Sri Lankan 4th ARMOURED REGIMENT - Foreign Military Studies ...

community did not want the massivestockpiles of former Warsaw Pactarmaments to proliferate in third worldnations embroiled in conflict. Despitesurveillance and international lawscontrolling movement of weapons, theconsignment reached Sri Lanka withoutincident or perhaps the knowledge of therest of the world.There were other intriguingquestions and controversies concerningthe purchase of T-55 tanks, but theyought to remain in memories and diaries.History was created when thefirst battle tank was placed on solidground at 1742 hours on 12 October1991. Major Milinda Peiris, a Driving &Maintenance course graduate from theIndian Army school in Ahmednagarcould drive competently. Hemaneuvered the tanks out of the jettyand brought them to the Primacarriageway. The Commanding Officerand Major BA Perera commenceddriving the tanks to camp aroundmidnight. Later Major Peiris joined todrive the remaining tanks and by lateevening 13 October, twenty four hrsafter the unloading commenced, allequipment and vehicles were atClappenburg. The operation continuedthroughout the night. Civilians livingalong the road from Prima Jetty to ChinaBay hearing the rumbling of tanks in themiddle of the night peeped with amixture of fear and anxiety wonderingwhether the Indian Peacekeeping Forcewas returning. We waved at them toshow it was their own nations’ armourthat was moving. It was a moment ofgreat pride and achievement for thepioneers of 4th Armoured Regiment.The T-55 Main Battle Tank (MBT)The Russian designed MBT wasthe most prolific contemporary battletank of the T- Series at the time and was20