well the resolve of the coalition to bring security to this area," said Maj. Trevor Cadieu, 33, of Vernon, B.C., commander of the squadron.
"Introducing the Leopard tank into this theatre will certainly beef up our firepower and protection. We're dealing largely with an insurgent threat that chooses to fight us with small arms and RPGs (rocket propelled grenades)."
"We have that ability to reach out to several kilometres with a 105-millimetre cannon," he added.
Trooper Matt Dube, 25, of Montreal said he saw a few smiles on the faces of the residents of Panjwaii and has hopes his squadron will ultimately making a difference in the region.
"It's going to be great because we're really going to help them solve this problem once and for all," Dube said with a smile. "I think we will do great here and eventually peace will come back to this region."
"We're finally going to do our job."
Cadieu said it's been tough sitting on the sidelines while the fighting was going on in Panjwaii.
"It's been a long journey for this squadron and we've been in Afghanistan now for about a month so these soldiers are extremely motivated to join the fight with the Battle Group and to be able to contribute to any operations here," added Cadieu.
"It is historic. The Strathconas have had tanks deployed to Kosovo but it is the first time tanks have been deployed in combat operations since Korea," he said.
And while the remains of Soviet tanks still sit rusting in the village and surrounding area, these tanks are suited for the mountainous terrain said the commander.
"The terrain here isn't bad at all for tanks. We just conducted a move over 60 or 70 kilometres. We started this move with the whole squadron, we finished the move with the whole squadron," added Cadieu.
Dube said the Taliban won't know what hit them when they eventually go toe-to-toe with the Leopards.
"Nothing on the ground right now can compare to this. This is ten times more powerful than anything on the ground," said Dube.
"I mean 25-millimetre guns on LAVs (light armoured vehicles) is the biggest thing we have right now. This is bigger. This is stronger."
Canada spent C$200 million upgrading the Leopard tanks and improving their armour. It cost $1 million apiece to transport 15 of the tanks, which each have a four-member crew, from their base at Wainwright, Alta., to the Kandahar base.
