Editing Imperial Guard Regiment (section)

=== 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. Planets can produce very specifically tasked units like the [[Armageddon Ork Hunters]], but these are a minority. The standard 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 Transport|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>