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Space Wolves

2021-03-08T06:18:42Z

2601:585:8301:76D0:3960:28EF:C4E7:5DA: /* Hierarchy */

{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Space Wolves / Vlka Fenryka / Space Corgis
|Heraldry = [[File:Spacewolveslogo.png|200px]]
|Battle Cry = "For Russ and the All father!"|Number = VI
|Founding = [[First Founding]]
|Original Name = The Rout
|Successor Chapters = [[Wolf Brothers]] [[Wolfspear]]
|Chapter Master = [[Logan Grimnar]]
|Primarch = [[Leman Russ]]
|Homeworld = [[Fenris]]
|Specialty = CQC, shock assaults, infantry, encirclement tactics, being viking enthusiasts, being [[Furry|furries]]
|Strength = 2-3000
|Allegiance = [[Imperium of Man]]
|Colours = Generally Bluish-Grey and Yellow. Red, Black and White used for specific Companies.
}}
{{topquote|Let a man never stir on his road a step without his weapons of war; for unsure is the knowing when need shall arise of a [[Wolfspear|spear]] on the way without.|Havamal}}
{{topquote|War is honest. There's no lying to it. You don't have to say sorry here. Don't have to hide. You cannot. If you die? So what? You die among friends. Among worthy foes. You die looking the Great Leveller in the eye. If you live? Well, lad that's living, isn't it?|Joe Abercrombie, Heroes}}

The '''Space Wolves''' (also known as ''The Rout'' or the '''Vlka Fenryka''') is a [[Space Marine]] [[Chapter]] hailing from the icy [[Death World]] of '''Fenris''', who appreciate the value of a strong and consistent brand identity. They are known as noble, if savage warriors, who have little love for Imperial bureaucracy but will fight fiercely for its common citizens. The Marines of the Chapter are famed as experts in the art of close combat, much like the [[Blood Angels]], but unlike the sons of [[Sanguinius]] their fighting style is less that of a maddened, blood-crazed berserker, but that of a cunning pack of hunters running down their prey.

Thematically, the Chapter draws a lot of real-world inspiration from Nordic culture, ''especially'' the Viking sagas, particularly in terms of aesthetics as well as ferocity. That said, there's a bit of a disconnect between how the Wolves are portrayed in fiction compared to how they're presented as a tabletop army.

On one hand, we have a nuanced portrayal of a proud warrior tradition that just so happens to have the Wolf as its primary totem animal, among many other Fenrisian nature spirits they worship. On the other, we have an over-the-top army of wolf fetishists that precedes most of their equipment and vehicle names with "wolf", ride ''actual'' giant wolves into battle, and are like a drunken frat party outside of it.

==Origins==

Back during the [[Great Crusade]], the Space Wolves began as the VIth Legion, and was developed in conjunction the [[Salamanders]] and the [[Alpha Legion]]. Developed in isolation from the other two Legions, they proved to be a vicious and aggressive fighting force, but also almost impossible to keep in line by its officers. What's worse, they were indiscriminate in their slaughter, and even helpless civilians were not free from their wrath. Due to this brutal reputation, they soon became known as "the Rout", the Emprah's agents of fear and retribution.

===The Wolf King cometh===

The ice world of Fenris was found early on by the Crusade fleets, and the Emperor soon heard of the exploits of its so-called Wolf King, a man named Leman Russ. Raised in the wilderness by wolves, then adopted and educated by the jarl Thengir, Leman was a massive ox of a man of extraordinary strength, sharp cunning, and personal magnetism, and the Emprah was sure he was one of His lost sons. He descended onto the world in disguise, ingratiated Himself to the locals to gain access to the High King's feasting hall, and there he sought to test the Wolf King's mettle.

Depending on the version or edition, this led to the following: an eating contest, a drinking contest, and a brawl. Leman won the first two rounds, but was finally goaded into a fight when the Emprah insulted him, [[Imperial Truth|saying that he was nothing more than a glutton and a drunkard]]. What followed next was either a massive fight that wrecked the drinking hall, Beowulf versus Grendel style, or the Emprah laying out Leman with a single fabulously golden [[Power Fist]] to the forehead.

Regardless, when Leman finally came to, the Emprah revealed himself, and told him about his true origin as one of his [[Primarch]]s, as well as his role in the greater Crusade. What happened next, as they say, is history.

===From the Rout to the Wolves===

Leman Russ' rediscovery, and the integration of his own Fenrisian retinue, slowly remade the VIth Legion. Their ferocity was soon tempered with discipline and obedience, as the Fenrisian culture slowly spread through its ranks, and while they would still crush any traitor to the Emperor, they would at least have the good sense this time ''not'' to slaughter the innocents that just so happened to be in the area. It didn't happen overnight, but soon enough the Legion became less about punishing oathbreakers, and more on watching out for the little guy.

Oh, and if an offhand comment by Russ is to be believed, they had a hand in destroying the two so-called Lost Legions. Emperor's Executioners indeed.

Under Russ' leadership, the Wolves proved their worth to the fledgling Imperium by winning many victories and conquering many worlds, which brought them glory and even more notoriety. On one of their campaigns, they managed to recover a near-complete STC printout of a battle tank, and as a bit of thanks, the Martian adepts named it after the Legion's Primarch.

It was also during this period that the Wolves' rivalry with the [[Dark Angels]] began, a feud that ''still'' continues into the present day of the Imperium. While the specifics have been lost to myth and legend, the Dulan Campaign ended with Leman Russ and his brother, the mercurial [[Lion El'Jonson]], in a one-on-one duel. This culminated with Leman knocked out flat on his back, the Dark Angels leaving in a huff, and the Space Wolves similarly insulted by the Lion not being a good sport about everything.

===The Heresy Dawns===

The Space Wolves are infamous for their role in the burning of Prospero, the homeworld of the [[Thousand Sons]] Legion. Though they were initially ordered to bring in [[Magnus the Red]] alone for both going against the edicts of the Council of Nikea, as well as accidentally breaching the defenses of the Imperial Webway, their orders were changed by [[Horus]] (who they were unaware was already full-hog traitor at this point) to instead [[Burning_of_Prospero|burn the planet and its inhabitants to the ground]].

This blind adherence to orders, not helped by the fact that Leman ''wanted'' to confront his nerd of a brother for his shenanigans, was the final straw. Prospero was literally and figuratively put to the torch in the ensuing battles between the Legions, as well as Leman's [[Adeptus Custodes]] and [[Sisters of Silence]] babysitters. When Magnus finally joined the fray to save his sons, Leman met him in one-on-one combat, and while the Wolf King was badly mauled over the course of the duel, Magnus was broken and forced to flee with the surviving Thousand Sons.

In the end, Magnus was forced to throw his lot with [[Chaos]] in order to survive, and his Legion followed suit, joining Horus in his rebellion.

The battered Wolves were not allowed any respite however, as they were soon hounded by a massive [[Alpha Legion]] fleet, and forced to flee into the Alaxxes Nebula. [[Battle_of_the_Alaxxes_Nebula|While a breakout was eventually executed, the Space Wolves fleet eventually found itself cornered]]. As they prepared for a last stand, unexpected aid arrived in the form of a [[Dark Angels]] fleet. With the Alpha Legion driven off, Russ was left to ponder what to do next.

Eventually Russ and a small contingent of his men managed to find their way to Terra, while the rest of the Space Wolves fleet continued to harry the Traitors. He sponsored an expedition to Molech to see if Horus could be taken down, but this just resulted in getting dozens of [[Knights-Errant]] killed. Afterward, in a council with his brothers [[Rogal Dorn]], [[Sanguinius]], and [[Jaghatai Khan]], Leman decided to forego Dorn's plan in delaying the traitors at the '''Battle of Beta Garmon''', and instead returned to Fenris to try and divine a way to take away all those juicy [[Chaos]] boons that were supercharging [[Horus]].

===The Wolf King and the Luna Wolf===

In what amounted to be a spirit quest (where, among other things, Russ met a possible version of himself who stayed on Terra and never grew up on Fenris), Leman decided that he would confront his brother Horus one last time. For this task, he would need to use the Spear of Russ (yes THAT Spear of Russ, that [[Ragnar Blackmane]] would use many millennium later), a weapon that he ''absolutely hated'' (because it gave him the literal heebie-jeebies) and actually tried to get rid of multiple times, but which somehow always managed to return to him.

It turns out that the Spear was a massively powerful artifact invested with a fragment of the Emprah's power, with the ability to reveal the "truth" of whatever it pierces. Although the chance was slim, Leman hoped to use it to convince his brother to return to the Imperial fold and let their father heal him; if the Warmaster remained undaunted, Leman would then use the spear to slay the traitor for good.

Leman knew that it was a suicide mission, and indeed made it clear to his assembled [[Wolf Lord]]s that their participation was ''voluntary'', but none of them refused to join their Primarch. If their death was to come, then it would be together with their Battle-brothers.

===The Battle of Trisolian 4A===

The [[Forge World]] of Trisolian -- where a young and cheeky tech adept named [[Belisarius Cawl]] and his buddy were taking what amounted to their internships -- had just surrendered to Traitor forces, and was in the process of hosting the [[Vengeful Spirit]] and its escorts. Then all of the sudden, this absolutely ''massive'' fleet (made up of around fifty ships of the line from the various Traitor Legions) found itself under attack.

Taking advantage of the gravitational interactions of the Trisolian system's three stars, the Space Wolves fleet had snuck into the sector, and threw its vastly-outnumbered ships at the gathered armada. As the ships of the Rout tried to make as much as a ruckus as it could, Leman confronted the [[Vengeful Spirit]] with his own flagship, the '''Hrafnkel''', and as the latter's barrage collapsed the former's void shields, Leman personally led a massive assault unto his brother's flagship using everything he still had -- boarding torpedoes, assault boats, teleport deep-strikes, and even gunships.

As thousands of Space Wolves ran wild inside the Vengeful Spirit, Leman personally tracked down Horus in the heart of the corrupted ship, while down below Cawl managed to make sure his master met an "accident", and took control of the Mechanicus forces to aid the Space Wolves. The Wolf King eventually found the Warmaster, and was disgusted at what he beheld -- Horus was wallowing in Chaos corruption, and was half-mad as a result. When words didn't work, Russ attacked his brother, knowing too well he was outmatched.

Then the Spear managed to pierce Horus' side. The wound was not fatal, though it could have been, had Leman not hesitated, but it was enough -- the madness cleared from Horus' eyes, and for the first time in what seemed to be forever Horus' mind was clear. Despite this however, the Warmaster would not be swayed; he was in too deep to stop now, and of his own free will this time, still decided to continue the fight against the Emperor.

Horus continued his assault on Leman, and had mauled him gravely. Before he could finish him off with ''Worldbreaker'' however, one Space Wolf, followed by dozens, which were then followed by scores of marines, interposed themselves between the Warmaster and their Primarch. Horus cut them all down all the same, but their sacrifice bought Bjorn the time he needed to drag the injured Leman Russ to a [[Stormbird]], and then back to the ''Hrafnkel''.

With their Primarch secured, the Space Wolves fleet made a fighting retreat, but all seemed lost as the Vengeful Spirit and its cohort seemed to be catching up... Then one of its magazines exploded, crippling it enough to allow the Wolves to escape.

The Wolves would fight another day, but the price was too high. Of the Wolves that went into Trisolian, only one-fifth managed to make the escape. The VIth Legion effectively stopped being an effective fighting force from that point on, and had to be eventually rescued by the Primarch [[Corvus Corax]] and his [[Raven Guard]] after the fleet was cornered by [[Abaddon]]'s forces at Yarant.

The Wolves would sit out the remainder of the Heresy, and would be still trying to recover as the [[Siege of Terra]] came and went, and Horus had his fated showdown with the Emprah.

===The Fate of Leman Russ===

Of Leman Himself, you ask? Well he stuck around during the [[Great Scouring]], and while he groused about [[Roboute Guilliman]]'s reforms, he eventually caved in, and begrudgingly agreed to split apart the remains of his ravaged Legion into Chapters.

In theory anyway.

In ''practice'' however, due to the massively reduced numbers of the Rout, only one Chapter was ever created -- the ill-fated [[Wolf Brothers]]. The rest of the survivors remained Space Wolves, opting instead to stick with their semi-independent Great Companies, as one small snub to the stuck-up Roboute.

Barely a century after the end of the Scouring, Leman Russ just ups and vanishes from Imperial History. Legends state that after a great feast, He said unto his warriors:

<blockquote>"Listen closely Brothers, for my time is short. . There shall come a time far from now when our Chapter itself is dying, even as I am now dying, and our foes shall gather to destroy us. Then my children, I shall listen for your call in whatever realm of death holds me, and come I shall, no matter what the laws of life and death forbid. At the end I will be there. For the final battle. For the Wolftime."</blockquote>

And so, Leman departed, with his closest retinue... No, not you Bjorn... Some say he searches for a means to revive His God-Emperor.. But despite the efforts of the Great Hunt, Leman remains beyond the reach of Man... Who knows what great feats of Heroism he undertakes.

Oddly enough, it seems that [[Magnus the Red]], of all people, has an idea about his brother's fate, but he's not telling anyone, and is far too fond of slaying Leman's get to even care.

==Recent History==

===The Siege of Fenris===

Much like the rest of the Imperium, times had been rough for the Space Wolves by the [[Time of Ending|time the end of M41 rolled in]]. Magnus in particular still had a massive hateboner against the Sons of Russ, and finally put his long-prepared revenge plan into motion. The rebuilt [[Thousand Sons]], plus their [[Chaos]] Daemon and Traitor Legion allies, put the worlds of the Fenris system to the sword. Not even the Space Wolves homeworld was spared, and it took the combined effort of the Chapter and a [[Grey Knights]] Brotherhood led by Brother-Captain Stern to slow down the massive daemonic incursion that followed.

Then the [[Dark Angels]] arrived above Fenris with [[The Rock]], and leading an Imperial task force of ''fourteen'' assorted Space Marine Chapters, titans, knight houses, and Imperial Guard, intent on cleansing the system of Chaos filth. Unfortunately it quickly became apparent that the Sons of the Lion were duped by [[The Changeling]], who then proceeded to mass-summon Daemons into the Rock itself.

Things took a turn for the worse when Magnus himself arrived on Fenris, its spiritual nexus already under assault by Thousand Sons covens trying to corrupt them, and what was a hard but possibly winnable fight against a massive invading force turned into a desperate battle for survival. It says a lot that the Iron Priests had to awaken ''all'' of the Dreadnoughts of the Fang to fight alongside Bjorn, plus whatever Wulfren that could be found, and even then it wasn't enough. Magnus was far too powerful, and the Daemon Primarch swatted aside Dreadknights with ease, and even pulled down whole Imperial Battlecruisers from the upper atmosphere, just so he could detonate their cores and irradiate the skies above Asaheim.

Magnus would not have his victory however, as through Egil Ironwolf's sacrifice Logan Grimnar was able to wound the Daemon Primarch with strikes from ''both'' the Axe of Morkai and the recovered '''Spear of Russ'''. With his concentration broken, Magnus was then banished from the Fenris by [[Grey Knight]] [[Purifier]]s. With Magnus gone, the Thousand Sons and their daemonic allies quickly followed, but the damage had been done. The worlds of the Fenris system were almost all ravaged beyond recovery, and what's worse, due to their populations bearing witness to a massive daemonic incursion, their people had to be liquidated by the Inquisition. Unlike the aftermath of the First War of Armageddon, the Great Wolf didn't make a fuss, as the Chapter was too mauled and weary to oppose them.

===The Fall of Cadia and the Era Indomitus===

Despite the drubbing they experienced at the hands of Magnus, the Space Wolves were still able to send two Great Companies to Cadia's defense, and while that world eventually fell, they made a good accounting for themselves, with Sven Bloodhowl contributing to the demise of the Blackstone Fortress, while Orven Highfell fell in the defense of Kasr Kraf. As the [[Great Rift]] formed and the Imperium was torn in half, and the age seemed to become all the more desperate, the Wolves fought on, but when news of [[Roboute Guilliman]]'s revival reached the Fang, a small contingent of Wolves braved the long warp journey to [[Ultramar]] to confirm it.

For his part, Guilliman brought much needed reinforcement for the Sons of Russ, in the form of squad upon squad of [[Primaris Space Marines]]. This brought the Space Wolves Great Companies back to fighting shape, and while the Firstborn initially looked upon these newcomers with suspicion, once they had braved the initiation rituals of Fenris, those who survived were fully welcomed into their brotherhoods.

Another thing that the Lord Commander brought was even more welcome -- thanks to Belisarius Cawl's efforts, the Space Wolves can now found their own Successors again, and immediately formed ''strong'' ties with the first of these Primaris Wolves -- the '''[[Wolfspear]]'''. While it hasn't ''quite'' gotten rid of the Curse of the Wulfen (you don't get it unless you really lose it, and its still better than falling to Chaos), but it was still better than the alternative.

==Organization==
[[File:Tyranid Attack.jpeg|350px|right|thumb|The wolves taking on a [[Tyranid]] horde.]]

The Space Wolves ignore the organizational restrictions recommended by the [[Codex Astartes]], and instead forms itself around the '''Great Companies'''. These are twelve semi-independent battle groups that are the rough equivalent of a Codex Battle Company, but are functionally much larger in size, with many featuring upwards of more than a hundred fifty battle-ready warriors on top of their support serfs and equipment.

Each Great Company gains much of its character thanks to their Wolf Lords preferences, as well as its tactical preferences -- see Egil Ironwolf's predilection for tanks and heavy artillery, or Ragnar Blackmane's hardon for massed planetary assaults. A long-serving Wolf Lord will definitely leave his mark on a Great Company, and it might take a while for it to reinvent itself under his Successor should he inevitably fall in battle.

Although no Great Company ranks above their fellows, all eventually must defer to the current Great Wolf's Great Company, as it holds both the his household as well as the Chapter's greatest warriors. When the Great Wolf Speaks, everyone must listen.

===Hierarchy===

The "classic" organization of the Space Wolves is partially based on experience, with the hot-blooded novices starting out with the Blood Claws, before they battle-hardened enough to become Grey Hunters, etc. There's also a bit of meritocracy here, as a Blood Claw who did a particularly heroic deed might "jump ranks" straight into the Wolf Guard/Thanedom (*coughs* '''Ragnar''' *coughs*). It's somewhat implied in some of the text regarding long fangs such as ''"Their former Packs, whittled down to but a handful of Veterans"'' that Blood claw squads are not reinforced and as the members gain experience they are promoted to Grey Hunter then to Long Fang as a unit.

The arrival of the Primaris has put a slight wrinkle into this however, but the Wolves are, if anything, adaptable.

*'''Great Wolf''': Also known as the ''High King'', he is the equivalent to the [[Chapter Master]] of other Chapters. The Great Wolf is also effectively the First Captain of the Space Wolves, commanding an elite Great Company that includes the members of the three Priesthoods and the Chapter's Dreadnoughts. [[Logan Grimnar]] serves as the current Great Wolf.
*'''[[Wolf Lord]]''': Also known as ''Jarls'', they are the equivalent of the [[Brother-Captain]]s of a company in Codex Chapters. Wolf Lords lead their Great Companies; likewise Great Companies owe a lot of their personality and tactical preferences to their Wolf Lords.
* '''[[Wolf Guard]]''': A cross between [[Veteran Squad|Veterans]] and [[Honour Guard]], Wolf Guards (''Thanes'') serve as the body guard of the Wolf Lord and leading packs in battle, serving as the Space Wolves version of a [[Brother-Sergeant]]. They also get [[Terminator]] armour. In ''Second Edition'' they also got to take any weapons they liked and could be built from stock parts with an Assault Cannon and Cyclone Missile Launcher. This led to many games being won as Assault Force Dickhead rampaged across the table murdering everything.
* '''[[Wolf Priest]]''': Combining the role of [[Apothecary]] and [[Chaplain]], the Wolf Priests do the standard roles of preaching and medical duties, but are also charged with recruiting Aspirants for their companies. Plus they have a secret role on the battlefield, trying to prevent their battle-brothers from turning into Wulfen.
* '''[[Iron Priest]]''': The Iron Priests serve the role of [[Techmarine]]s, overseeing the motorpool and equipment of the companies they belong to.
* '''[[Rune Priest]]''': Taking the role of [[Librarian]]s in Codex Chapters, Rune Priests are the [[psyker]]s of the Space Wolves. However, instead of seeing their powers as coming from the [[Warp]], they hold that their powers come from the world spirit of Fenris, and consult the runes in a means to divine the future. Trying to explain to the Rune Priests that they're drawing power from the Warp, and that they cannot "draw their powers from Fenris" while being half-Galaxy away from it will usually result in the non-Space Wolf getting a month's stay in the Apothecarion. The ultimate irony of this is that they are, in reality, Sorcerers, the very thing they denounced the Thousand Sons for being. Whether they are psykers or not. Besides, if Fenris has a world spirit, it is something akin to a Daemon World (or an eldar maiden world)...
* '''Wolf Scouts''': Each Great Company will have members who shun their pack brothers and are shunned in return, preferring the company of more somber individuals, Wolf Scouts serve to scout out enemy positions and terrain. As opposed to the regular codex, Wolf Scouts tend to be veterans of battle able to rein in their savage rage.
* '''Lone Wolf''': Space Wolves who are the last of their pack. The loss of their brethren drive them to seek a glorious death in combat at the hands of some form a fell enemy. Think of Dwarf Slayers only a few meters tall with powered armour and weapons of doom and destruction. Often the only way out of the Lone Wolf lifestyle is managing to kill something that the individual shouldn't have survived killing and being elevated into the Wolf Guard. [[Wat|They sometimes take part in a small pack of Wolf Scouts, being lonely wolves in company of other lonely wolves]], [[DERP|which technically should defeat the purpose of the analogy]].
* '''[[Skyclaw]]s''': Skyclaws are the trouble makers among a Chapter of trouble makers, forced to wear Jump Packs. The Space Wolves view Jump Packs as an insult, reasoning that if the Emperor wanted them to fly, he would have given them wings.
* '''[[Thunderwolf Cavalry]]''': Space Wolves who function in a manner similar to a [[Bike Squad]], but instead of actual bikes, they use Thunderwolves, which can be the size of a small car, and biologically more akin to Terran rhinoceros than actual oversized wolves.
* '''[[Long Fang]]s''': Taking the role of [[Devastator Squad|Devastators]], Long Fangs are veterans who have grown long in the fang. No pun here - Space Wolves' teeth actually lengthen as they age, as an effect of a mutated Betcher's Gland.
* '''[[Grey Hunter]]s''': Having the role of [[Tactical Squad|Tactical Marines]], Grey Hunters are those Marines who have survived long enough as Blood Claws to quell the worst of their ferocity and blood lust (read: wear a helmet in battle). Their new found experience and control allows them to shoot and fight better than their younger brethren.
* '''[[Blood Claw]]s''': Neophyte Space Wolves who serve in the [[Assault Squad|Assault Marine]] roles of Codex Chapters. As mature as a buncha punks that just discovered a Metal band and think the life of a Marine is fucking Chaos’ shit up and killing stuff. Unsurprisingly, the survival rate among this guys is not that high. Something to point out, is that it [[Lukas the Trickster|is perfectly possible for a Blood Claw to stay on this rank for his entire life]] if you are not seen as someone to trust in a higher rank.

As of the new Codices, the Primaris Marines seem to have slotted seamlessly into this, though the Primaris neophytes don't start out as Blood Claws, and instead join the line as Intercessors, etc.

* '''Intercessors''': Space Wolves intercessors seem to have gained a rivalry with the Grey Hunters, as steadfast gunlines that can anchor a flank. This rivalry manifests in typical one-upsmanship via drinking and eating contests, and other feats of strength outside the battlefield, and kill counts during firefights.
* '''Inceptors''': The most impetuous of the Primaris, Inceptors are always aching for ways to prove themselves. Of those who arrived with the Indomitus Crusade, the Inceptors were the most eager to take the Trials of Morkai, and seemed to have fully bought into the boisterous Fenrisian customs.
* '''Aggressors''': The most bro of the Primaris Wolves, Aggressors are friendly and boisterous, to the point that they could be heard laughing heartily during combat. For all their loudness however they're not headstrong or impetuous -- far from it, as they make sure they're deployed to the places in the line where they can make the most impact.
* '''Reivers''': The opposite of the Aggressors, Reivers apparently make for poor drinking buddies, but more than make up for their effectiveness of their terror tactics. Its no surprise that they've become best buds with the Wolf Scouts, who they're often also partnered with in patrols.
** '''Hounds of Morkai:''' A unique cult of edgy reivers who envision themselves as standing by the gates of Morkai. These marines are specially trained to hunt down witches, focusing more on melee and adorned in runic totems that blunt the effect of psykers. They also have special vox-emitters made specifically to interfere with casting.
* '''Hellblasters''': Surprisingly fatalistic, Space Wolf Hellblasters believe that their sagas are tied with their plasma weaponry, and while they relish bringing ruin to the enemies of the All-Father, they also accept that, if they need to, they will go out in blazes of glory that will definitely put a fiery climax to their sagas.

=== Unique Assets ===

The Space Wolves have several bits of equipment that differentiate them from a "generic" Codex Chapter.

They have their own equivalent to power weapons, the so-called '''Frost''' weapons, the most famous is the '''Frost Axe'''. With their blades made from either diamonds or crystals native to Fenris, they shine like cold ice once their fields are active.

Speaking of native crystals, these are used for their '''Helfrost''' weaponry, which fire subzero blasts of cold that can freeze its target in place. These are either man-portable, or mounted on their many vehicles.

While the Chapter has its own complement of bike squads, they also have heavy cavalry in the form of the ferocious '''Thunderwolf Cavalry'''. These warriors form a close bond with these apex predators, who then allow themselves to be use as mounts.

Space Wolves heroes also are able to bring with them regular [[Fenrisian Wolf|wolves]] into battle, much like Leman Russ before them. These wolves are treated less like pets, and more like family and fellow warriors, and many a Wolf Lord owe their lives to these faithful packs.

On the subject of Leman Russ; prior editions allowed the Space Wolves to use the heavy tank of the same name, there codex being the first sighting of the Leman Russ Exterminator but past 3ed edition this was quietly dropped.

Rather than the '''Stormraven'' and its variants, the Space Wolves rely on the '''Stormwolf''' to airlift battle-brothers to key locations, and the '''Stormclaw''' as a dedicated gunship. And yes, they're ''very'' wolfy in profile.

==Combat doctrine==
{{topquote|The best way to defeat a Space Wolf is to wolf his wolf. You must be careful, though, because if the Space Wolf wolfs your wolf first, then your wolf is wolfed.|Attributed to Wolf Rider Volk Wolfclaw, ''On the Weaknesses of the Space Wolf Doctrine''}}
{{topquote|A good way to get into a state of pure wolfness, would be that you shall wolf the wolf until the wolfing wolf wolfs. Then, when the wolf wolfs your wolfness, the wolves of the wild will wolf your wolf up. Wolf!|Attributed to Wolf Master Jonal Wolfhand, "The Call of the Nightblizzard''}}
{{topquote|Wolf wolf wolf wolf wolfity wolf. Wolf wolf, wolfo wolfy wolf wolf wolf. Wolf? Wolf!|Attributed to Wolf Lord Egil Ironwolf, ''On the Intricacies of Tactical Wolffare''}}

Jokes aside, Space Wolves doctrine normally builds their strategies around a "Pack" -- a group of unusually close battle-brothers that have very often been together since they were Blood Claws. While a Wolf Lord will generally set ''some'' broad strategies in a campaign, by and large he leaves the actual details and implementation to individual Pack Leaders. This... sort of works, as each pack's competitive nature eggs them on to one-up their buddies, but not so to the detriment of the campaign. This means that ''most'' of the time multiple packs will work together to accomplish a particular goal.

Space Wolves in general love a good scrap, and many will find that their "tactics" involve getting as close in as possible to their enemies and punching their lights out. Even the more sensible Long Fangs, who often roll their eyes at such youthful bravado, still indulge in the occasional brawl.

That said, all of this is still tempered by the Wolf Lord in charge of the Great Company. For example, Erik Morkai prefers stealth and very brutal ambushes, hence his preference for Wolf Scouts (and likely Reivers), while Engir Krakendoom likes going to war in all sorts of armored transports while escorted by Swiftclaw outriders.

== Criticism ==
As many on /tg/ will happily tell you, (and [[Magnus]] won’t stop [[RAGE|raging]] about) the Wolves are far from perfect. Where the [[Imperial Fists]] are inflexible and stubborn, the [[Dark Angels]] are unreliable and austere, and the [[Raven Guard]] are aloof and brooding, the Wolves are boisterous and arrogant. During the Heresy (and/or when Chris Wraight is writing them) they were incredibly brutal toward those they saw as oath-breakers, even if the oath-breaker in question was a fleeing, defenseless civilian.

The Ragnar Blackmane books further emphasize this and also portrayed the Chapter as willing to ignore the misdeeds of their heroes in spite of the importance they place on honor. This, combined with the Wolves hating the Thousand Sons for being psykers [[Rune Priest|while also using psykers]] led many to label the Wolves hypocrites, especially since the Space Wolves pick a fight with the Flesh Tearers for killing civilians in spite of their own troubled history in that regard.

Now, everyone including Wolves players admit that the Sons of Russ are entirely too short-sighted and prone to making enemies for their own good. During the Heresy, almost nobody liking them bit them in the ass at Alaxxes Nebula, but fast-forward to M41 and they're happily pissing off the Inquisition, Ecclesiarchy, Dark Angels, Ultramarines, etc. During Warzone Fenris, the galaxy at large is only too ready to write the Wolves off as heretics. Fans and detractors alike also note that it's [[Skub|arguable]] whether being so quick to make enemies and disobey orders to save civilians really saves more people in the long run, especially at Armageddon, where the Wolves' actions backfire badly.

== Civilians ==

Of all the inconsistently written aspects of the Chapter, this is by far the worst offender. Sometimes, the Space Wolves are written as brutal and merciless, giving zero fucks about collateral damage or civilian casualties. On the other hand, sometimes the Wolves [[Salamanders|put their lives on the line to protect the innocent.]] This can induce [[Rage]] in just about any fan, because some people get into the Space Wolves seeing them as heroes while others prefer their more savage, bloodthirsty tendencies.

The best fluff attempts to find a middle ground by presenting them as violent and pragmatic, but disciplined during the Heresy and increasingly heroic over time. By M41, the Wolves actively stop the Flesh Tearers from murdering Imperial civilians at Honour's End, disobey orders so they could protect the settlers at Thressiax, and play chicken with the Inquisition to save the people of Armageddon; this example is particularly notable, because the Wolves didn't just attempt to save the civilians from the Inquisition, for the first few months of the conflict they did so with passive resistance, defending civilian transports with the shields and hulls of their own ships, never firing back. This paints a picture of [[Awesome|a Chapter that actually becomes MOAR independent and heroic as the galaxy goes to shit around them.]] Or perhaps, they've remained the same and the galaxy has gone so grimdark that the Space Wolves now appear heroic in comparison.

Then Warzone Fenris happened. In it, the Wolves pretty much abandon their allies to focus on the Wulfen.

==Daily rituals of a Space Wolf==

08:00 - Early Risers - Most of the Wolf Scouts and Reivers, having avoided the last rounds the previous evening, wake from their quarters. They give each other quiet nods of approval, before heading for the festhall for an early breakfast. 
08:30 - Morning Firing Drills -- The Wolf Scouts and Reivers take advantage of the otherwise unoccupied firing range to get their drills in. The Lone Wolves are appreciative of the Primaris Vanguard stealth training, while Primaris marvel at Lone Wolves sniper marksmanship. 
9:00 - Wilderness Training - Wolf Scout squads leave for their regular wilderness patrols, while Reivers try to stalk them. Most of the day will be filled with one trying to track down the other, or stalking a particularly worthwhile prey. 
13:00 - Wake Up with Hangover - The majority of Space Wolves battle-brothers awaken by this point. 
13:10 - Morning Piss - The Space Wolf empties the alcohol that has accumulated in his bladder(s) in the Sacred Alcohol Excretion Grounds. (Doing so anywhere else is hazardous as space wolf urine is capable of corroding ceramite) 
13:11 - Morning Fart - The Space Wolf empties his intestines. Pissing without farting is like going to a holy site without praying to the Emperor, which is heresy. 
13:20 - Morning Piss Ends - The Space Wolves have finally finished urinating. The surrounding landscape is scorched with a aura of menace resembling nurgle’s rot. 
13:30 - Ritual of the Hair of the Dog - The Space Wolf now cracks open his first cold one of the day. The first of many. Cheerios may be consumed as well. 
13:45 - Firing Drills - The Space Wolf consumes another liter of alcohol before going out back and shooting empty beer bottles with his bolter. This takes place far away from the Alcohol Excretion Grounds, after that one time Brother Brynjolf accidentally lit his own piss on fire. an entire company had to spend 6 months in the sickbay until their hair grew back and they were thus fit to be seen in public again. 
14:00 - Freeze your Balls - The Space Wolf sheds his armor and most of his clothing to wander around Asaheim for an hour. 
15:00 - Feeding of the Land Raiders - Space Wolf observes a feast with his brothers in honour of the chapter's revered battle machines. Blood Claws are still wandering around outside naked in the snow not grasping that the Long Fangs and Grey Hunters beelined for the chow hall as soon as the claws were out of sight. 
15:30 - Boozing of the Land Raiders - No feast is complete without metric fucktons of liquor. Fenrisian Ale, beer, and if available bylestim blend are poured and scrubbed all over the most honoured of the chapter's war machines. Many still have bullet holes, sometimes allowing beer to get into the exhaust ports and make for kickass explosions later. Blood Claws are still wandering around outside naked in the snow. 
16:00 - Wolf your Wolf - Grey Hunters and older Space Wolves take this time to play with their favourite 4-legged companions. Any Blood Claw who's showed up by now is made a Grey Hunter. 
16:30 - Save the Blood Claws - Blood Claws are brought in from the cold. Most are frozen blue or black - and hungry for more. 
17:00 - Evening feast - Eat. Drink. Start brawls. The usual non-warzone Space Wolf thing. 
18:00 - Try to wake up [[Bjorn the Fell Handed|Bjorn]]. 
18:10 - Give up, try to find something fun on the Vox Saga. 
19:00 - Night shitter break. 
20:00 - Night firing drills - Much to the Iron Priest's dismay, the Space Wolves practice writing their names in the snow with bolters. In runes. In the dark. 
21:00 - Ritual Intake of Narcotics and Purging of Testicles - bitches and blow. 
05:00 - Daily Rest - The Space Wolf passes out. 

==A Quick Word Out of Character==
The true reason for all this, is that, we at /tg/, in our pathetic, low-reaching mastery of comedy, have seen how idiotic it is that every goddamn Space Wolf codex unnecessarily uses the word "wolf" as a prefix or a suffix every 3rd sentence (similar to the [[Robin Cruddace|Tyranid codex]] shoe-horning the prefix ''bio-'' into every 3rd sentence). Since /tg/ is an easily angered monster, not unlike an [[Angry Marine]], we furiously attempt to link Space Wolves to furries (it's really fucking annoying), as we are as fucked up as [[Chaos Pretty Marines]].

It has been established in the ''[[Horus Heresy]]'' series that the VI Legion doesn't employ the word "wolf" as much as they appear to do. Wolves are readily apparent in their motifs, such as Leman Russ's titles as "Wolf-King" and "Great Wolf," as well as in the formal name of the Wolf Guard, but it's not as overblown as it's made out to be. Apparently, whoever did the Fenrisian-to-Gothic translation made a few errors. First off, they don't call themselves "the Space Wolves." When speaking formally, they refer to themselves as the ''Vlka Fenryka'', which we can look at a few ways. "Fenris" is easy, a reference to Fenrir from Norse mythology. "Vlka" has a couple options; if you walk it backwards through the Germanic ''Volk'' you get "Folk of Fenris". This supports a common theory on 1d4chan where a bunch of colonists landed on a planet, bred giant dogs from their great, great, grand-children (more on that in a minute) then thought, "You know what's better than planet Unicorn? Planet fucking Fenris". So the the ''Vlka Fenryka'' are literally the folk of Fenris. Alternately ''Vlka'' can be translated from Slavic to get the "Wolves of Fenris" again.

No matter what you conclude on, you get Dan Abnett using linguistics to reinforce his theme that the Space Wolves are misunderstood by the rest of the Imperium - calling the Space Wolves because of a mistranslated word. One could even argue they are actually called "Space People", would make sense since Ragnar referred to them as "Star warriors" in the William King novels and their Fenrisian ''Kaerl'' auxiliaries call them "sky warriors," but the lore from these novels has been left by the wayside so take that as you will. When speaking informally, they refer to themselves as "the Rout", solidifying their purpose as the Emperor's executioners (self-proclaimed)/snowflakes. Additionally, the post of "Wolf-Lord" is also a mistranslation, as they refer to their Company commanders as ''Jarl''. Finally, they don't call their fortress-monastery the Fang, but rather the ''Aett'', which can be literally translated as "clan home." There's also this in-universe [[meme]] "there are no wolves on Fenris." At all. This was started by one of the primarchs remarking that they should be called xenos, because they're natives of an alien planet, and it quickly morphed into a joke. As it turns out, this is literally true.

With regards to the [[Fenrisian Wolf|Fenrisian wolves]], the origin a little more freaky than expected: they're not wolves, but descendants of human-wolf mutants. Back when Fenris was first settled, the colonists had the ''Canis helix'' added to help them adapt to the harsh environment by adding wolf genes to their genetic-makeup. Unfortunately, it worked a little too well--the ''canix helix'' caused a number of settlers to degrade into wolfmen and wolfwomen. Following this, they bred and produced a new strain of wolf into the environment. So there are no ''wolves'' on Fenris. They're just the descendants of human mutants. Which might explain why, post-Heresy, only Fenrisians can become Space Wolves (assuming that's why the successor chapters couldn't handle Russ' gene seed).

So yes, naming the planet after the wolves means we really do just end up all the way back at Wolves of Wolves after all. Whelp.

Of course, that means that the Space Wolves are wearing pelts made of [[Fabius Bile|human skin]], but lets not dwell on that - after all it's fairly common in the Imperium to wear human skulls... WolfyWolfWolf {{BLAM|''' *BLAM*}}.

===The Wulfen issue aka "Fucking Furries"===
The blatant author favouritism annoys fans of the other chapters with "Dark Secrets". GW's treatment of the Wulfen makes it effortless for fans of other chapters to hurl [[Mary Sue]] accusations at them, unlike the [[Blood Angels]] and [[Dark Angels]]. The Wulfen are now out in the open; once they were exposed they get little (arguably no) punishment while the Inquisition and Grey Knights just "kept one eye open". The aforementioned chapters on the other hand have to keep their secrets from being found out by the Inquisition and the Imperium at large.

Despite the fact that Fallen Angels were paraded around on Terra, many would assume they were [[Ravenwing]] without their fancy bikes. While any claims of Dark Angels being the real traitors from the Fallen would have [[Guilliman]] retort back that they are full of shit (with more and longer words), as he knew exactly what The First was up to during the Horus Heresy with the exception the events that caused the destruction of Caliban. Of course, the Unforgiven would also be pissed if they found out if one of the predecessors of the Grey Knights killed a Dark Angel and were part of the reason their homeworld was destroyed and would demand censure.

The Blood Angels on the other hand have an infection similar to the Wulfen without mutating into some kind of half-human man-beast. The [[Red Thirst]]. The Blood Angels and their successors organize the afflicted into [[Death Company|Death Companies]] who are lead by their Chaplains into killing Xenos and foul traitors. If they somehow survive the mutated Blood Angels are {{BLAM}}ed.
Both chapters send their traitors/mutants into battle to be used as cannon fodder. A much more grimdark action that would be in character for Space Marines. [[White Scars|They wouldn't be the only]] [[Raven Guard|chapters to have done this either.]] Instead of treating mutants as fellow warriors.
Inserting noble bright into the setting where it doesn't belong. The same reasons that so many players also hated the Tau until GW retconned them into being more grimdark.

Making this all the more strange. In all likelihood [[Guilliman]] himself wouldn't see a problem with using mutated Space Marines as cannon fodder. Because he did so himself when he created the [[Moritat]]s after combat exercises with the [[Raven Guard]]. So chances are he would side with the other two former [[Imperium Secundus]] Legions. [[Ogryn|Due to not only favoritism but he and the rest of the Imperium at large would find it strange that the Space Wolves do not]].

=== Why people hate the Space Wolves, tldr version ===
One user on reddit summed it up with this. (fixed for grammar somewhat)

"The Space Wolves remind me of a 13 year old’s first D&D character: very cool, special, powerful barbarian hero who is morally flawless but doesn't listen to authority and always does the right thing but don't you dare cross them. They get away with shit because they're so special and the rules don't apply to them, guys. They got to wage war on the Inquisition with a slap on the wrist, while the Celestial Lions were slaughtered for merely questioning the morals of the Inquisition. [[Mary Sue|They get a free pass on mutation in a setting where that gets chapters purged.]] They drink and party while other chapters lose hundreds of brothers on meaningless, forgotten battlegrounds. They aren't even Vikings! The White Scars are Space Mongols. The Black Templars are Space Teutons. [[Ultramarines|There are Space Rome]]. [[Thousand Sons|Space Egypt]]. [[Raven Guard|Space Iroquois]]. But Vikings? No. They don't raid. They don't pillage. They don't terrorize. They don't explore, chart, map, and push boundaries. [[Mary Sue|They just fuck around, being special, unique perfect little dudes who don't suffer in GrimDarkness.]]

They exist in the wrong game."

So basically Space Wolves now have the same problem as the Tau did a few editions back.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Lightning2.jpg|'Tis only a matter of time until Steve Blum voices 'em. Apparently, this set somehow makes things you hit weigh less.
File:Warlord of Fenris by NachoMon.jpg|Totally not overcompensating...Yeah he's just <s>hiding a massive hardon with</s> supporting the skull with a massive hard-on.
File:Lemanruss39.jpg|Leman Russ. About to mercilessly fuck over the Thousand Sons.
File:Prospero.jpg|Is he carrying a wooden shield? Really? Against a bolt shell? It better be a Combat Shield.
File:Stormrider.jpg|You better watch out, you better not die, you better not fight, I'm telling you why: Santa Grimnar's coming to town
[[File:http://l.wigflip.com/DucDpDtG/roflbot.jpg]]|Pretty cool guys to hang with.
File:SneakySpaceWolves.png|Good thing they brought the sneaking flag.
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Bjorn the Fell Handed]]
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Space Wolves (9E)|Space Wolves Tactics]]
*[[Warriors of Chaos]] - With whom they get into bar brawls and drinking contests to see who is moar [[Viking]]
*[[Skyrar's Dark Wolves]] - Before calling your [[Dark Angels]] brothers [[Troll|traitors]] read [[Svane_Vulfbad|this]] first to understand [[Fallen_Angels|their]][[ rage]].
*[[Legion Consul]] - The old "Commissars" of the VI legion.
*[https://youtu.be/Bh_5ofa__pY/ Space Wolves theme song]

{{Marines-Official}}
{{Space Wolves}}
[[Category:Furry]]

Death Korps of Krieg

2021-03-08T05:58:15Z

2601:585:8301:76D0:3960:28EF:C4E7:5DA: /* Facts/Notes */

{{awesome}}
[[Image:Krieg_trooper.gif|frame|left|Yes, they have faces. But they're ugly, go put a gasmask on.]]

[[File:Krieg Commissar.jpg|300px||thumb|right|Even their [[Commissar|Commissars]] are more badass than your average Commissar. Though a Commissar isn't even necessary for the Kriegers for morale. They’re instead used to stop the Kriegsmen from useless suicidal actions.]]
{{Topquote|Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure.|Diary of an unknown German soldier at Stalingrad }}
{{Topquote|In life, war. In death, peace. In life, shame. In death, atonement.|Final litany of the ''Litany of Sacrifice'', recited by Krieg Korpsmen when entering battle (and 9E, it seems)}}

'''The Death Korps of Krieg, the most Grimdark of Grimdark'''

The '''Death Korps of Krieg''' is a series of [[Imperial Guard]] regiments which hail from the [[Death World]] of [[Krieg]]. They like trenches and gas masks and are known for their iron discipline and suicidal tolerance for casualties. In fact, they will take any objective and vanquish any enemy, just as long as they have enough men to throw in the meat grinder. Hell, Krieg means WAR in German (as you have gathered, the Imperium does not do 'subtle'). That's how badass they are. What's the difference between them and other Guard units, you ask? These motherfuckers don't even give a shit. They're some sort of badass human lemmings, and they are so [[grimdark]] that they alone are responsible for about 20% of the grimdarkness in [[Warhammer 40,000]]. They have no will to live, no fucks to give, and one hell of a lot of xenos to shiv (with bayonets and sharpened entrenching tools). This is said to be a relic of the tragic civil war on the original hive world of Krieg, a den of traitors, corruption and strife where rebels rose to power and seceded from the Imperium. However, loyalists Guardsmen decided to light Krieg up like it was nuclear 4th of July instead of letting the heretical rebels take control of the planet, resulting in their homeworld becoming a bitch of a [[3.6 Roentgen|radioactive hellhole]] (hence the Korps' gas mask fetish). Now the people of Krieg are so sad about their rebellious past they’d literally rather die in service to the emperor than continue living their shameful and possibly heretical lives.

The greatest source of mundane horror in all of Warhammer, the Death Korps does not need eldritch nonsense or nonsensical alien "biology" for the darkness factor. This is quite simply humanity at its worst and nothing more.

Also it needs to be said that in current non-jokey 40k canon there is an in universe romance novel about Kriegers titled "My Wish to Generate Children with You is Only Exceeded by My Devotion to Him."

Because of their suicidal loyalty to the emperor, the Death Korps are allowed to be better equipped and better organized than most Guardsmen. They have flak armor like any other, but they have plasteel helmets, their lasguns are much more powerful (though limited to semi-automatic fire), their marksmanship is on par with space marine scouts. their bayonet skill is outright legendary, their uniform is fully sealed against nuclear, biological, and chemical attack (also protecting them from the mud, rain, and other elements and likely acting as an any environment survival suit issued to the Guard), and they have a backpack full of gear and supplies instead of rushing into battle practically (or literally) naked. Heck, these suicidal guys even have grenadiers wearing carapace armor wielding hellguns despite being sent specifically to get killed doing something useful. They are allowed to practice regiment specific combined arms doctrine. Which means their tank regiments can include heavy tank companies and super heavy tanks (like the [[Mordian Iron Guard]], the other exceptional regiment), Calvalry, light armored vehicles, Mobile artillery, and tank destroyers. They also have WAAAAAY more artillery and heavy weapons than anyone else (to the degree that '''Infantry''' regiments come with light artillery as standard). They make the [[Cadia|'''Cadians''']] look under-equipped and poorly trained. Such are the perks of being suicidal loons who live their entire lives waiting to die for the emperor.

==Background==
===The Civil War===
Some time ago Krieg was a pretty sweet planet to live on, until the heretical dickwad of a Planetary Governor (and most of the ruling elite) decided that the Tithe was wack and voted to detach from the [[Imperium]]. Needless to say the loyal citizens wouldn't let the rebel scum get away with that and a bloody civil war broke out. The loyalists were severely outnumbered, and only managed to seize control of a single hive called Ferrograd (ferro is Italian for iron and grad is old Slavic for town - GW being subtle), due to the fact that a loyal Krieg Imperial Guard regiment under the command of a Colonel Jurten was there, waiting to depart. While getting some turnips out of the basement Jurten tripped over some nukes and decided to even the odds by blowing the world back to the Stone Age. Afterwards, after just 500 years of continual terrible war, the loyalists managed to drag Krieg back into the paralysed lap of the Emperor. Today the citizens of Krieg celebrate the day their hero Colonel Jurten destroyed their planet's ecosystem on "Jurten Day", when everybody digs out entrenchments and practices NBC weapons drills, just like every other day, though everyone gets one crumbly chocolate chip cookie.

===The Death Korps===
[[Image:Vraks.jpg|300px|thumb|right|You don't know hell until you have lived through [[Vraks]]]]The inhabitants of Krieg are mad sorry for their disgraceful past and try to make up for it by being the baddest motherfuckers since the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Empra]] himself. In fact they've been so successful in producing hardass guardsmen that the Adeptus Mechanicus Biologis gave them some Vitae Wombs (IVF/clone tubes) so that they can produce even more top notch cannon fodder, which is important, because Krieg is a radioactive shithole, and most of them are sterile. So sterile that most Kriegers are born of complex gene-cloning and subsequent growth-vats. Their society is ''absolutely'' militarized. Children are being born only to be filled with the guilt of their ancestors, trained and sent to die for their Emperor. Contrary to other less <s>brainwashed</s> '''LOYAL''' units they're truly happy to do so and would die with a smile on their lips for the glory of the Emperor, if they'd ever smile. Seriously, those guys are stone cold. You'd rather chat with a necron than a Krieg trooper. They don't even have names. They're just called Trooper #1337 or Major Alpha and such (although some of the higher-ranked survivors get names, like Colonel Tyborc, hero of [[Vraks]]) both to underscore what expendable clones they are and because they don't give a flying fuck about anything other than marching, dying gloriously and shooting heretics in the head (fluff dependent; McNeill and Mitchell portray them as stoic to the point of being cold but still personal whereas Steve Lyons depicted them as described as near drone-like automata). As such gung-ho individuals they technically don't even have the need for Commissars to maintain morale, since their deserting rate is practically zero and the officers (and probably even the regular troopers) will happily execute their soldiers themselves if need occurs. Commissars that are sent their way are usually sent in to say "Captain, I know you want to charge in and stab those Orks in the face with bayonets, but if you do that maybe one in ten is getting out of there alive. The Emperor needs you alive and we are going to goddamn wait until a situation comes where we can have enough survivors for the next battle and if you order a charge, it's [[blam]]ming time for you." If a Commissar is the voice of reason in your ear, you know your priorities are interesting.

[[File:S c h w e r e by nicklausofkrieg-d764sze.png|250px|thumb|left|If you thought [[Warhammer 40k]] just couldn't get any [[Grimdark|grimdarker]], have a beer with one of these fine gentlemen.]]

If one thing is even more serious business for Kriegers than dying, it's killing heretics with extreme prejudice, even by Imperial standards. As mentioned in the ''Codex: Stronghold Assault'', once there was a [[Hive|Hive City]] that hadn't paid its tithe, and got a visit from the Death Korps for it. After five years of constant bombardment, the city surrendered unconditionally, but the Kriegers wouldn't just stop bombarding over such a small thing. After three more years, there was nobody left alive in the ruins anymore. The Death Korps still wouldn't leave until two years later - when they had eventually shot ''the entire mountain-sized Hive'' to rubble! ( <s>That seems unusually wasteful for Krieger's. Aren't hives supposed to be sacred archeotech in and of themselves?</s> Heretical Hives are worth less than the dirt under a Kriegers boot!) That was also more about making a point about why surrendering early is the best option for you. Wait, Hive Cities are protected by void shields capable of shrugging off orbital bombardment. Either the Kriegers had some huge toys or the humble Earthshaker isn't so humble.

A surprising degree of bio and cybernetic enhancements also appear to be common among Kriegers, which while taking away from their raw awesomeness, should give you idea of how high the esteem in which the Imperium holds the Death Korps.

The Munitorium has a hard on for these guys because unlike guardsmen from other places they always obey orders to the letter, <s>even</s> especially when it means dying in droves. Most Kriegers '''never''' retreat, they '''almost''' fight to the death every time. Once when a Commissar ordered a retreat, an unknown Krieger shot the Commissar for cowardice. Seriously, these guys don't fuck around. The only thing that does happen once in a while that could be potentially seen as approaching a retreat is a regiment/army being reassigned if the high-ups conclude the objectives have been met or are simply no longer attainable and dying elsewhere serves the Emperor better. That being said, during the siege of Vraks the Kriegers shot their own Commissars who tried to stop their retreat, despite being the most fanatical of the Imperial Guard, they're still only human (p. 72, Imperial Armour 5, Siege of Vraks Part One, for all those who get a hard on for the Death Korps). On the other hand, the Kriegsmen are so well trained and experienced, they do know when to retreat. Commissars are well trained for war in general, but don’t necessarily understand siege warfare as a speciality enough to always recognize when retreat is the best option. Also, you can’t win a siege if you expend too many of your soldiers. You need to out number the enemy at least three to one for that. As such, the Kriegers being much more frugal with their lives during the siege makes very good sense to ultimately achieve victory.

Now these suicidal, [[Iron Warriors|violent siege specialists]] are ordered to fight in the most dangerous battles. The Death Korps of Krieg may want to die, but [[Nightbringer|death is a bitch to them]]. When they do die though, they are easily replaced. Join the Death Korps of Krieg now (rebreather, lasgun and no will to live included)!

== Horses ==
[[File:Krieg irl.jpg|220px|thumb|left|Historic IRL version.]]
Yes, they ride gas mask-wearing horses into battle in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium. These are not any ordinary horses, though. Like [[Space Marines]], they are genhanced with extra organs implanted to deal with harsh environments (giving them 6+ invulnerable save), keep them fighting well after any [[My Little Pony|ordinary filly]] would be blasted to the knacker's. They are vat grown and implanted with devices to increase pain tolerance, and decrease unruliness. These form the backbone of the Krieg Death Rider units, who are lead by a Sergeant known as a "Ridemaster." They are used as scouts and to harass the enemy (just like standard cavalry) . In addition to lasguns and grenades, they carry a one-use-only explosive-tipped lance, and can charge "fleet of hoof" if not shooting.

== Vitae Womb ==
It is stated that the Kriegers make use of "Vitae Womb" technology to keep up the annual crop of 50 million suicidally fanatical gas mask mooks specifically given to them by the Adeptus Mechanicus. What that means is a matter of [[skub|debate]], ranging from exowombs to drugs which increase fertility and accelerate pregnancy. What is not disputed is that it keeps population production up well beyond what can usually be achieved by human uteri. At least take comfort in the fact that it, in all likelihood, can't be as bad as [[Honsou|a certain Warsmith]]'s [[Daemonculaba|pet project]].

Or [[/d/|could it?]]

In all honesty it's almost certainly just an artificial womb. The basic technology itself is something that the Imperium makes use of on a regular basis and Vitae Womb is probably just a specific incarnation of it used to mass produce (biologically speaking) normal humans. There are no women in the Krieg military, because they also supply kids for their birth rates - they do both so they can recruit and tithe more regiments.

== Vraks, and Forge World Stupidity ==
Now, for all that the soldiers of Krieg are supposed to be some of the hardest bastards in the Imperium and willing to sacrifice their lives in an instant if that's what is asked of them, there comes a point where going any further with that characterization crosses the line between "grimly awesome" and "over-the-top caricature". There's really nothing '''wrong''' with this since 40k originally started out as a parody setting, just so long as the writers meet one simple condition:

'''It has to be ''intentional''.'''

When [[Imperial Armour]] released their [[Vraks]] trilogy, it was '''supposed''' to be an example of how dark and gritty siege warfare could become, and therefore a textbook example of how the Death Korps operates. Prior to this, they were written as pragmatic, capable, dedicated, and ''utterly ruthless'' soldiers who combined the tactical sense you'd expect from a professional soldier who had been trained from birth with a willingness to sustain whatever amount of casualties are required to achieve their objectives on the battlefield; meeting their deaths without the slightest hesitation, and making sure that the Emperor's foes paid as high a price for those deaths as they could arrange.

Instead, we were shown a teeming mass of "soldiers" who amounted to little better than shambler zombies with guns; utterly incompetent and suicidal to the point where they were more concerned with killing ''themselves'' than the enemies of the Imperium. The most sterling example of this has to be walking over minefields to clear them, something that could easily be accomplished with far less cost in men and materiel by using vehicles with dozer blades as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_roller mine rollers]. They literally have to be convinced that there are better ways to fight the Emperor's foes than marching into the teeth of enemy fire until they ran out of ammunition by their damn '''[[Commissar|Comissars]]'''; political officers whose entire job revolves around two things:

1. Inspiring soldiers through sheer hammy charisma.

2. Discouraging cowardice through the not-insignificant accomplishment of successfully being more terrifying than any enemy a Guardsmen might be facing at the moment. In a universe where said enemies might be '''[[Chaos|the Legions of Hell]]''', '''[[Tyranids|an endless swarm of alien horrors from beyond the stars]]''', '''[[Orks| a race of sentient bioweapons whose extreme bloodlust is matched only by their uncountable numbers]]''' or '''''[[Night Lords|genetically-engineered superhumans whose entire schtick revolves around being the most nightmarish motherfuckers in existence]]'''''.

The sheer wastefulness of the Idiot Korps' tactics is so great that it becomes impossible to take any of the books seriously, and the setting is left poorer for it. If the Death Korps actually fought like they're described in Vraks then in all likelihood the Imperium would have long since discarded them as a useful fighting force due to how needlessly and exorbitantly wasteful they are of lives and materiel, and we would like to remind you that the Imperium measures the casualties of war in '''planets''', not men.

Now to be fair, part of this characterization is likely caused by takeing the cultural memory of WW1 the idea of men mindlessly charging into Machine Gun emplacements across a no-man's land ripped apart by artillery and chemical weapons, and porting it into 40k.Viewed this way much of the above make sense, Death Korp Tactics are wasteful because in popular memory that's all World War One was, men jumping over trenches to run into enemy machine guns. The problem comes when you try to get into the head of an entire culture whose goal is doing just that, thus leading to the grim derp problems above of damn near suicidal soldiers whose primary tactic is the human wave charge, because again that's what WW1 was in memory, lions lead by donkeys who charged bravely, if mindlessly into certain death. This lead to the Death Krops being stupid and fighting stupidly. In the end when forge world tried to potray a ww1 style mud and blood conflict, they fumbled because World war 1 was an already pretty grimdark conflict so turning it up to the 40k required 11 on the old grim dark dial was bound to push it into Grim Derp Territory if handled poorly, and it was.

TL;DR: In essence, the Vraks trilogy wanted to recreate the muddy hell holes of ww1 in 40k, and in the process turned the Death Korps from something much like the Red Army during WW2 into [[Skub|a poorly-researched/malicious portrayal of the Red Army during WW2.]]

Thankfully they generally seem portrayed in lore usually as being unafraid of death but not willing to waste their lives (so they can kill more of the Emperor’s enemies). In fact, with their heavy tanks and numerous grenadiers and their engineers, the Death Korps seems more like a mashup of various real life successful ways the trenches in World War One were ultimately defeated. Their machines and units imply the Death Korps is more of a “line breaking specialists” army than a “dig trench and sit there forever” army. Their trenches seem to be used more like forward bases and mustering points for their breaching attacks than as their main method of defeating the enemy.

==Facts/Notes==
*Due to the Krieger ideology of repentance to the Emperor, dying while achieving a great victory is a Krieger's life goal. The Death Korps of Krieg's version of Heaven (Or at the very least an equivalent concept) is to achieve a great victory for the Imperium, while sustaining 100% casualties. They would be the perfect soldier for the Normandy Landings or Stalingrad. They will attempt to achieve a glorious victory while drowning the enemy with their corpses.
*The Death Korps of Krieg kick serious ass.
*They seriously do not fuck around.
*They have [[Rough riders|cuirassiers that ride horses with fucking rebreathers.]] Yep...
*The lasgun model they use is called the "Lucius" Pattern No.98, in keeping with their German WW1 inspiration, (the standard-issue Mauser rifle was the model 1898). More powerful per shot than most lasguns, but is semi-automatic only and might blow up if you fire it too quickly.
*The Death Korps of Krieg resemble old World War I soldiers, with most people thinking they are German because of their name and the ''stahlhelm''-style of their neck protection, '''however''', the overall design of the Korps is actually a mix between various armies from WW1 and even the 19th century; their helmet is a ''stahlhelm''-Adrian hybrid, their uniform is mostly French, their gas mask looks like British-American models, the grenadiers' armour plates are undoubtedly German and the Death Riders and officer are French cuirassiers from the Napoleonic Wars with the same WWI flavour. Meanwhile, their tanks, while the same Russes as everyone else in the Guard, have the trench-rails of WW2 French tanks.
* <s>I bet they allow the use of hardcore cocaine. And they won't take it because it doesn't help in killing heretics or dying ''fast enough''.</s> they do not. See below.
* they are the only members of the imperial guard, besides Cadians to know of the existence of Daemons and the Chaos gods...Because one of their tenants is to stab them in the face with there bayonets.
*They have cool looking "Grenadiers" for, well, grenadiering?
*They don't desert, ever (they're not all that into sweet things anyway).
*They're German-French-British-American, so of course they're gonna win (after taking a stupidly high amount of casualties).
*"Kill confirmed" is the only thing they ever say <s>in combat</s> ever.
*<s>They don't fly aerial vehicles, they just crash them into enemy AA guns. 50\50 chance of them still surviving.</s> They fly CAS and bomber aircraft into the most suicidal of missions, and once irreparably damaged, suicide-bomb them into enemy AA to clear the way for other air units.
*A Krieger's idea of courting involves finding a suitable female (or male) in the trench who doesn't look like all the other suicidal gas-mask wearing nutbars in brown who hasn't been blown to smithereens...yet.
*Krieger pickup lines are notoriously bad, so bad they make the Mechanicus look like Barry White! Notable lines include "I wish to have a cloning vat of fetuses with you", "Would you like to share this additional synthesized Mechanicus issued ration bar with me at sixteen hundred hours?", "Would you like to go for some recaf with me?" (so far so good), "I found this lovely little bombed-out fox-hole near our position, it's very romantic" (sure if you find love on Armageddon!), and "My gene donors (the parents) are away on deployment this weekend, I've got the whole barracks to myself, and I just picked up a mixtape of the most romantic Krieger music" (hint: it sounds like guns firing, orders being screamed, explosions, and marching boots...very romantic).
*Rejection in Krieg is common and common excuses include "I'm washing my scalp" (Krieger men are bald), "I'd love to but I have a Tyranid invasion to stop", "I'd love to but I've just been ordered to charge that dugout, gonna be busy all day", "I can't go to the dance with you I'm dying for the emperor tomorrow", and "I like you as a friend".
*If Krieg and Cadia swapped places Abaddon would have stayed in the Eye of Terror (but the Imperial casualties would have increased by an order of magnitude).
*A romantic evening to a Krieger usually involves barbed wire, grey dugout positions, landmines, a searchlight, latrines, an emplaced heavy machine gun, and some stick bombs.
*Their response to [[Necrons]] fucking vaporizing them is to continue firing, but also make sure to drop their weapon when they are hit so as to preserve as much of their equipment as possible.
*Kill or be Killed, either way, Krieg is redeemed. One millimetre at a time.
* A Krieg Death Corps trooper and a [[Catachan Jungle Fighters|Catachan Jungle Fighter]] got into a fight to see who was the most badass type of guardsman ever. Except no they didn't, because a true Krieger always has more important [[Gets shit done|shit to get done]].
*They are highly popular with the Commissariat as they do not retreat. They hold the line.
*Fans do their heavy-WWI inspiration one better by portraying them as being highly eager to use sharpened entrenching tools/shovels in close-combat, though this has technically never really appeared in canon (the use of shovels in melee, that is. Their suicidal eagerness to get into melee is definitely canon as shit).
*Will kill their commander if they are ordered to retreat more than a few times. <s>Unless they have a reason, that is</s> {{Blam| '''THEY NEVER HAVE A REASON TO RETREAT, AVE IMPERATOR'''!!!!!!!}}'
**Jokes aside, the one time even they broke was against literally the single worst batch of chemical weapons in Warhammer history (which is really saying something) on Vraks by the [[The Purge]]. It literally took a rolling blackout of super-heavy tank melting gas fired by the single most life hating unit of beings to ever exist to drive them off. By one trench line exactly. (And even then they weren't so much driven off as melted where they stood.) Even then, this isn't really "breaking" - they're strategically repositioning so they can die for the Emperor in a more useful way than being turned into poisonous slag.
*They look down on other regiments that aren't as suicidally fanatical and/or disciplined as they are, because of this they get along with the [[Mordian Iron Guard]], and the Meccabian Jannisaries as they also share their fatalistic devotion to duty, and absolutely despise the [[Jopall Indentured Guard]] as they are the complete opposite of what the Korps believes a soldier should be (however, they also openly praise Jopallian marksmanship).
*Did I mention that the greatest victory for a Krieger unit involves 100% casualties?

==Trivia==
[[File:WH Faces (2).jpg|280px|right|thumb|]]
The Death Korps are very clearly based off of German, French, British, and American WWI soldiers, all the way down to their trenchcoats (French), gas masks (British/German), helmets (French/German hybrid), their riders (French), love of big guns (American/German) and of course, affinity for trench warfare. Just like the good ol' <s>Somme</s> <s>Ypres</s> <s>Marne</s> <s>Verdun</s> Passchendaele, eh?

They also seem to be much more heavily focused on the machines, tactics, and special units that ultimately overcame trench warfare. Such as focused artillery barrages to cover for a large number of very heavily armored soldiers to get close and seize trenches and then be reinforced by normal troops. Tanks, lots and lots of tanks especially really damn huge ones, and so on. Which makes sense; they’re sent to win wars not stagnate them.

==Alternative Modeling Options==
As the most popular (Fluffwise) regiment, [[Forge World]] has models for them that cost more than the average Kriegsman's life, but then again that's not really a high bar. Thankfully, [http://anvilindustry.co.uk Anvil Industry] comes to the rescue with their Regiments range, allowing anyone to build very authentic-looking Kriegers, complete with their signature death masks, unique lasguns and wheeled heavy weapons.
==See Also==
* [[Love and Krieg]], [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Love_and_Krieg_Spinoffs and its various spin-offs].
* [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Imperial_Guard(8E)#Death_Korps_of_Krieg Tactics/Death Korps of Krieg]
* [http://i.imgur.com/esFMLb8.png Writefaggotry about the mind of a Deathkorps Medicae]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170718013716/http://www.projectafterforums.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=10367 A rare female Krieger]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7GsdsuSXfw Krieg song by StringStorm]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mNX1pPXrTg An animation of Kriegers getting shit done]
{{Template:40k-Imperial-Regiments}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]]

Death Korps of Krieg

2021-03-08T05:56:47Z

2601:585:8301:76D0:3960:28EF:C4E7:5DA: /* Facts/Notes */

{{awesome}}
[[Image:Krieg_trooper.gif|frame|left|Yes, they have faces. But they're ugly, go put a gasmask on.]]

[[File:Krieg Commissar.jpg|300px||thumb|right|Even their [[Commissar|Commissars]] are more badass than your average Commissar. Though a Commissar isn't even necessary for the Kriegers for morale. They’re instead used to stop the Kriegsmen from useless suicidal actions.]]
{{Topquote|Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure.|Diary of an unknown German soldier at Stalingrad }}
{{Topquote|In life, war. In death, peace. In life, shame. In death, atonement.|Final litany of the ''Litany of Sacrifice'', recited by Krieg Korpsmen when entering battle (and 9E, it seems)}}

'''The Death Korps of Krieg, the most Grimdark of Grimdark'''

The '''Death Korps of Krieg''' is a series of [[Imperial Guard]] regiments which hail from the [[Death World]] of [[Krieg]]. They like trenches and gas masks and are known for their iron discipline and suicidal tolerance for casualties. In fact, they will take any objective and vanquish any enemy, just as long as they have enough men to throw in the meat grinder. Hell, Krieg means WAR in German (as you have gathered, the Imperium does not do 'subtle'). That's how badass they are. What's the difference between them and other Guard units, you ask? These motherfuckers don't even give a shit. They're some sort of badass human lemmings, and they are so [[grimdark]] that they alone are responsible for about 20% of the grimdarkness in [[Warhammer 40,000]]. They have no will to live, no fucks to give, and one hell of a lot of xenos to shiv (with bayonets and sharpened entrenching tools). This is said to be a relic of the tragic civil war on the original hive world of Krieg, a den of traitors, corruption and strife where rebels rose to power and seceded from the Imperium. However, loyalists Guardsmen decided to light Krieg up like it was nuclear 4th of July instead of letting the heretical rebels take control of the planet, resulting in their homeworld becoming a bitch of a [[3.6 Roentgen|radioactive hellhole]] (hence the Korps' gas mask fetish). Now the people of Krieg are so sad about their rebellious past they’d literally rather die in service to the emperor than continue living their shameful and possibly heretical lives.

The greatest source of mundane horror in all of Warhammer, the Death Korps does not need eldritch nonsense or nonsensical alien "biology" for the darkness factor. This is quite simply humanity at its worst and nothing more.

Also it needs to be said that in current non-jokey 40k canon there is an in universe romance novel about Kriegers titled "My Wish to Generate Children with You is Only Exceeded by My Devotion to Him."

Because of their suicidal loyalty to the emperor, the Death Korps are allowed to be better equipped and better organized than most Guardsmen. They have flak armor like any other, but they have plasteel helmets, their lasguns are much more powerful (though limited to semi-automatic fire), their marksmanship is on par with space marine scouts. their bayonet skill is outright legendary, their uniform is fully sealed against nuclear, biological, and chemical attack (also protecting them from the mud, rain, and other elements and likely acting as an any environment survival suit issued to the Guard), and they have a backpack full of gear and supplies instead of rushing into battle practically (or literally) naked. Heck, these suicidal guys even have grenadiers wearing carapace armor wielding hellguns despite being sent specifically to get killed doing something useful. They are allowed to practice regiment specific combined arms doctrine. Which means their tank regiments can include heavy tank companies and super heavy tanks (like the [[Mordian Iron Guard]], the other exceptional regiment), Calvalry, light armored vehicles, Mobile artillery, and tank destroyers. They also have WAAAAAY more artillery and heavy weapons than anyone else (to the degree that '''Infantry''' regiments come with light artillery as standard). They make the [[Cadia|'''Cadians''']] look under-equipped and poorly trained. Such are the perks of being suicidal loons who live their entire lives waiting to die for the emperor.

==Background==
===The Civil War===
Some time ago Krieg was a pretty sweet planet to live on, until the heretical dickwad of a Planetary Governor (and most of the ruling elite) decided that the Tithe was wack and voted to detach from the [[Imperium]]. Needless to say the loyal citizens wouldn't let the rebel scum get away with that and a bloody civil war broke out. The loyalists were severely outnumbered, and only managed to seize control of a single hive called Ferrograd (ferro is Italian for iron and grad is old Slavic for town - GW being subtle), due to the fact that a loyal Krieg Imperial Guard regiment under the command of a Colonel Jurten was there, waiting to depart. While getting some turnips out of the basement Jurten tripped over some nukes and decided to even the odds by blowing the world back to the Stone Age. Afterwards, after just 500 years of continual terrible war, the loyalists managed to drag Krieg back into the paralysed lap of the Emperor. Today the citizens of Krieg celebrate the day their hero Colonel Jurten destroyed their planet's ecosystem on "Jurten Day", when everybody digs out entrenchments and practices NBC weapons drills, just like every other day, though everyone gets one crumbly chocolate chip cookie.

===The Death Korps===
[[Image:Vraks.jpg|300px|thumb|right|You don't know hell until you have lived through [[Vraks]]]]The inhabitants of Krieg are mad sorry for their disgraceful past and try to make up for it by being the baddest motherfuckers since the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Empra]] himself. In fact they've been so successful in producing hardass guardsmen that the Adeptus Mechanicus Biologis gave them some Vitae Wombs (IVF/clone tubes) so that they can produce even more top notch cannon fodder, which is important, because Krieg is a radioactive shithole, and most of them are sterile. So sterile that most Kriegers are born of complex gene-cloning and subsequent growth-vats. Their society is ''absolutely'' militarized. Children are being born only to be filled with the guilt of their ancestors, trained and sent to die for their Emperor. Contrary to other less <s>brainwashed</s> '''LOYAL''' units they're truly happy to do so and would die with a smile on their lips for the glory of the Emperor, if they'd ever smile. Seriously, those guys are stone cold. You'd rather chat with a necron than a Krieg trooper. They don't even have names. They're just called Trooper #1337 or Major Alpha and such (although some of the higher-ranked survivors get names, like Colonel Tyborc, hero of [[Vraks]]) both to underscore what expendable clones they are and because they don't give a flying fuck about anything other than marching, dying gloriously and shooting heretics in the head (fluff dependent; McNeill and Mitchell portray them as stoic to the point of being cold but still personal whereas Steve Lyons depicted them as described as near drone-like automata). As such gung-ho individuals they technically don't even have the need for Commissars to maintain morale, since their deserting rate is practically zero and the officers (and probably even the regular troopers) will happily execute their soldiers themselves if need occurs. Commissars that are sent their way are usually sent in to say "Captain, I know you want to charge in and stab those Orks in the face with bayonets, but if you do that maybe one in ten is getting out of there alive. The Emperor needs you alive and we are going to goddamn wait until a situation comes where we can have enough survivors for the next battle and if you order a charge, it's [[blam]]ming time for you." If a Commissar is the voice of reason in your ear, you know your priorities are interesting.

[[File:S c h w e r e by nicklausofkrieg-d764sze.png|250px|thumb|left|If you thought [[Warhammer 40k]] just couldn't get any [[Grimdark|grimdarker]], have a beer with one of these fine gentlemen.]]

If one thing is even more serious business for Kriegers than dying, it's killing heretics with extreme prejudice, even by Imperial standards. As mentioned in the ''Codex: Stronghold Assault'', once there was a [[Hive|Hive City]] that hadn't paid its tithe, and got a visit from the Death Korps for it. After five years of constant bombardment, the city surrendered unconditionally, but the Kriegers wouldn't just stop bombarding over such a small thing. After three more years, there was nobody left alive in the ruins anymore. The Death Korps still wouldn't leave until two years later - when they had eventually shot ''the entire mountain-sized Hive'' to rubble! ( <s>That seems unusually wasteful for Krieger's. Aren't hives supposed to be sacred archeotech in and of themselves?</s> Heretical Hives are worth less than the dirt under a Kriegers boot!) That was also more about making a point about why surrendering early is the best option for you. Wait, Hive Cities are protected by void shields capable of shrugging off orbital bombardment. Either the Kriegers had some huge toys or the humble Earthshaker isn't so humble.

A surprising degree of bio and cybernetic enhancements also appear to be common among Kriegers, which while taking away from their raw awesomeness, should give you idea of how high the esteem in which the Imperium holds the Death Korps.

The Munitorium has a hard on for these guys because unlike guardsmen from other places they always obey orders to the letter, <s>even</s> especially when it means dying in droves. Most Kriegers '''never''' retreat, they '''almost''' fight to the death every time. Once when a Commissar ordered a retreat, an unknown Krieger shot the Commissar for cowardice. Seriously, these guys don't fuck around. The only thing that does happen once in a while that could be potentially seen as approaching a retreat is a regiment/army being reassigned if the high-ups conclude the objectives have been met or are simply no longer attainable and dying elsewhere serves the Emperor better. That being said, during the siege of Vraks the Kriegers shot their own Commissars who tried to stop their retreat, despite being the most fanatical of the Imperial Guard, they're still only human (p. 72, Imperial Armour 5, Siege of Vraks Part One, for all those who get a hard on for the Death Korps). On the other hand, the Kriegsmen are so well trained and experienced, they do know when to retreat. Commissars are well trained for war in general, but don’t necessarily understand siege warfare as a speciality enough to always recognize when retreat is the best option. Also, you can’t win a siege if you expend too many of your soldiers. You need to out number the enemy at least three to one for that. As such, the Kriegers being much more frugal with their lives during the siege makes very good sense to ultimately achieve victory.

Now these suicidal, [[Iron Warriors|violent siege specialists]] are ordered to fight in the most dangerous battles. The Death Korps of Krieg may want to die, but [[Nightbringer|death is a bitch to them]]. When they do die though, they are easily replaced. Join the Death Korps of Krieg now (rebreather, lasgun and no will to live included)!

== Horses ==
[[File:Krieg irl.jpg|220px|thumb|left|Historic IRL version.]]
Yes, they ride gas mask-wearing horses into battle in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium. These are not any ordinary horses, though. Like [[Space Marines]], they are genhanced with extra organs implanted to deal with harsh environments (giving them 6+ invulnerable save), keep them fighting well after any [[My Little Pony|ordinary filly]] would be blasted to the knacker's. They are vat grown and implanted with devices to increase pain tolerance, and decrease unruliness. These form the backbone of the Krieg Death Rider units, who are lead by a Sergeant known as a "Ridemaster." They are used as scouts and to harass the enemy (just like standard cavalry) . In addition to lasguns and grenades, they carry a one-use-only explosive-tipped lance, and can charge "fleet of hoof" if not shooting.

== Vitae Womb ==
It is stated that the Kriegers make use of "Vitae Womb" technology to keep up the annual crop of 50 million suicidally fanatical gas mask mooks specifically given to them by the Adeptus Mechanicus. What that means is a matter of [[skub|debate]], ranging from exowombs to drugs which increase fertility and accelerate pregnancy. What is not disputed is that it keeps population production up well beyond what can usually be achieved by human uteri. At least take comfort in the fact that it, in all likelihood, can't be as bad as [[Honsou|a certain Warsmith]]'s [[Daemonculaba|pet project]].

Or [[/d/|could it?]]

In all honesty it's almost certainly just an artificial womb. The basic technology itself is something that the Imperium makes use of on a regular basis and Vitae Womb is probably just a specific incarnation of it used to mass produce (biologically speaking) normal humans. There are no women in the Krieg military, because they also supply kids for their birth rates - they do both so they can recruit and tithe more regiments.

== Vraks, and Forge World Stupidity ==
Now, for all that the soldiers of Krieg are supposed to be some of the hardest bastards in the Imperium and willing to sacrifice their lives in an instant if that's what is asked of them, there comes a point where going any further with that characterization crosses the line between "grimly awesome" and "over-the-top caricature". There's really nothing '''wrong''' with this since 40k originally started out as a parody setting, just so long as the writers meet one simple condition:

'''It has to be ''intentional''.'''

When [[Imperial Armour]] released their [[Vraks]] trilogy, it was '''supposed''' to be an example of how dark and gritty siege warfare could become, and therefore a textbook example of how the Death Korps operates. Prior to this, they were written as pragmatic, capable, dedicated, and ''utterly ruthless'' soldiers who combined the tactical sense you'd expect from a professional soldier who had been trained from birth with a willingness to sustain whatever amount of casualties are required to achieve their objectives on the battlefield; meeting their deaths without the slightest hesitation, and making sure that the Emperor's foes paid as high a price for those deaths as they could arrange.

Instead, we were shown a teeming mass of "soldiers" who amounted to little better than shambler zombies with guns; utterly incompetent and suicidal to the point where they were more concerned with killing ''themselves'' than the enemies of the Imperium. The most sterling example of this has to be walking over minefields to clear them, something that could easily be accomplished with far less cost in men and materiel by using vehicles with dozer blades as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_roller mine rollers]. They literally have to be convinced that there are better ways to fight the Emperor's foes than marching into the teeth of enemy fire until they ran out of ammunition by their damn '''[[Commissar|Comissars]]'''; political officers whose entire job revolves around two things:

1. Inspiring soldiers through sheer hammy charisma.

2. Discouraging cowardice through the not-insignificant accomplishment of successfully being more terrifying than any enemy a Guardsmen might be facing at the moment. In a universe where said enemies might be '''[[Chaos|the Legions of Hell]]''', '''[[Tyranids|an endless swarm of alien horrors from beyond the stars]]''', '''[[Orks| a race of sentient bioweapons whose extreme bloodlust is matched only by their uncountable numbers]]''' or '''''[[Night Lords|genetically-engineered superhumans whose entire schtick revolves around being the most nightmarish motherfuckers in existence]]'''''.

The sheer wastefulness of the Idiot Korps' tactics is so great that it becomes impossible to take any of the books seriously, and the setting is left poorer for it. If the Death Korps actually fought like they're described in Vraks then in all likelihood the Imperium would have long since discarded them as a useful fighting force due to how needlessly and exorbitantly wasteful they are of lives and materiel, and we would like to remind you that the Imperium measures the casualties of war in '''planets''', not men.

Now to be fair, part of this characterization is likely caused by takeing the cultural memory of WW1 the idea of men mindlessly charging into Machine Gun emplacements across a no-man's land ripped apart by artillery and chemical weapons, and porting it into 40k.Viewed this way much of the above make sense, Death Korp Tactics are wasteful because in popular memory that's all World War One was, men jumping over trenches to run into enemy machine guns. The problem comes when you try to get into the head of an entire culture whose goal is doing just that, thus leading to the grim derp problems above of damn near suicidal soldiers whose primary tactic is the human wave charge, because again that's what WW1 was in memory, lions lead by donkeys who charged bravely, if mindlessly into certain death. This lead to the Death Krops being stupid and fighting stupidly. In the end when forge world tried to potray a ww1 style mud and blood conflict, they fumbled because World war 1 was an already pretty grimdark conflict so turning it up to the 40k required 11 on the old grim dark dial was bound to push it into Grim Derp Territory if handled poorly, and it was.

TL;DR: In essence, the Vraks trilogy wanted to recreate the muddy hell holes of ww1 in 40k, and in the process turned the Death Korps from something much like the Red Army during WW2 into [[Skub|a poorly-researched/malicious portrayal of the Red Army during WW2.]]

Thankfully they generally seem portrayed in lore usually as being unafraid of death but not willing to waste their lives (so they can kill more of the Emperor’s enemies). In fact, with their heavy tanks and numerous grenadiers and their engineers, the Death Korps seems more like a mashup of various real life successful ways the trenches in World War One were ultimately defeated. Their machines and units imply the Death Korps is more of a “line breaking specialists” army than a “dig trench and sit there forever” army. Their trenches seem to be used more like forward bases and mustering points for their breaching attacks than as their main method of defeating the enemy.

==Facts/Notes==
*Due to the Krieger ideology of repentance to the Emperor, dying while achieving a great victory is a Krieger's life goal. The Death Korps of Krieg's version of Heaven (Or at the very least an equivalent concept) is to achieve a great victory for the Imperium, while sustaining 100% casualties. They would be the perfect soldier for the Normandy Landings or Stalingrad. They will attempt to achieve a glorious victory while drowning the enemy with their corpses.
*The Death Korps of Krieg kick serious ass.
*They seriously do not fuck around.
*They have [[Rough riders|cuirassiers that ride horses with fucking rebreathers.]] Yep...
*The lasgun model they use is called the "Lucius" Pattern No.98, in keeping with their German WW1 inspiration, (the standard-issue Mauser rifle was the model 1898). More powerful per shot than most lasguns, but is semi-automatic only and might blow up if you fire it too quickly.
*The Death Korps of Krieg resemble old World War I soldiers, with most people thinking they are German because of their name and the ''stahlhelm''-style of their neck protection, '''however''', the overall design of the Korps is actually a mix between various armies from WW1 and even the 19th century; their helmet is a ''stahlhelm''-Adrian hybrid, their uniform is mostly French, their gas mask looks like British-American models, the grenadiers' armour plates are undoubtedly German and the Death Riders and officer are French cuirassiers from the Napoleonic Wars with the same WWI flavour. Meanwhile, their tanks, while the same Russes as everyone else in the Guard, have the trench-rails of WW2 French tanks.
* <s>I bet they allow the use of hardcore cocaine. And they won't take it because it doesn't help in killing heretics or dying ''fast enough''.</s> they do not. See below.
* they are the only members of the imperial guard, besides Acadians to know of the existence of the ruins powers...Because one of their tenants is to stab them in the face with there bayonets.
*They have cool looking "Grenadiers" for, well, grenadiering?
*They don't desert, ever (they're not all that into sweet things anyway).
*They're German-French-British-American, so of course they're gonna win (after taking a stupidly high amount of casualties).
*"Kill confirmed" is the only thing they ever say <s>in combat</s> ever.
*<s>They don't fly aerial vehicles, they just crash them into enemy AA guns. 50\50 chance of them still surviving.</s> They fly CAS and bomber aircraft into the most suicidal of missions, and once irreparably damaged, suicide-bomb them into enemy AA to clear the way for other air units.
*A Krieger's idea of courting involves finding a suitable female (or male) in the trench who doesn't look like all the other suicidal gas-mask wearing nutbars in brown who hasn't been blown to smithereens...yet.
*Krieger pickup lines are notoriously bad, so bad they make the Mechanicus look like Barry White! Notable lines include "I wish to have a cloning vat of fetuses with you", "Would you like to share this additional synthesized Mechanicus issued ration bar with me at sixteen hundred hours?", "Would you like to go for some recaf with me?" (so far so good), "I found this lovely little bombed-out fox-hole near our position, it's very romantic" (sure if you find love on Armageddon!), and "My gene donors (the parents) are away on deployment this weekend, I've got the whole barracks to myself, and I just picked up a mixtape of the most romantic Krieger music" (hint: it sounds like guns firing, orders being screamed, explosions, and marching boots...very romantic).
*Rejection in Krieg is common and common excuses include "I'm washing my scalp" (Krieger men are bald), "I'd love to but I have a Tyranid invasion to stop", "I'd love to but I've just been ordered to charge that dugout, gonna be busy all day", "I can't go to the dance with you I'm dying for the emperor tomorrow", and "I like you as a friend".
*If Krieg and Cadia swapped places Abaddon would have stayed in the Eye of Terror (but the Imperial casualties would have increased by an order of magnitude).
*A romantic evening to a Krieger usually involves barbed wire, grey dugout positions, landmines, a searchlight, latrines, an emplaced heavy machine gun, and some stick bombs.
*Their response to [[Necrons]] fucking vaporizing them is to continue firing, but also make sure to drop their weapon when they are hit so as to preserve as much of their equipment as possible.
*Kill or be Killed, either way, Krieg is redeemed. One millimetre at a time.
* A Krieg Death Corps trooper and a [[Catachan Jungle Fighters|Catachan Jungle Fighter]] got into a fight to see who was the most badass type of guardsman ever. Except no they didn't, because a true Krieger always has more important [[Gets shit done|shit to get done]].
*They are highly popular with the Commissariat as they do not retreat. They hold the line.
*Fans do their heavy-WWI inspiration one better by portraying them as being highly eager to use sharpened entrenching tools/shovels in close-combat, though this has technically never really appeared in canon (the use of shovels in melee, that is. Their suicidal eagerness to get into melee is definitely canon as shit).
*Will kill their commander if they are ordered to retreat more than a few times. <s>Unless they have a reason, that is</s> {{Blam| '''THEY NEVER HAVE A REASON TO RETREAT, AVE IMPERATOR'''!!!!!!!}}'
**Jokes aside, the one time even they broke was against literally the single worst batch of chemical weapons in Warhammer history (which is really saying something) on Vraks by the [[The Purge]]. It literally took a rolling blackout of super-heavy tank melting gas fired by the single most life hating unit of beings to ever exist to drive them off. By one trench line exactly. (And even then they weren't so much driven off as melted where they stood.) Even then, this isn't really "breaking" - they're strategically repositioning so they can die for the Emperor in a more useful way than being turned into poisonous slag.
*They look down on other regiments that aren't as suicidally fanatical and/or disciplined as they are, because of this they get along with the [[Mordian Iron Guard]], and the Meccabian Jannisaries as they also share their fatalistic devotion to duty, and absolutely despise the [[Jopall Indentured Guard]] as they are the complete opposite of what the Korps believes a soldier should be (however, they also openly praise Jopallian marksmanship).
*Did I mention that the greatest victory for a Krieger unit involves 100% casualties?

==Trivia==
[[File:WH Faces (2).jpg|280px|right|thumb|]]
The Death Korps are very clearly based off of German, French, British, and American WWI soldiers, all the way down to their trenchcoats (French), gas masks (British/German), helmets (French/German hybrid), their riders (French), love of big guns (American/German) and of course, affinity for trench warfare. Just like the good ol' <s>Somme</s> <s>Ypres</s> <s>Marne</s> <s>Verdun</s> Passchendaele, eh?

They also seem to be much more heavily focused on the machines, tactics, and special units that ultimately overcame trench warfare. Such as focused artillery barrages to cover for a large number of very heavily armored soldiers to get close and seize trenches and then be reinforced by normal troops. Tanks, lots and lots of tanks especially really damn huge ones, and so on. Which makes sense; they’re sent to win wars not stagnate them.

==Alternative Modeling Options==
As the most popular (Fluffwise) regiment, [[Forge World]] has models for them that cost more than the average Kriegsman's life, but then again that's not really a high bar. Thankfully, [http://anvilindustry.co.uk Anvil Industry] comes to the rescue with their Regiments range, allowing anyone to build very authentic-looking Kriegers, complete with their signature death masks, unique lasguns and wheeled heavy weapons.
==See Also==
* [[Love and Krieg]], [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Love_and_Krieg_Spinoffs and its various spin-offs].
* [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Imperial_Guard(8E)#Death_Korps_of_Krieg Tactics/Death Korps of Krieg]
* [http://i.imgur.com/esFMLb8.png Writefaggotry about the mind of a Deathkorps Medicae]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170718013716/http://www.projectafterforums.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=10367 A rare female Krieger]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7GsdsuSXfw Krieg song by StringStorm]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mNX1pPXrTg An animation of Kriegers getting shit done]
{{Template:40k-Imperial-Regiments}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]]

Death Korps of Krieg

2021-03-08T05:41:19Z

2601:585:8301:76D0:3960:28EF:C4E7:5DA: /* Horses */

{{awesome}}
[[Image:Krieg_trooper.gif|frame|left|Yes, they have faces. But they're ugly, go put a gasmask on.]]

[[File:Krieg Commissar.jpg|300px||thumb|right|Even their [[Commissar|Commissars]] are more badass than your average Commissar. Though a Commissar isn't even necessary for the Kriegers for morale. They’re instead used to stop the Kriegsmen from useless suicidal actions.]]
{{Topquote|Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure.|Diary of an unknown German soldier at Stalingrad }}
{{Topquote|In life, war. In death, peace. In life, shame. In death, atonement.|Final litany of the ''Litany of Sacrifice'', recited by Krieg Korpsmen when entering battle (and 9E, it seems)}}

'''The Death Korps of Krieg, the most Grimdark of Grimdark'''

The '''Death Korps of Krieg''' is a series of [[Imperial Guard]] regiments which hail from the [[Death World]] of [[Krieg]]. They like trenches and gas masks and are known for their iron discipline and suicidal tolerance for casualties. In fact, they will take any objective and vanquish any enemy, just as long as they have enough men to throw in the meat grinder. Hell, Krieg means WAR in German (as you have gathered, the Imperium does not do 'subtle'). That's how badass they are. What's the difference between them and other Guard units, you ask? These motherfuckers don't even give a shit. They're some sort of badass human lemmings, and they are so [[grimdark]] that they alone are responsible for about 20% of the grimdarkness in [[Warhammer 40,000]]. They have no will to live, no fucks to give, and one hell of a lot of xenos to shiv (with bayonets and sharpened entrenching tools). This is said to be a relic of the tragic civil war on the original hive world of Krieg, a den of traitors, corruption and strife where rebels rose to power and seceded from the Imperium. However, loyalists Guardsmen decided to light Krieg up like it was nuclear 4th of July instead of letting the heretical rebels take control of the planet, resulting in their homeworld becoming a bitch of a [[3.6 Roentgen|radioactive hellhole]] (hence the Korps' gas mask fetish). Now the people of Krieg are so sad about their rebellious past they’d literally rather die in service to the emperor than continue living their shameful and possibly heretical lives.

The greatest source of mundane horror in all of Warhammer, the Death Korps does not need eldritch nonsense or nonsensical alien "biology" for the darkness factor. This is quite simply humanity at its worst and nothing more.

Also it needs to be said that in current non-jokey 40k canon there is an in universe romance novel about Kriegers titled "My Wish to Generate Children with You is Only Exceeded by My Devotion to Him."

Because of their suicidal loyalty to the emperor, the Death Korps are allowed to be better equipped and better organized than most Guardsmen. They have flak armor like any other, but they have plasteel helmets, their lasguns are much more powerful (though limited to semi-automatic fire), their marksmanship is on par with space marine scouts. their bayonet skill is outright legendary, their uniform is fully sealed against nuclear, biological, and chemical attack (also protecting them from the mud, rain, and other elements and likely acting as an any environment survival suit issued to the Guard), and they have a backpack full of gear and supplies instead of rushing into battle practically (or literally) naked. Heck, these suicidal guys even have grenadiers wearing carapace armor wielding hellguns despite being sent specifically to get killed doing something useful. They are allowed to practice regiment specific combined arms doctrine. Which means their tank regiments can include heavy tank companies and super heavy tanks (like the [[Mordian Iron Guard]], the other exceptional regiment), Calvalry, light armored vehicles, Mobile artillery, and tank destroyers. They also have WAAAAAY more artillery and heavy weapons than anyone else (to the degree that '''Infantry''' regiments come with light artillery as standard). They make the [[Cadia|'''Cadians''']] look under-equipped and poorly trained. Such are the perks of being suicidal loons who live their entire lives waiting to die for the emperor.

==Background==
===The Civil War===
Some time ago Krieg was a pretty sweet planet to live on, until the heretical dickwad of a Planetary Governor (and most of the ruling elite) decided that the Tithe was wack and voted to detach from the [[Imperium]]. Needless to say the loyal citizens wouldn't let the rebel scum get away with that and a bloody civil war broke out. The loyalists were severely outnumbered, and only managed to seize control of a single hive called Ferrograd (ferro is Italian for iron and grad is old Slavic for town - GW being subtle), due to the fact that a loyal Krieg Imperial Guard regiment under the command of a Colonel Jurten was there, waiting to depart. While getting some turnips out of the basement Jurten tripped over some nukes and decided to even the odds by blowing the world back to the Stone Age. Afterwards, after just 500 years of continual terrible war, the loyalists managed to drag Krieg back into the paralysed lap of the Emperor. Today the citizens of Krieg celebrate the day their hero Colonel Jurten destroyed their planet's ecosystem on "Jurten Day", when everybody digs out entrenchments and practices NBC weapons drills, just like every other day, though everyone gets one crumbly chocolate chip cookie.

===The Death Korps===
[[Image:Vraks.jpg|300px|thumb|right|You don't know hell until you have lived through [[Vraks]]]]The inhabitants of Krieg are mad sorry for their disgraceful past and try to make up for it by being the baddest motherfuckers since the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Empra]] himself. In fact they've been so successful in producing hardass guardsmen that the Adeptus Mechanicus Biologis gave them some Vitae Wombs (IVF/clone tubes) so that they can produce even more top notch cannon fodder, which is important, because Krieg is a radioactive shithole, and most of them are sterile. So sterile that most Kriegers are born of complex gene-cloning and subsequent growth-vats. Their society is ''absolutely'' militarized. Children are being born only to be filled with the guilt of their ancestors, trained and sent to die for their Emperor. Contrary to other less <s>brainwashed</s> '''LOYAL''' units they're truly happy to do so and would die with a smile on their lips for the glory of the Emperor, if they'd ever smile. Seriously, those guys are stone cold. You'd rather chat with a necron than a Krieg trooper. They don't even have names. They're just called Trooper #1337 or Major Alpha and such (although some of the higher-ranked survivors get names, like Colonel Tyborc, hero of [[Vraks]]) both to underscore what expendable clones they are and because they don't give a flying fuck about anything other than marching, dying gloriously and shooting heretics in the head (fluff dependent; McNeill and Mitchell portray them as stoic to the point of being cold but still personal whereas Steve Lyons depicted them as described as near drone-like automata). As such gung-ho individuals they technically don't even have the need for Commissars to maintain morale, since their deserting rate is practically zero and the officers (and probably even the regular troopers) will happily execute their soldiers themselves if need occurs. Commissars that are sent their way are usually sent in to say "Captain, I know you want to charge in and stab those Orks in the face with bayonets, but if you do that maybe one in ten is getting out of there alive. The Emperor needs you alive and we are going to goddamn wait until a situation comes where we can have enough survivors for the next battle and if you order a charge, it's [[blam]]ming time for you." If a Commissar is the voice of reason in your ear, you know your priorities are interesting.

[[File:S c h w e r e by nicklausofkrieg-d764sze.png|250px|thumb|left|If you thought [[Warhammer 40k]] just couldn't get any [[Grimdark|grimdarker]], have a beer with one of these fine gentlemen.]]

If one thing is even more serious business for Kriegers than dying, it's killing heretics with extreme prejudice, even by Imperial standards. As mentioned in the ''Codex: Stronghold Assault'', once there was a [[Hive|Hive City]] that hadn't paid its tithe, and got a visit from the Death Korps for it. After five years of constant bombardment, the city surrendered unconditionally, but the Kriegers wouldn't just stop bombarding over such a small thing. After three more years, there was nobody left alive in the ruins anymore. The Death Korps still wouldn't leave until two years later - when they had eventually shot ''the entire mountain-sized Hive'' to rubble! ( <s>That seems unusually wasteful for Krieger's. Aren't hives supposed to be sacred archeotech in and of themselves?</s> Heretical Hives are worth less than the dirt under a Kriegers boot!) That was also more about making a point about why surrendering early is the best option for you. Wait, Hive Cities are protected by void shields capable of shrugging off orbital bombardment. Either the Kriegers had some huge toys or the humble Earthshaker isn't so humble.

A surprising degree of bio and cybernetic enhancements also appear to be common among Kriegers, which while taking away from their raw awesomeness, should give you idea of how high the esteem in which the Imperium holds the Death Korps.

The Munitorium has a hard on for these guys because unlike guardsmen from other places they always obey orders to the letter, <s>even</s> especially when it means dying in droves. Most Kriegers '''never''' retreat, they '''almost''' fight to the death every time. Once when a Commissar ordered a retreat, an unknown Krieger shot the Commissar for cowardice. Seriously, these guys don't fuck around. The only thing that does happen once in a while that could be potentially seen as approaching a retreat is a regiment/army being reassigned if the high-ups conclude the objectives have been met or are simply no longer attainable and dying elsewhere serves the Emperor better. That being said, during the siege of Vraks the Kriegers shot their own Commissars who tried to stop their retreat, despite being the most fanatical of the Imperial Guard, they're still only human (p. 72, Imperial Armour 5, Siege of Vraks Part One, for all those who get a hard on for the Death Korps). On the other hand, the Kriegsmen are so well trained and experienced, they do know when to retreat. Commissars are well trained for war in general, but don’t necessarily understand siege warfare as a speciality enough to always recognize when retreat is the best option. Also, you can’t win a siege if you expend too many of your soldiers. You need to out number the enemy at least three to one for that. As such, the Kriegers being much more frugal with their lives during the siege makes very good sense to ultimately achieve victory.

Now these suicidal, [[Iron Warriors|violent siege specialists]] are ordered to fight in the most dangerous battles. The Death Korps of Krieg may want to die, but [[Nightbringer|death is a bitch to them]]. When they do die though, they are easily replaced. Join the Death Korps of Krieg now (rebreather, lasgun and no will to live included)!

== Horses ==
[[File:Krieg irl.jpg|220px|thumb|left|Historic IRL version.]]
Yes, they ride gas mask-wearing horses into battle in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium. These are not any ordinary horses, though. Like [[Space Marines]], they are genhanced with extra organs implanted to deal with harsh environments (giving them 6+ invulnerable save), keep them fighting well after any [[My Little Pony|ordinary filly]] would be blasted to the knacker's. They are vat grown and implanted with devices to increase pain tolerance, and decrease unruliness. These form the backbone of the Krieg Death Rider units, who are lead by a Sergeant known as a "Ridemaster." They are used as scouts and to harass the enemy (just like standard cavalry) . In addition to lasguns and grenades, they carry a one-use-only explosive-tipped lance, and can charge "fleet of hoof" if not shooting.

== Vitae Womb ==
It is stated that the Kriegers make use of "Vitae Womb" technology to keep up the annual crop of 50 million suicidally fanatical gas mask mooks specifically given to them by the Adeptus Mechanicus. What that means is a matter of [[skub|debate]], ranging from exowombs to drugs which increase fertility and accelerate pregnancy. What is not disputed is that it keeps population production up well beyond what can usually be achieved by human uteri. At least take comfort in the fact that it, in all likelihood, can't be as bad as [[Honsou|a certain Warsmith]]'s [[Daemonculaba|pet project]].

Or [[/d/|could it?]]

In all honesty it's almost certainly just an artificial womb. The basic technology itself is something that the Imperium makes use of on a regular basis and Vitae Womb is probably just a specific incarnation of it used to mass produce (biologically speaking) normal humans. There are no women in the Krieg military, because they also supply kids for their birth rates - they do both so they can recruit and tithe more regiments.

== Vraks, and Forge World Stupidity ==
Now, for all that the soldiers of Krieg are supposed to be some of the hardest bastards in the Imperium and willing to sacrifice their lives in an instant if that's what is asked of them, there comes a point where going any further with that characterization crosses the line between "grimly awesome" and "over-the-top caricature". There's really nothing '''wrong''' with this since 40k originally started out as a parody setting, just so long as the writers meet one simple condition:

'''It has to be ''intentional''.'''

When [[Imperial Armour]] released their [[Vraks]] trilogy, it was '''supposed''' to be an example of how dark and gritty siege warfare could become, and therefore a textbook example of how the Death Korps operates. Prior to this, they were written as pragmatic, capable, dedicated, and ''utterly ruthless'' soldiers who combined the tactical sense you'd expect from a professional soldier who had been trained from birth with a willingness to sustain whatever amount of casualties are required to achieve their objectives on the battlefield; meeting their deaths without the slightest hesitation, and making sure that the Emperor's foes paid as high a price for those deaths as they could arrange.

Instead, we were shown a teeming mass of "soldiers" who amounted to little better than shambler zombies with guns; utterly incompetent and suicidal to the point where they were more concerned with killing ''themselves'' than the enemies of the Imperium. The most sterling example of this has to be walking over minefields to clear them, something that could easily be accomplished with far less cost in men and materiel by using vehicles with dozer blades as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_roller mine rollers]. They literally have to be convinced that there are better ways to fight the Emperor's foes than marching into the teeth of enemy fire until they ran out of ammunition by their damn '''[[Commissar|Comissars]]'''; political officers whose entire job revolves around two things:

1. Inspiring soldiers through sheer hammy charisma.

2. Discouraging cowardice through the not-insignificant accomplishment of successfully being more terrifying than any enemy a Guardsmen might be facing at the moment. In a universe where said enemies might be '''[[Chaos|the Legions of Hell]]''', '''[[Tyranids|an endless swarm of alien horrors from beyond the stars]]''', '''[[Orks| a race of sentient bioweapons whose extreme bloodlust is matched only by their uncountable numbers]]''' or '''''[[Night Lords|genetically-engineered superhumans whose entire schtick revolves around being the most nightmarish motherfuckers in existence]]'''''.

The sheer wastefulness of the Idiot Korps' tactics is so great that it becomes impossible to take any of the books seriously, and the setting is left poorer for it. If the Death Korps actually fought like they're described in Vraks then in all likelihood the Imperium would have long since discarded them as a useful fighting force due to how needlessly and exorbitantly wasteful they are of lives and materiel, and we would like to remind you that the Imperium measures the casualties of war in '''planets''', not men.

Now to be fair, part of this characterization is likely caused by takeing the cultural memory of WW1 the idea of men mindlessly charging into Machine Gun emplacements across a no-man's land ripped apart by artillery and chemical weapons, and porting it into 40k.Viewed this way much of the above make sense, Death Korp Tactics are wasteful because in popular memory that's all World War One was, men jumping over trenches to run into enemy machine guns. The problem comes when you try to get into the head of an entire culture whose goal is doing just that, thus leading to the grim derp problems above of damn near suicidal soldiers whose primary tactic is the human wave charge, because again that's what WW1 was in memory, lions lead by donkeys who charged bravely, if mindlessly into certain death. This lead to the Death Krops being stupid and fighting stupidly. In the end when forge world tried to potray a ww1 style mud and blood conflict, they fumbled because World war 1 was an already pretty grimdark conflict so turning it up to the 40k required 11 on the old grim dark dial was bound to push it into Grim Derp Territory if handled poorly, and it was.

TL;DR: In essence, the Vraks trilogy wanted to recreate the muddy hell holes of ww1 in 40k, and in the process turned the Death Korps from something much like the Red Army during WW2 into [[Skub|a poorly-researched/malicious portrayal of the Red Army during WW2.]]

Thankfully they generally seem portrayed in lore usually as being unafraid of death but not willing to waste their lives (so they can kill more of the Emperor’s enemies). In fact, with their heavy tanks and numerous grenadiers and their engineers, the Death Korps seems more like a mashup of various real life successful ways the trenches in World War One were ultimately defeated. Their machines and units imply the Death Korps is more of a “line breaking specialists” army than a “dig trench and sit there forever” army. Their trenches seem to be used more like forward bases and mustering points for their breaching attacks than as their main method of defeating the enemy.

==Facts/Notes==
*Due to the Krieger ideology of repentance to the Emperor, dying is considered the greatest honor for an average Krieger, and dying while achieving a great victory is a Krieger's wet dream. The Death Korps of Krieg's version of Heaven (Or at the very least an equivalent concept) is to achieve a great victory for the Imperium, while sustaining 100% casualties. They would be the perfect soldier for the Normandy Landings or Stalingrad. They will attempt to achieve a glorious victory while drowning the enemy with their corpses.
*The Death Korps of Krieg kill.
*They seriously do not fuck around.
*They have [[Rough riders|cuirassiers that ride horses with fucking rebreathers.]] Yep...
*The lasgun model they use is called the "Lucius" Pattern No.98, in keeping with their German WW1 inspiration, (the standard-issue Mauser rifle was the model 1898). More powerful per shot than most lasguns, but it might blow up if you fire it too quickly.
*The Death Korps of Krieg resemble old World War I soldiers, with most people thinking they are German because of their name and the ''stahlhelm''-style of their neck protection, '''however''', the overall design of the Korps is actually a mix between various armies from WW1 and even the 19th century; their helmet is a ''stahlhelm''-Adrian hybrid, their uniform is mostly French, their gas mask looks like British-American models, the grenadiers' armour plates are undoubtedly German and the Death Riders and officer are French cuirassiers from the Napoleonic Wars with the same WWI flavour. Meanwhile, their tanks, while the same Russes as everyone else in the Guard, have the trench-rails of WW2 French tanks.
*I bet they allow the use of hardcore cocaine. And they won't take it because it doesn't help in killing heretics or dying ''fast enough''.
*They have cool looking "Grenadiers" for, well, grenadiering?
*They don't desert, ever (they're not all that into sweet things anyway).
*They're German-French-British-American, so of course they're gonna win (after taking a stupidly high amount of casualties).
*"Kill confirmed" is the only thing they ever say <s>in combat</s> ever.
*<s>They don't fly aerial vehicles, they just crash them into enemy AA guns. 50\50 chance of them still surviving.</s> They fly CAS and bomber aircraft into the most suicidal of missions, and once irreparably damaged, suicide-bomb them into enemy AA to clear the way for other air units.
*A Krieger's idea of courting involves finding a suitable female (or male) in the trench who doesn't look like all the other suicidal gas-mask wearing nutbars in brown who hasn't been blown to smithereens...yet.
*Krieger pickup lines are notoriously bad, so bad they make the Mechanicus look like Barry White! Notable lines include "I wish to have a cloning vat of fetuses with you", "Would you like to share this additional synthesized Mechanicus issued ration bar with me at sixteen hundred hours?", "Would you like to go for some recaf with me?" (so far so good), "I found this lovely little bombed-out fox-hole near our position, it's very romantic" (sure if you find love on Armageddon!), and "My gene donors (the parents) are away on deployment this weekend, I've got the whole barracks to myself, and I just picked up a mixtape of the most romantic Krieger music" (hint: it sounds like guns firing, orders being screamed, explosions, and marching boots...very romantic).
*Rejection in Krieg is common and common excuses include "I'm washing my scalp" (Kriegers are bald), "I'd love to but I have a Tyranid invasion to stop", "I'd love to but I've just been ordered to charge that dugout, gonna be busy all day", "I can't go to the dance with you I'm dying for the emperor tomorrow", and "I like you as a friend".
*If Krieg and Cadia swapped places Abaddon would have stayed in the Eye of Terror (but the Imperial casualties would have increased by an order of magnitude).
*A romantic evening to a Krieger usually involves barbed wire, grey dugout positions, landmines, a searchlight, latrines, an emplaced heavy machine gun, and some stick bombs.
*Their response to [[Necrons]] fucking vaporizing them is to continue firing, but also make sure to drop their weapon when they are hit so as to preserve as much of their equipment as possible.
*Kill or be Killed, either way, Krieg is redeemed. One millimetre at a time.
* A Krieg Death Corps trooper and a [[Catachan Jungle Fighters|Catachan Jungle Fighter]] got into a fight to see who was the most badass type of guardsman ever. Except no they didn't, because a true Krieger always has more important [[Gets shit done|shit to get done]].
*They are highly popular with the Commissariat as they do not retreat. They hold the line.
*Fans do their heavy-WWI inspiration one better by portraying them as being highly eager to use sharpened entrenching tools/shovels in close-combat, though this has technically never really appeared in canon (the use of shovels in melee, that is. Their suicidal eagerness to get into melee is definitely canon as shit).
*Will kill their commander if they are ordered to retreat more than a few times. <s>Unless they have a reason, that is</s> {{Blam| '''THEY NEVER HAVE A REASON TO RETREAT, AVE IMPERATOR'''!!!!!!!}}'
**Jokes aside, the one time even they broke was against literally the single worst batch of chemical weapons in Warhammer history (which is really saying something) on Vraks by the [[The Purge]]. It literally took a rolling blackout of super-heavy tank melting gas fired by the single most life hating unit of beings to ever exist to drive them off. By one trench line exactly. (And even then they weren't so much driven off as melted where they stood.) Even then, this isn't really "breaking" - they're strategically repositioning so they can die for the Emperor in a more useful way than being turned into poisonous slag.
*They look down on other regiments that aren't as suicidally fanatical and/or disciplined as they are, because of this they get along with the [[Mordian Iron Guard]] as they also share their fatalistic devotion to duty, and absolutely despise the [[Jopall Indentured Guard]] as they are the complete opposite of what the Korps believes a soldier should be (however, they also openly praise Jopallian marksmanship).
*Did I mention that the greatest victory for a Krieger unit involves 100% casualties?

==Trivia==
[[File:WH Faces (2).jpg|280px|right|thumb|]]
The Death Korps are very clearly based off of German, French, British, and American WWI soldiers, all the way down to their trenchcoats (French), gas masks (British/German), helmets (French/German hybrid), their riders (French), love of big guns (American/German) and of course, affinity for trench warfare. Just like the good ol' <s>Somme</s> <s>Ypres</s> <s>Marne</s> <s>Verdun</s> Passchendaele, eh?

They also seem to be much more heavily focused on the machines, tactics, and special units that ultimately overcame trench warfare. Such as focused artillery barrages to cover for a large number of very heavily armored soldiers to get close and seize trenches and then be reinforced by normal troops. Tanks, lots and lots of tanks especially really damn huge ones, and so on. Which makes sense; they’re sent to win wars not stagnate them.

==Alternative Modeling Options==
As the most popular (Fluffwise) regiment, [[Forge World]] has models for them that cost more than the average Kriegsman's life, but then again that's not really a high bar. Thankfully, [http://anvilindustry.co.uk Anvil Industry] comes to the rescue with their Regiments range, allowing anyone to build very authentic-looking Kriegers, complete with their signature death masks, unique lasguns and wheeled heavy weapons.
==See Also==
* [[Love and Krieg]], [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Love_and_Krieg_Spinoffs and its various spin-offs].
* [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Imperial_Guard(8E)#Death_Korps_of_Krieg Tactics/Death Korps of Krieg]
* [http://i.imgur.com/esFMLb8.png Writefaggotry about the mind of a Deathkorps Medicae]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170718013716/http://www.projectafterforums.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=10367 A rare female Krieger]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7GsdsuSXfw Krieg song by StringStorm]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mNX1pPXrTg An animation of Kriegers getting shit done]
{{Template:40k-Imperial-Regiments}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]]

Death Korps of Krieg

2021-03-08T05:32:54Z

2601:585:8301:76D0:3960:28EF:C4E7:5DA:

{{awesome}}
[[Image:Krieg_trooper.gif|frame|left|Yes, they have faces. But they're ugly, go put a gasmask on.]]

[[File:Krieg Commissar.jpg|300px||thumb|right|Even their [[Commissar|Commissars]] are more badass than your average Commissar. Though a Commissar isn't even necessary for the Kriegers for morale. They’re instead used to stop the Kriegsmen from useless suicidal actions.]]
{{Topquote|Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure.|Diary of an unknown German soldier at Stalingrad }}
{{Topquote|In life, war. In death, peace. In life, shame. In death, atonement.|Final litany of the ''Litany of Sacrifice'', recited by Krieg Korpsmen when entering battle (and 9E, it seems)}}

'''The Death Korps of Krieg, the most Grimdark of Grimdark'''

The '''Death Korps of Krieg''' is a series of [[Imperial Guard]] regiments which hail from the [[Death World]] of [[Krieg]]. They like trenches and gas masks and are known for their iron discipline and suicidal tolerance for casualties. In fact, they will take any objective and vanquish any enemy, just as long as they have enough men to throw in the meat grinder. Hell, Krieg means WAR in German (as you have gathered, the Imperium does not do 'subtle'). That's how badass they are. What's the difference between them and other Guard units, you ask? These motherfuckers don't even give a shit. They're some sort of badass human lemmings, and they are so [[grimdark]] that they alone are responsible for about 20% of the grimdarkness in [[Warhammer 40,000]]. They have no will to live, no fucks to give, and one hell of a lot of xenos to shiv (with bayonets and sharpened entrenching tools). This is said to be a relic of the tragic civil war on the original hive world of Krieg, a den of traitors, corruption and strife where rebels rose to power and seceded from the Imperium. However, loyalists Guardsmen decided to light Krieg up like it was nuclear 4th of July instead of letting the heretical rebels take control of the planet, resulting in their homeworld becoming a bitch of a [[3.6 Roentgen|radioactive hellhole]] (hence the Korps' gas mask fetish). Now the people of Krieg are so sad about their rebellious past they’d literally rather die in service to the emperor than continue living their shameful and possibly heretical lives.

The greatest source of mundane horror in all of Warhammer, the Death Korps does not need eldritch nonsense or nonsensical alien "biology" for the darkness factor. This is quite simply humanity at its worst and nothing more.

Also it needs to be said that in current non-jokey 40k canon there is an in universe romance novel about Kriegers titled "My Wish to Generate Children with You is Only Exceeded by My Devotion to Him."

Because of their suicidal loyalty to the emperor, the Death Korps are allowed to be better equipped and better organized than most Guardsmen. They have flak armor like any other, but they have plasteel helmets, their lasguns are much more powerful (though limited to semi-automatic fire), their marksmanship is on par with space marine scouts. their bayonet skill is outright legendary, their uniform is fully sealed against nuclear, biological, and chemical attack (also protecting them from the mud, rain, and other elements and likely acting as an any environment survival suit issued to the Guard), and they have a backpack full of gear and supplies instead of rushing into battle practically (or literally) naked. Heck, these suicidal guys even have grenadiers wearing carapace armor wielding hellguns despite being sent specifically to get killed doing something useful. They are allowed to practice regiment specific combined arms doctrine. Which means their tank regiments can include heavy tank companies and super heavy tanks (like the [[Mordian Iron Guard]], the other exceptional regiment), Calvalry, light armored vehicles, Mobile artillery, and tank destroyers. They also have WAAAAAY more artillery and heavy weapons than anyone else (to the degree that '''Infantry''' regiments come with light artillery as standard). They make the [[Cadia|'''Cadians''']] look under-equipped and poorly trained. Such are the perks of being suicidal loons who live their entire lives waiting to die for the emperor.

==Background==
===The Civil War===
Some time ago Krieg was a pretty sweet planet to live on, until the heretical dickwad of a Planetary Governor (and most of the ruling elite) decided that the Tithe was wack and voted to detach from the [[Imperium]]. Needless to say the loyal citizens wouldn't let the rebel scum get away with that and a bloody civil war broke out. The loyalists were severely outnumbered, and only managed to seize control of a single hive called Ferrograd (ferro is Italian for iron and grad is old Slavic for town - GW being subtle), due to the fact that a loyal Krieg Imperial Guard regiment under the command of a Colonel Jurten was there, waiting to depart. While getting some turnips out of the basement Jurten tripped over some nukes and decided to even the odds by blowing the world back to the Stone Age. Afterwards, after just 500 years of continual terrible war, the loyalists managed to drag Krieg back into the paralysed lap of the Emperor. Today the citizens of Krieg celebrate the day their hero Colonel Jurten destroyed their planet's ecosystem on "Jurten Day", when everybody digs out entrenchments and practices NBC weapons drills, just like every other day, though everyone gets one crumbly chocolate chip cookie.

===The Death Korps===
[[Image:Vraks.jpg|300px|thumb|right|You don't know hell until you have lived through [[Vraks]]]]The inhabitants of Krieg are mad sorry for their disgraceful past and try to make up for it by being the baddest motherfuckers since the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Empra]] himself. In fact they've been so successful in producing hardass guardsmen that the Adeptus Mechanicus Biologis gave them some Vitae Wombs (IVF/clone tubes) so that they can produce even more top notch cannon fodder, which is important, because Krieg is a radioactive shithole, and most of them are sterile. So sterile that most Kriegers are born of complex gene-cloning and subsequent growth-vats. Their society is ''absolutely'' militarized. Children are being born only to be filled with the guilt of their ancestors, trained and sent to die for their Emperor. Contrary to other less <s>brainwashed</s> '''LOYAL''' units they're truly happy to do so and would die with a smile on their lips for the glory of the Emperor, if they'd ever smile. Seriously, those guys are stone cold. You'd rather chat with a necron than a Krieg trooper. They don't even have names. They're just called Trooper #1337 or Major Alpha and such (although some of the higher-ranked survivors get names, like Colonel Tyborc, hero of [[Vraks]]) both to underscore what expendable clones they are and because they don't give a flying fuck about anything other than marching, dying gloriously and shooting heretics in the head (fluff dependent; McNeill and Mitchell portray them as stoic to the point of being cold but still personal whereas Steve Lyons depicted them as described as near drone-like automata). As such gung-ho individuals they technically don't even have the need for Commissars to maintain morale, since their deserting rate is practically zero and the officers (and probably even the regular troopers) will happily execute their soldiers themselves if need occurs. Commissars that are sent their way are usually sent in to say "Captain, I know you want to charge in and stab those Orks in the face with bayonets, but if you do that maybe one in ten is getting out of there alive. The Emperor needs you alive and we are going to goddamn wait until a situation comes where we can have enough survivors for the next battle and if you order a charge, it's [[blam]]ming time for you." If a Commissar is the voice of reason in your ear, you know your priorities are interesting.

[[File:S c h w e r e by nicklausofkrieg-d764sze.png|250px|thumb|left|If you thought [[Warhammer 40k]] just couldn't get any [[Grimdark|grimdarker]], have a beer with one of these fine gentlemen.]]

If one thing is even more serious business for Kriegers than dying, it's killing heretics with extreme prejudice, even by Imperial standards. As mentioned in the ''Codex: Stronghold Assault'', once there was a [[Hive|Hive City]] that hadn't paid its tithe, and got a visit from the Death Korps for it. After five years of constant bombardment, the city surrendered unconditionally, but the Kriegers wouldn't just stop bombarding over such a small thing. After three more years, there was nobody left alive in the ruins anymore. The Death Korps still wouldn't leave until two years later - when they had eventually shot ''the entire mountain-sized Hive'' to rubble! ( <s>That seems unusually wasteful for Krieger's. Aren't hives supposed to be sacred archeotech in and of themselves?</s> Heretical Hives are worth less than the dirt under a Kriegers boot!) That was also more about making a point about why surrendering early is the best option for you. Wait, Hive Cities are protected by void shields capable of shrugging off orbital bombardment. Either the Kriegers had some huge toys or the humble Earthshaker isn't so humble.

A surprising degree of bio and cybernetic enhancements also appear to be common among Kriegers, which while taking away from their raw awesomeness, should give you idea of how high the esteem in which the Imperium holds the Death Korps.

The Munitorium has a hard on for these guys because unlike guardsmen from other places they always obey orders to the letter, <s>even</s> especially when it means dying in droves. Most Kriegers '''never''' retreat, they '''almost''' fight to the death every time. Once when a Commissar ordered a retreat, an unknown Krieger shot the Commissar for cowardice. Seriously, these guys don't fuck around. The only thing that does happen once in a while that could be potentially seen as approaching a retreat is a regiment/army being reassigned if the high-ups conclude the objectives have been met or are simply no longer attainable and dying elsewhere serves the Emperor better. That being said, during the siege of Vraks the Kriegers shot their own Commissars who tried to stop their retreat, despite being the most fanatical of the Imperial Guard, they're still only human (p. 72, Imperial Armour 5, Siege of Vraks Part One, for all those who get a hard on for the Death Korps). On the other hand, the Kriegsmen are so well trained and experienced, they do know when to retreat. Commissars are well trained for war in general, but don’t necessarily understand siege warfare as a speciality enough to always recognize when retreat is the best option. Also, you can’t win a siege if you expend too many of your soldiers. You need to out number the enemy at least three to one for that. As such, the Kriegers being much more frugal with their lives during the siege makes very good sense to ultimately achieve victory.

Now these suicidal, [[Iron Warriors|violent siege specialists]] are ordered to fight in the most dangerous battles. The Death Korps of Krieg may want to die, but [[Nightbringer|death is a bitch to them]]. When they do die though, they are easily replaced. Join the Death Korps of Krieg now (rebreather, lasgun and no will to live included)!

== Horses ==
[[File:Krieg irl.jpg|220px|thumb|left|Historic IRL version.]]
Yes, they ride gas mask-wearing horses into battle in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium. These are not any ordinary horses, though. Like [[Space Marines]], they are genhanced with extra organs implanted to deal with harsh environments (giving them 6+ invulnerable save), keep them fighting well after any [[My Little Pony|ordinary filly]] would be blasted to the knacker's. They are vat grown and implanted with [[Angron|devices to increase aggression]]. These form the backbone of the Krieg Death Rider units, who are lead by a Sergeant known as a "Ridemaster." They are used as scouts and to harass the enemy. In addition to lasguns and grenades, they carry a one-use-only explosive-tipped lance, and can charge "fleet of hoof" if not shooting.

== Vitae Womb ==
It is stated that the Kriegers make use of "Vitae Womb" technology to keep up the annual crop of 50 million suicidally fanatical gas mask mooks specifically given to them by the Adeptus Mechanicus. What that means is a matter of [[skub|debate]], ranging from exowombs to drugs which increase fertility and accelerate pregnancy. What is not disputed is that it keeps population production up well beyond what can usually be achieved by human uteri. At least take comfort in the fact that it, in all likelihood, can't be as bad as [[Honsou|a certain Warsmith]]'s [[Daemonculaba|pet project]].

Or [[/d/|could it?]]

In all honesty it's almost certainly just an artificial womb. The basic technology itself is something that the Imperium makes use of on a regular basis and Vitae Womb is probably just a specific incarnation of it used to mass produce (biologically speaking) normal humans. There are no women in the Krieg military, because they also supply kids for their birth rates - they do both so they can recruit and tithe more regiments.

== Vraks, and Forge World Stupidity ==
Now, for all that the soldiers of Krieg are supposed to be some of the hardest bastards in the Imperium and willing to sacrifice their lives in an instant if that's what is asked of them, there comes a point where going any further with that characterization crosses the line between "grimly awesome" and "over-the-top caricature". There's really nothing '''wrong''' with this since 40k originally started out as a parody setting, just so long as the writers meet one simple condition:

'''It has to be ''intentional''.'''

When [[Imperial Armour]] released their [[Vraks]] trilogy, it was '''supposed''' to be an example of how dark and gritty siege warfare could become, and therefore a textbook example of how the Death Korps operates. Prior to this, they were written as pragmatic, capable, dedicated, and ''utterly ruthless'' soldiers who combined the tactical sense you'd expect from a professional soldier who had been trained from birth with a willingness to sustain whatever amount of casualties are required to achieve their objectives on the battlefield; meeting their deaths without the slightest hesitation, and making sure that the Emperor's foes paid as high a price for those deaths as they could arrange.

Instead, we were shown a teeming mass of "soldiers" who amounted to little better than shambler zombies with guns; utterly incompetent and suicidal to the point where they were more concerned with killing ''themselves'' than the enemies of the Imperium. The most sterling example of this has to be walking over minefields to clear them, something that could easily be accomplished with far less cost in men and materiel by using vehicles with dozer blades as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_roller mine rollers]. They literally have to be convinced that there are better ways to fight the Emperor's foes than marching into the teeth of enemy fire until they ran out of ammunition by their damn '''[[Commissar|Comissars]]'''; political officers whose entire job revolves around two things:

1. Inspiring soldiers through sheer hammy charisma.

2. Discouraging cowardice through the not-insignificant accomplishment of successfully being more terrifying than any enemy a Guardsmen might be facing at the moment. In a universe where said enemies might be '''[[Chaos|the Legions of Hell]]''', '''[[Tyranids|an endless swarm of alien horrors from beyond the stars]]''', '''[[Orks| a race of sentient bioweapons whose extreme bloodlust is matched only by their uncountable numbers]]''' or '''''[[Night Lords|genetically-engineered superhumans whose entire schtick revolves around being the most nightmarish motherfuckers in existence]]'''''.

The sheer wastefulness of the Idiot Korps' tactics is so great that it becomes impossible to take any of the books seriously, and the setting is left poorer for it. If the Death Korps actually fought like they're described in Vraks then in all likelihood the Imperium would have long since discarded them as a useful fighting force due to how needlessly and exorbitantly wasteful they are of lives and materiel, and we would like to remind you that the Imperium measures the casualties of war in '''planets''', not men.

Now to be fair, part of this characterization is likely caused by takeing the cultural memory of WW1 the idea of men mindlessly charging into Machine Gun emplacements across a no-man's land ripped apart by artillery and chemical weapons, and porting it into 40k.Viewed this way much of the above make sense, Death Korp Tactics are wasteful because in popular memory that's all World War One was, men jumping over trenches to run into enemy machine guns. The problem comes when you try to get into the head of an entire culture whose goal is doing just that, thus leading to the grim derp problems above of damn near suicidal soldiers whose primary tactic is the human wave charge, because again that's what WW1 was in memory, lions lead by donkeys who charged bravely, if mindlessly into certain death. This lead to the Death Krops being stupid and fighting stupidly. In the end when forge world tried to potray a ww1 style mud and blood conflict, they fumbled because World war 1 was an already pretty grimdark conflict so turning it up to the 40k required 11 on the old grim dark dial was bound to push it into Grim Derp Territory if handled poorly, and it was.

TL;DR: In essence, the Vraks trilogy wanted to recreate the muddy hell holes of ww1 in 40k, and in the process turned the Death Korps from something much like the Red Army during WW2 into [[Skub|a poorly-researched/malicious portrayal of the Red Army during WW2.]]

Thankfully they generally seem portrayed in lore usually as being unafraid of death but not willing to waste their lives (so they can kill more of the Emperor’s enemies). In fact, with their heavy tanks and numerous grenadiers and their engineers, the Death Korps seems more like a mashup of various real life successful ways the trenches in World War One were ultimately defeated. Their machines and units imply the Death Korps is more of a “line breaking specialists” army than a “dig trench and sit there forever” army. Their trenches seem to be used more like forward bases and mustering points for their breaching attacks than as their main method of defeating the enemy.

==Facts/Notes==
*Due to the Krieger ideology of repentance to the Emperor, dying is considered the greatest honor for an average Krieger, and dying while achieving a great victory is a Krieger's wet dream. The Death Korps of Krieg's version of Heaven (Or at the very least an equivalent concept) is to achieve a great victory for the Imperium, while sustaining 100% casualties. They would be the perfect soldier for the Normandy Landings or Stalingrad. They will attempt to achieve a glorious victory while drowning the enemy with their corpses.
*The Death Korps of Krieg kill.
*They seriously do not fuck around.
*They have [[Rough riders|cuirassiers that ride horses with fucking rebreathers.]] Yep...
*The lasgun model they use is called the "Lucius" Pattern No.98, in keeping with their German WW1 inspiration, (the standard-issue Mauser rifle was the model 1898). More powerful per shot than most lasguns, but it might blow up if you fire it too quickly.
*The Death Korps of Krieg resemble old World War I soldiers, with most people thinking they are German because of their name and the ''stahlhelm''-style of their neck protection, '''however''', the overall design of the Korps is actually a mix between various armies from WW1 and even the 19th century; their helmet is a ''stahlhelm''-Adrian hybrid, their uniform is mostly French, their gas mask looks like British-American models, the grenadiers' armour plates are undoubtedly German and the Death Riders and officer are French cuirassiers from the Napoleonic Wars with the same WWI flavour. Meanwhile, their tanks, while the same Russes as everyone else in the Guard, have the trench-rails of WW2 French tanks.
*I bet they allow the use of hardcore cocaine. And they won't take it because it doesn't help in killing heretics or dying ''fast enough''.
*They have cool looking "Grenadiers" for, well, grenadiering?
*They don't desert, ever (they're not all that into sweet things anyway).
*They're German-French-British-American, so of course they're gonna win (after taking a stupidly high amount of casualties).
*"Kill confirmed" is the only thing they ever say <s>in combat</s> ever.
*<s>They don't fly aerial vehicles, they just crash them into enemy AA guns. 50\50 chance of them still surviving.</s> They fly CAS and bomber aircraft into the most suicidal of missions, and once irreparably damaged, suicide-bomb them into enemy AA to clear the way for other air units.
*A Krieger's idea of courting involves finding a suitable female (or male) in the trench who doesn't look like all the other suicidal gas-mask wearing nutbars in brown who hasn't been blown to smithereens...yet.
*Krieger pickup lines are notoriously bad, so bad they make the Mechanicus look like Barry White! Notable lines include "I wish to have a cloning vat of fetuses with you", "Would you like to share this additional synthesized Mechanicus issued ration bar with me at sixteen hundred hours?", "Would you like to go for some recaf with me?" (so far so good), "I found this lovely little bombed-out fox-hole near our position, it's very romantic" (sure if you find love on Armageddon!), and "My gene donors (the parents) are away on deployment this weekend, I've got the whole barracks to myself, and I just picked up a mixtape of the most romantic Krieger music" (hint: it sounds like guns firing, orders being screamed, explosions, and marching boots...very romantic).
*Rejection in Krieg is common and common excuses include "I'm washing my scalp" (Kriegers are bald), "I'd love to but I have a Tyranid invasion to stop", "I'd love to but I've just been ordered to charge that dugout, gonna be busy all day", "I can't go to the dance with you I'm dying for the emperor tomorrow", and "I like you as a friend".
*If Krieg and Cadia swapped places Abaddon would have stayed in the Eye of Terror (but the Imperial casualties would have increased by an order of magnitude).
*A romantic evening to a Krieger usually involves barbed wire, grey dugout positions, landmines, a searchlight, latrines, an emplaced heavy machine gun, and some stick bombs.
*Their response to [[Necrons]] fucking vaporizing them is to continue firing, but also make sure to drop their weapon when they are hit so as to preserve as much of their equipment as possible.
*Kill or be Killed, either way, Krieg is redeemed. One millimetre at a time.
* A Krieg Death Corps trooper and a [[Catachan Jungle Fighters|Catachan Jungle Fighter]] got into a fight to see who was the most badass type of guardsman ever. Except no they didn't, because a true Krieger always has more important [[Gets shit done|shit to get done]].
*They are highly popular with the Commissariat as they do not retreat. They hold the line.
*Fans do their heavy-WWI inspiration one better by portraying them as being highly eager to use sharpened entrenching tools/shovels in close-combat, though this has technically never really appeared in canon (the use of shovels in melee, that is. Their suicidal eagerness to get into melee is definitely canon as shit).
*Will kill their commander if they are ordered to retreat more than a few times. <s>Unless they have a reason, that is</s> {{Blam| '''THEY NEVER HAVE A REASON TO RETREAT, AVE IMPERATOR'''!!!!!!!}}'
**Jokes aside, the one time even they broke was against literally the single worst batch of chemical weapons in Warhammer history (which is really saying something) on Vraks by the [[The Purge]]. It literally took a rolling blackout of super-heavy tank melting gas fired by the single most life hating unit of beings to ever exist to drive them off. By one trench line exactly. (And even then they weren't so much driven off as melted where they stood.) Even then, this isn't really "breaking" - they're strategically repositioning so they can die for the Emperor in a more useful way than being turned into poisonous slag.
*They look down on other regiments that aren't as suicidally fanatical and/or disciplined as they are, because of this they get along with the [[Mordian Iron Guard]] as they also share their fatalistic devotion to duty, and absolutely despise the [[Jopall Indentured Guard]] as they are the complete opposite of what the Korps believes a soldier should be (however, they also openly praise Jopallian marksmanship).
*Did I mention that the greatest victory for a Krieger unit involves 100% casualties?

==Trivia==
[[File:WH Faces (2).jpg|280px|right|thumb|]]
The Death Korps are very clearly based off of German, French, British, and American WWI soldiers, all the way down to their trenchcoats (French), gas masks (British/German), helmets (French/German hybrid), their riders (French), love of big guns (American/German) and of course, affinity for trench warfare. Just like the good ol' <s>Somme</s> <s>Ypres</s> <s>Marne</s> <s>Verdun</s> Passchendaele, eh?

They also seem to be much more heavily focused on the machines, tactics, and special units that ultimately overcame trench warfare. Such as focused artillery barrages to cover for a large number of very heavily armored soldiers to get close and seize trenches and then be reinforced by normal troops. Tanks, lots and lots of tanks especially really damn huge ones, and so on. Which makes sense; they’re sent to win wars not stagnate them.

==Alternative Modeling Options==
As the most popular (Fluffwise) regiment, [[Forge World]] has models for them that cost more than the average Kriegsman's life, but then again that's not really a high bar. Thankfully, [http://anvilindustry.co.uk Anvil Industry] comes to the rescue with their Regiments range, allowing anyone to build very authentic-looking Kriegers, complete with their signature death masks, unique lasguns and wheeled heavy weapons.
==See Also==
* [[Love and Krieg]], [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Love_and_Krieg_Spinoffs and its various spin-offs].
* [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Imperial_Guard(8E)#Death_Korps_of_Krieg Tactics/Death Korps of Krieg]
* [http://i.imgur.com/esFMLb8.png Writefaggotry about the mind of a Deathkorps Medicae]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170718013716/http://www.projectafterforums.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=10367 A rare female Krieger]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7GsdsuSXfw Krieg song by StringStorm]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mNX1pPXrTg An animation of Kriegers getting shit done]
{{Template:40k-Imperial-Regiments}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]]

Imperial Guard Regiment

2021-03-08T04:58:01Z

2601:585:8301:76D0:3960:28EF:C4E7:5DA: /* Origin */

The '''Regiment''' is the largest semi-permanent unit of organization of the [[Imperial Guard]], consisting of a few hundred to a few hundred thousand Guardsmen and their associated equipment and vehicles.

== Origin ==

[[Space Marine]]s are all well and good, but the implantation of [[gene-seed]] is a risky, prolonged, and expensive process. Even at the peak of the [[Great Crusade]], there were never more than a few million Marines in the entire galaxy. The [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor]] and his growing Imperium needed more soldiers to take and hold planets, and so the Imperial Army was founded to act as an auxiliary force -- while the Space Marines would smash fortresses and other hard targets, the Army would follow behind to hold the line.

To improve force cohesion, they were under the direct authority of the Space Marines with whom they served, but the [[Horus Heresy]] proved how dangerous such an arrangement could be. When [[Horus]] fell, not only did he take his fellow traitor Primarchs and their Legions with him, but also his associated ships and soldiers. Therefore, after the Heresy was put down, the surviving leaders of the Imperium divided the three military branches so that no traitor could strike such a blow at the Imperium ever again.

The forces themselves were separated into smaller pieces, also to reduce the ability of heretics to cause trouble. The [[Legiones Astartes]] were split up into [[Space Marine Chapter|Chapters]], the [[Imperial Navy]] was divided into [[Battlefleet]]s, and the newly-named Imperial Guard was divided into '''regiments'''. Each regiment in theory could only contain a few hundred to a few thousand Guardsmen and was limited to a single specialty (Infantry, Artillery, Armor), so that if even an entire regiment turned traitor, they would not last long -- without the Navy, they could not travel to other planets (or bomb the shit out of them since the navy also got the aircraft), and without the support of other regiments, they would lack most tactical options. The [[Commissar|Commissariat]] was also founded to be an independent watchdog to root out heresy wherever it grew.

Regiments with a bit of a mix, such as armored regiments with some mobile artillery and mechanized infantry elements, do exist but still would not survive long as those elements would be too few to do anything more than support; they would be quickly crushed by a combined arms task force ordered to kill the traitor regiment. Support elements are very helpful but nowhere near as effective as a dedicated unit. Strangely, even the ground-attack craft belong to the Navy. Which is stupid since if a ship goes rogue any surface-to-space defense wouldn’t last long against a surprise air attack from guys they didn’t know they needed to pay attention to. If the Guard had control, the ground pounders wouldn’t need to worry about their own ship blowing them up if their defenses go down due to a rogue regiment (and the regiments would have too few aircraft in this case to matter anyway) or worry about their defenses going down in the first place (a handful of ground support craft die pretty dang quickly when everyone is shooting at them). Then there is the fact the transports don’t carry bombers, support, and fighters dedicated to assisting the Guard, so the Navy usually has only a handful of ground support craft like Valkyries and Vultures but tons of fighters that they proceed to suicidally throw at other ships instead of the atmospheric combat they were given to the Navy for in the first place. Needless to say, the Imperium’s enemies do not share this insane problem. Even worse is the transports’ escorts downright treacherous habit of sallying forth to attack enemy ships instead of following their orders to stay and defend the transports. It goes about as badly for the Guard as your imagining. Then the Guardsmen hit the dirt and learn the hard way that they have limited air defense, maybe a couple Valkyries for carting Colonels around, and few or no other friendly aircraft while the enemy has fleets of bombers and fighters swarming the skies. The Imperial Guard manages to win anyway through sheer guts and a mountain of mangled corpses. Then, they get picked up, shipped off to a new planet a few days maybe weeks maybe mere hours away and do it all over again.

There are in fact a few exceptions to these rules. But they are Rare, Expensive, and tend to possess a distinct characteristic that the administratum, and inquisition believe protect from any possibility of them turn traitor. The two known examples are the [[Death Korps of Krieg]], and the [[Mordian Iron Guard]], with the Meccabian Janissaries suspected at having these privileges as well.

== Founding ==

The [[Administratum]] evaluates every planet in the Imperium, analyzing what its resources are and what portion of those resources it owes to the Imperium. For many planets (especially [[Hive World]]s), one such resource is manpower. Worlds are literally [[Imperial Tithe|tithed]] to supply a certain number of a particular kind of regiment. After a regiment is founded, it is shipped off from one battlefield to another according to the designs of the [[Departmento Munitorum]], and may periodically be resupplied with new recruits and equipment by the same, or just left hanging until they are almost totally routed, and then folded into another regiment. Because the information used by the Administratum is often out-of-date (by up to millennia, theoretically), a planet's requirements may be unreasonable, whole regiments can be entirely forgotten or called to battle long after their destruction, and regiments may be deployed to "battlefields" whose wars have long been ended. The fact that designation numbers and equipment often get recycled after the regiment that owns them is destroyed does not help matters. On occasion, a regiment can get a lucky break from bureaucratic inertia (e.g. the Valhallan 597th, of [[Ciaphas Cain]] fame, was formed by the merger of the half-strength 296th and 301st regiments, but is still listed in official records as the 296th and 301st working together, so they get double supplies), but that's not very [[grimdark]] so it only happens very rarely.

== Organization ==

Each planet's regiments are different with a variety of names for commanders and subordinates, but we'll use the modern day system. In general, a commanding officer sits at the top, with a rank of '''colonel''' ''(or the equivalent)'', who is assisted by a command staff. The second-in-command may be titled the "executive officer" and often is a '''major'''.

The Regiment is divided into several companies, the exact number of which depends on the nature of the regiment:
*Each company is led by a '''captain''' and a command squad and contains two to six Platoons (because a standard 40K army -- which is about the right size for a company -- has between two and six units of Troops)
**Each platoon is led by a '''lieutenant''' and a command squad and has around five, ''(but sometimes more)'' squads of infantry.
***A squad is led by a '''sergeant''' who is sometimes assisted by a '''corporal''' ''(if this is the case, the squad can then be divided into two fireteams)''. Infantry squads nominally contain ten Guardsmen each, though heavy and special weapon squads only have six, and of course numbers can fluctuate as Guardsmen are recruited and killed.

Of course, different types of regiment do things differently but are generally consistent with the levels of authority delegated to their commanders: For example, Armoured Companies still have vehicle squadrons led by sergeants, but with each individual vehicle within the squadron is commanded by a corporal, and thus Armoured Companies have a higher proportion on NCOs compared to standard Infantry Regiments. Meanwhile, Artillery Companies are less likely to have corporals at all.

The ''Uplifting Primer'' does include provisions for other ranks not usually found on the tabletop or encountered in the fluff, which might actually be consistent with their in-universe function: '''lieutenant colonel''' in real-world militaries command battalions of multiple companies which are usually homogeneous in structure, ''(A RL regiment is usually multiple battalions of various compositions, or a single battalion with added support units)'' but in 40k there is very little mention given to battalions with most illustrations of regimental structure simply listing the number and function of its companies. Even 2nd-in-Commands in Imperial Guard regiments appear to hold the rank of '''major''' rather than Lt. colonel, so the rank might only find use in specialist or headquarters units, rather than the typical regimental system.

Further, while the [[Imperial Navy]] uses the rank of '''warrant officer''', the Imperial Guard does not appear to have a standard use for it. This is most likely because a naval starship has a much larger number of men under its command than a regiments does (''tens of thousands as opposed to thousands)'' and also the fact that regiments do not often have a fixed headquarters and have a higher turnover of manpower due to casualties, therefore field commissions directly from sergeant to lieutenant would be more practical than awaiting a newly commissioned officer to arrive from an academy.

That's not to say that senior sergeants cannot be found in staff roles outside of squads, [[Colour Sergeant Jarran Kell|colour sergeants]], [[Gunnery Sergeant "Stonetooth" Harker|gunnery sergeants]] and [[Sergeant Lukas Bastonne|staff sergeants]] are known to exist in-universe but are not mentioned in the ''Primer'', but the factional division of the military into [[Mechanicus|Engineering]], [[Administratum|Adminstration]] or [[Sister Hospitaler|Medical]] branches probably makes such staff appointments less common.

Although the purpose of a RL regimental system is to ensure an unbroken chain-of-command where each trooper has one sergeant who himself has one lieutenant who in turn has one captain and so on, the 40k universe as with most things tends to be almost medieval in its execution: the ''Uplifting Primer'' as well as most fluff on the matter is quite emphatic about when you get issued an order from anyone above you, you comply without question. That attitude may be helpful if you anticipate a high turnover of unit commanders mid-battle ''(this is the Guard, so of course)'' where it becomes impractical to double-check orders with your direct ''(or even intermediate)'' superior, but it would cause nightmares for intelligence and logistics officers trying to keep track of a battlefield when officers subvert the units of their allied commanders, and would probably cause confusion and mixed messages to filter down the chain of command and contribute to even more casualties. ''(this is the Guard, so again, of course)'' The reliability and effectiveness of this system depends on the pre-campaign planning and inter unit training, regiments and their soldiers are told who are their allies, who is in command of their allies, and such stuff, of course this is not always possible, sometimes regiments are newly drawn up and then immediately thrown into a nearby war with only basic training, sometimes they're diverted from one campaign to another, and other times the Munitorum and their allies are just being assholes. Of course, experienced field commanders and strategic officers would encourage policies to make sure they don't end up killing their own allies.

=== Regiment Types ===

To inhibit the spread of [[Chaos]], regiments are usually confined to a single specialization each -- that way, even if an entire regiment falls to Chaos, it will be severely restricted in its tactical options, making it easier for loyalist regiments (who have enough different specializations to complement each other) to put it down. The specializations are:
* '''Armoured'''. Armoured regiments supply the tanks to a war effort. They may operate as a single force if there is a single, massive target to be destroyed, or if the war is being fought on multiple fronts (e.g. urban warfare), they may be split up to support infantry units or crack vital enemy defense lines. The Minervan Tank Legions are an example of armoured regiments.
* '''Artillery'''. Artillery regiments have ALL the big guns. They are deployed whole for massive sieges or defensive actions, often with siege infantry regiments to create defenses and trenches; for a more mobile siege, they may be parceled out into batteries that accompany infantry regiments.
* '''Drop infantry'''. Drop infantry are space paratroopers -- they drop onto enemy weak points for surprise attacks. Unfortunately, this limits the heavy firepower available to them, as artillery pieces and tanks can't be carried by [[Valkyrie]]s. The [[Elysian Drop Troops]] are an example of drop infantry regiments.
* '''Light infantry'''. Light infantry regiments are frequently used for reconnaissance and stealth work, as they aren't as tied to a supply chain as more mechanized regiments, and are less noisy (again, because of the reduced mechanization and supply chain needs), though they lack the heavy firepower required to do much else. However, when played to their strengths by smart commanders light infantry can kick ''all'' the ass, as demonstrated by the [[Tanith First (And Only)|Tanith First]].
* '''Line infantry'''. Line infantry regiments supply the raw manpower that is emblematic of the Imperial Guard.
* '''Mechanized infantry'''. Mechanized infantry regiments are probably the closest thing to an all-rounder combined-arms force that the Imperium has. Mechanized regiments generally give each squad their own [[Chimera]], and often receive detachments of tanks from armored regiments working in the same theater for some extra punch -- or, if there aren't enough Chimeras available to justify keeping them all in one place, they may be split up into "Armoured Fist" squads and given to armored regiments to hold objectives, or infantry regiments who need an armored spearhead. The Steel Legions of Armageddon are an example of mechanized infantry regiment. While sources may vary elsewhere, the [[Ciaphas Cain]] books give us a number of about 3,000 men in a typical regiment.
* '''Siege infantry'''. Siege infantry regiments are similar to line infantry, in that they have lots of men, but they receive extra training in construction of fortifications, trenches, and defense lines, and are usually disciplined and trained to fight and die over the course of months or years for even a few yards of advance. The [[Death Korps of Krieg]] are an example of siege infantry regiments.

The aforementioned restrictions on regiments means that they are not very useful on their own, so there is also a super-regimental command structure used for campaigns.
*Regiments that complement each other in a useful way can be combined into a ''battlegroup'' commanded by a '''General''',
**Several battlegroups on the same front will be overseen by a '''Lord General'''
***...who will in turn answer to the '''Lord General Militant''' of the sector or campaign in question.
****Above these are the '''Lord Commanders''' for each of the five Segmenta of the galaxy,
*****At the very top is the '''Lord Commander Militant''' the leader of the entire [[Imperial Guard]] and one of the [[High Lords of Terra]].
<gallery>
File:Guard Regiments 1.jpg|The variety of Imperial Guard regiments is enormous, with thirty-nine different examples on this page alone.
File:Guard Regiments 2.jpg|This one shows rough-riders and tank regiments.
</gallery>

== Tabletop ==

Back in the third edition of [[Warhammer 40,000]], the [[Imperial Guard]] [[Codex]] included a "doctrine" system to represent different types of regiments in the Imperium. Some options would allow certain units to be taken in larger numbers, while others would allow some units to purchase special abilities. The [[Catachan Jungle Fighters]] also received their own mini-dex in Third and Fourth Edition.

The doctrine system was removed in the fifth-edition codex, though some characters can modify the army's abilities a little, and [[Forge World]] has published army lists for the [[Death Korps of Krieg]], [[Elysian Drop Troops]], and a generic "Armoured Battle Group" (tanks to the max) in their [[Imperial Armour]] books.

We have tacticae on the various Imperial Guard army lists that have been published:
* [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Guard|Imperial Guard]], for light infantry or combined-arms regiments (especially [[Cadian Shock Troops]] and [[Catachan Jungle Fighters]]).
* [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Guard/Elysian Drop Troops|Elysian Drop Troops]], for drop regiments
* [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Guard/Death Korps of Krieg|Death Korps of Krieg]], for siege regiments
* [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Guard/Armoured Battlegroup|Armoured Battlegroup]], for armored regiments or mechanized infantry
* [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Solar_Auxilia_(30k)|Solar Auxilia]], for the elite of the Imperial Army during the Heresy era
* [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Imperial_Militia_and_Cults_(30k)|Imperial Militia and Cults]], for the miscellaneous military units that formed the bulk of the Imperial Army during the Heresy era
== See Also ==

* [[Imperial Guard Regiment Creation Tables]], a set of rolltables for generating a regiment.
* [[Only War]], a roleplaying game made by [[Fantasy Flight Games]], which contains rules for generating and role-playing an IG regiment.

{{Template:40k-Imperial-Regiments}}

Vraks

2021-03-08T01:50:18Z

2601:585:8301:76D0:3960:28EF:C4E7:5DA: /* Siege of Vraks */

[[File:Vraks_titans.png|right|400px|thumb|right|Your average Monday morning on Vraks Prime.]]
[[File:Vraks_Prime_Image.jpg|300px|left|thumb|Vraks Prime. Not to be confused with [[Krieg]].]]
'''Vraks''' is a system in the [[Imperium of Man]], near the [[Eye of Terror]]. It is (or was) part of the defenses centered on [[Cadia]]; in particular, its main planet, Vraks Prime, is an armory world, an entire planet used by the [[Departmento Munitorum]] to stockpile weapons and ammunition. The justification is that, if the tithe fleets bringing weapons directly to Cadia from further out in the Imperium get delayed, they can withdraw supplies from Vraks until contact is restored.

As far as the environment goes, it used to be an intensely volcanic world, so there's sulfur everywhere, the weather is stormy and cloudy, and the entire ground is either desert or ocean. The only things living there were algae, and then the [[Administratum]] moved in and brought a bunch of humans with them to set up the armory. It eventually got a basilica, to commemorate some martyr or another, and a big fortress to protect the armory (that many tanks and guns in one place proved a tempting target for pirates), designed to be all but invulnerable to orbital attack, and for ten thousand years, Vraks Prime never fell to pirates, [[Chaos]], [[Xenos]], or worker rebellions.

Unfortunately, this state of affairs was not to last, because the Vraks system was created by [[Forge World]] for a trilogy of [[Imperial Armour]] books; Vraks Prime was soon to be the site of a mighty siege, starring loyalists and traitors. In an unfortunate twist, it was the loyalist Imperials who were on the [[FAIL|outside]] of the defenses.

== Fall of Vraks ==
[[File:Krieg_soldier.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Kriegers about to embark on a 17 year vacation.]]
It was not pirates or [[xenos]] that eventually brought Vraks low, but a rogue member of the [[Ecclesiarchy]], one Cardinal Xaphan. Having recently been promoted into the post of Cardinal-Astral of the entire Scarus Sector (if the name is familiar to you, that's because it's where the [[Gregor Eisenhorn|Eisenhorn]] and [[Gideon Ravenor|Ravenor]] trilogies took place, plus it's next door to the Calixis Sector, where [[Dark Heresy]] is set. It was named after a Great Crusade era Word Bearer's Captain going missing there ; Captain Scarus - Lorgar, eventually arch-priest of ALL HERESY, bitched out salty tears about this and renamed the sector), Xaphan decided to take a tour of his domain. He found that he enjoyed rousing armies of the faithful, and decided (with some prodding by his number-one oh-so-trustworthy assistant Deacon Mamon) that he could do more good leading an army than working a desk job. The only problem was that pesky Decree Passive preventing him from raising men under arms, so to keep his plans hidden, he went to Vraks, where there were plenty of soldiers and weapons to make an army, as well as a basilica to give him an excuse to stick around.

The [[Inquisition]] found out anyway, and sent a [[Vindicare]] assassin after him, but the assassin failed; seeing that covertness was no longer an option, Xaphan moved the workers of Vraks to open rebellion. The Imperial presences on the planet, namely the [[Administratum]], [[Adeptus Arbites]], and the [[Adepta Sororitas]] (who had been his bodyguards until this point), were either killed or imprisoned, which should have been a clue that he was making a bad move, but Mamon assured him that he was in the right, and that his enemies were merely deluded fools who would see the light once he actually got started on his crusade.

== Siege of Vraks ==
The [[Departmento Munitorum]] wasn't going to sit back and let Vraks turn traitor -- not because of the eight million workers living there, but because it was a giant armory (which could not be allowed to fall into traitor hands, or be kept from the [[Imperial Guard Regiment|regiments]] who needed them), and because, if word got out, other worlds could fall into rebellion, and use Vraks' supplies for themselves. Therefore, the world would have to be taken, and quickly. The Citadel of Vraks was all but invulnerable to orbital attack, so it could not be assaulted directly (ruling out the [[Space Marines]] and [[Imperial Navy]]), and the world's massive stores meant that a blockade-and-raid strategy would take five centuries to complete. The only way to take Vraks back in under a century was to put the Citadel under siege and take it by force, so they took some thirty regiments of the [[Death Korps of Krieg]] and put them into an army <s>(30 regiments is not that many men, traditional GW oversight. Unless these Regiments had HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MEN EACH! The Imperium doesn't have a standard size for regiments).</s> Kriegers have around 250,000 infantrymen per regiment, And are one of the only imperial guard force allowed to practice combined arms doctrine within regiments. (The other being the Mordian iron guard) They were initially given twelve years to take Vraks back.

=== Phase One: Landing and Siege ===
[[File:Krieg_night_fight.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Afternoon tea-time on Vraks Prime.]]
Year 813.M41. The Citadel was the only thing really worth defending on Vraks, so the planet had no anti-air or anti-orbital defenses on the opposite side of the fortress (which is stupid, there's no excuse to not have anti-orbital defenses across the world, but this is the Imperium of Man so...). The army used the far side of the planet as a landing zone, and over several months, they landed all of the troops, vehicles, and supplies they would need (one could reasonably wonder why [[Tyranids|other]] [[Eldar|races]] [[Orks|wouldn't]] [[Chaos|do]] [[Dark Mechanicus|the]] [[Dark Eldar|same...]] though to cut them some slack: Vraks' defenses were planned with the idea that they only had to last long enough to get help from the Imperium). Meanwhile, they also built a bunch of rail lines around the planet to carry said army to within a hundred miles of the Citadel's outer defensive lines. Once there, the Kriegers built their own trench and gun network to encircle the fortress. They anticipated that, because the outer defense line was so long, a single massed assault on a particular zone would be flanked and repulsed by the neighbors of their target (a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog_defence Hedgehog defense]), so the plan was to pound the whole thing at once until it folded. They would then surround the second defense line; said line would be small enough to be less resistant to a massed assault, so they would attack a single point to crack the line wide open. Then, they would surround the Citadel itself, and finally be close enough to bombard it directly with their heavy guns and pound it to the ground.

After all of this planning and logistical work, the Death Korps finally began the attack on the outer defense line about a year after first arriving at Vraks, but of course things didn't go as planned. The enemy had substantially reinforced the defenses since the last Imperial survey, and so the "weak point" that the Kriegers tried to attack as a first blow wasn't so weak after all. Matters stalemated for two years, until Captain Tyborc managed to take a bunker whose artillery piece had been destroyed. The guy was a badass even among Kriegers: he took wounds in every part of his body except his left arm, and only eight men of his entire company survived to see reinforcements arrive, but the Imperium had found its breakthrough.

The outer defenses fell pretty quickly, but as the Imperial army got stalled again when the defenders of Vraks made a counter-attack to the North that forced the Imperium to halt its advances in the west and south to get reserves to stop the counter-attack. In the end, the stalemate resumed, just a little tighter around the fortress.

=== Phase Two: The Noose Tightens ===
Seven years after the invasion, the Imperial army was still stalled at the second defense line, when reports of renegade Space Marines assisting the defenders started filtering in. It eventually emerged that Mamon was an [[Alpha Legion]] spy and had called for backup. Cardinal Xaphan was probably no longer even pretending to serve the Emperor when he signed them up for his crusade. Anyway, two years later, the Imperial army got some more line korps, and to everyone's surprise [[Azrael]] showed up with half the [[Dark Angels]] in tow as well. His goals were to smash the heretics' star port (pun intended), to stop them from getting more reinforcements, and to capture Arkos the Faithless, the Alpha Legion's commander on Vraks. They successfully captured and destroyed the star port, but Arkos got away and Azrael was severely wounded, not to mention pissed. 200 Dark Angels died in that battle.

The success and the new reinforcements led the Imperial commanders to attempt another massed assault. It stalled (again), until Colonel Attas hatched a plan to have his artillery and infantry make a synchronized assault -- blast the enemy while his troops crawled up through no-mans-land, and then move the bombardment when the infantry was within charging distance, in other words original WW1 Stormtrooper tactics combined with a creeping barrage. Not quite as badass a feat as Tyborc's, but it worked. The second defense line cracked and fell, and the Imperial army was within sight of the Citadel.

Xaphan, having jumped headfirst into heresy by this point, rubbed his hands and cackled with glee, because he knew that the slaughter was only beginning -- he had some more friends on the way.

=== Phase Three: Chaos Joins the Fray ===
[[File:Vraksian_enforcer.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Chaos joining for the proverbial gang-bang.]]
Captain Fodor managed to put a dent in the inner defense line when he led his company to take a vital bunker. He continued Tyborc's tradition of making footholds with risky, badass feats; among other things, he had a member of his squad torch a trench with a [[flamer]], and then he led the charge into the trench ''while it was still on fire''. Unfortunately, his success was not to last, because Arkos had called in a full [[Chaos]] fleet. (At this point, Xaphan had been imprisoned in his own fortress, as he had outlived his usefulness.) They destroyed the Imperial Navy detachment over Vraks and dropped [[Khorne Berzerker]]s right onto the inner defense line (Fodor's skull was taken, by the way). Then another ship rolled in and dropped a traitor [[Titan (Warhammer 40,000)|Titan]] legion and a bunch of fliers on them. And then some [[Plague Marines]] showed up, seized some nasty poison gas stored on Vraks, and gassed a whole regiment.

It was decided that siege tactics were no longer viable. The commander was dismissed (though not executed - nobody blamed him or {{blam|BLAMMED}} him for not knowing in advance that so many reinforcements would arrive), and his replacement got some Titans of their own as well as a larger Imperial Navy division to turn the tide back and regain air superiority. They were successful in this, although the enemies didn't break and run this time; instead, they dug in. For those counting, this is twelve years after the siege began.

=== Phase Four: Breaching the Citadel ===
Fortunately for the Imperium, the Death Korps of Krieg could fight underground as well as over it. Their miners and engineers worked tirelessly, fought through enemy counter-mining efforts, and finally found and destroyed one of the foundation pylons for the Citadel's inner wall. They destroyed it and brought down a huge chunk of the wall, exposing the squishy insides for the rest of the army to pile through.

The infantry regiments advanced on the breach, first in [[Gorgon (tank)|Gorgon]]s, and then on foot when they reached the remnants of the wall itself (the crater left by the blast was impassable for vehicles). The first attack failed when enemy troops from surrounding wall sections piled into the breach to stem the tide, so a few weeks later, they tried again, with a bigger assault plus a few suppressing attacks on the neighboring wall sections. That failed, too. They tried making more breaches, but while they got pretty good at knocking holes in the walls, they were never able to take them. Fourteen years after the start of the siege (two years longer than planned), the Departmento Munitorum decided that it had worn on long enough, and started to draw Krieg regiments originally destined for Vraks to more successful and more important warzones elsewhere, telling the command staff that they had five years to wrap everything up.

Fortunately (inevitably, for those familiar with Warhammer 40,000 fiction), the [[Space Marines]] were on hand to save the day. In particular, the [[Red Scorpions]] donated a hundred Marines (from various companies) to the cause. With their [[Terminator]]s seizing the breach, the remaining Titans gathered up to keep the enemy Titans at bay, and a mixed Marine and Death Korps force following up to hold the ground and drive the enemy away, the Citadel's curtain wall finally fell, and there was only the fortress itself left to take.

=== Phase Five: Wrapping Up ===
By this time -- eighteen years after the start of the siege -- word of the extensive involvement of Chaos had reached the ears of the [[Inquisition]], and so Inquisitor Lord [[Hector Rex]] brought some [[Grey Knights]] and [[Red Hunters]] to take control of the situation and get things wrapped up before the Death Korps found itself in over its head. Though the Death Korps was still being drawn down, Rex managed to keep enough soldiers to contain the heretics while he made arrangements to bring a final end to the conflict. First, the remaining artillery brought their combined firepower to bear on the fortress's void shield to overload them. Then, infantry would surge up to take the gates. Tyborc, now a badass Colonel, would lead the charge. The attack stalled, so the [[Red Hunters]] made their drop, but the traitors responded with a [[Reaver Battle Titan]] and some [[Alpha Legion]]naires, which wiped out the first wave. Finally, a wave of [[Marauder Bomber]]s cracked the gates and permitted the assault to proceed.

However, Arkos and company had set their Chaotic rituals in motion, and managed to summon [[An'ggrath]], one of [[Khorne]]'s mightiest [[Bloodthirster]]s. He wrecked the entire company of Grey Knights who went into the fortress to stop him, and Inquisitor Rex only barely managed to defeat him. Once he was gone, though, the fight was basically over, and the only remaining task was to clear the catacombs under the fortress.

Some [[Red Scorpions]] and the [[Angels of Absolution]] turned up to participate in the final attack, to regain the honor of their brothers who had gone before them and snatch up some Alpha Legionnaires for the interrogators, respectively. Arkos killed the Company Master of the Angels of Absolution detachment, but was finally captured (the Interrogator-Chaplain who apprehended him ordered him "[[Abaddon|disarmed]]").

== Aftermath ==
[[File:Krieg_quagmire.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The Kriegers sends in their holiday greeting cards. They are having a blast!]]
The war to retake Vraks took eighteen years instead of twelve, and didn't so much "retake" Vraks as deny it the enemy, since the ammunitions piles and supplies stockpiles on Vraks were completely consumed and those were the primary reason for the siege in the first place. In the end, the primary result was lots of death. The Imperium destroyed fourteen traitor Titans (for the cost of nine Titans of their own), the [[Dark Angels]] got a bunch of prisoners from the [[Alpha Legion]] to interrogate (in retrospect, their interest may have been due to a possible link between Arkos and the [[Fallen Angels]]), and the weapons of Vraks were kept on-planet and not allowed to be taken off-planet by other traitor warbands. On the other hand, Vraks and its defenses were thoroughly ruined by the war, and the contents of its vaults were either used up or so tainted by Chaos that they had to be destroyed. A Pyrrhic victory if there ever was one, the only thing the Imperium gained was being that this world could not be used by the enemy. The prisoners rescued from the cells in the fortress, six Sisters of Battle and Cardinal Xaphan himself (who had long since been turned into a [[Chaos Spawn|you-know-what]]), were so destroyed by their experiences that they were barely people anymore. The Sisters ended up in Inquisitorial custody, and thanks to their "care" in Chaos custody, [[/d/|were so experimented on and broken by the time they were freed]] that they were eventually given the Emperor's Peace (read: bolt round to the skull), while the thing that used to be Cardinal Xaphan was summarily executed by the Grey Knights who found him.

Meanwhile, Deacon Mamon, the jerk who started the whole thing, escaped justice entirely. In fact, [[Nurgle]] was so pleased with how he turned Vraks into a scene of death and decay that he made Mamon a [[Daemon Prince]]. Such is life in the [[grimdark|grim, dark]] future.

Tl;dr: Imperium throws millions of guardsmen into a decades long meat grinder and got little to show for it, in fact it would have been more cost effective to exterminatus the damned planet from the begining seeing how the place ended up turning into a dead world anyway.

{{40k-Planets}}

[[Category:Imperial]]