Dolsene Rifles

This article is about an Imperial Army formation from the /tg/ Heresy project, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40k universe.

Dolsene Rifles
Homeworld	Dolsene
Doctrine	Offensive defence
Colors	Blue and white for dress uniforms, camoflague in the field
Associated Legion	Fifth Legion

Go tell the Emperor, stranger passing by,

that here, obedient to His laws, we lie.

"Epitaph on Cadia", attributed to Theodoric II De Shiloh of Dolsene

The Dolsene Rifles are a formation of the Imperial Army, mainly tied to the strategic world of Dolsene. Although they were brought into the Imperium by the Primarch Gaspard Lumey, they remained fiercely independent.

Background

Dolsene is a world perpetually under siege. Located on the very doorstep of the Halo Stars, it has been raided, ravaged and assaulted by all manner of xenos horrors down the years. Over the years this has bred a highly militaristic and egalitarian population, where universal service is the norm, the mandatory conscription of women in times of need and levies of reserve troops which make up the bulk of the population must give one month every year for training and ongoing defence activities as well as being called up when war threatens. These features, coupled with a strict training program and advanced equipment breeds some of the best troops in the Imperial Army and later Guard. Though Dolsene Regiments only rarely leave their embattled homeworld, when they do they are praised for their methods of war, their defensive genius and offensive shock.

Doctrine

Due to the constant assaults from beyond the stars and need to maintain a flexible defence, the Dolsene Rifles use a highly unusual method of ‘offensive defence’. Regiments are assigned a point to anchor their defences upon. From these strongpoints the division would launch spoiling attacks against the foe, putting them on the back foot and forcing them to react and defend instead of assaulting in their full strength. When on the offensive the Dolsene Regiments attack from multiple vectors at once, using speed and surprise to force the enemy back, close in fire-fights being preferred over the dangers of close combat.

Although at the time of contact with the Fifth Legion these tactics were mainly being practised with mounted dragoons, the Dolsene Rifles were confident enough in their methods of war to preserve their tactics into the age of mechanised warfare. Offers of tactical instruction by the Ciban Chasseurs were politely, but firmly, refused.

Their stubbornness and will to prevail in the face of adversity is reflected in their battle cry: ‘We are the Line!’

Homeworld

Dolsene itself is a strategically vital world. As the hub of an entire fortified sector and the first world to meet invasion when it comes from the Halo Stars, it is heavily fortified with two Class One Star-forts as the primary orbital defence. Even these cannot keep all foes from the planet’s surface, so the ground cities are well fortified with walls, shield generators and antimissile systems in case of enemy bombardment. Dolsene has a much smaller population then similar worlds such as Cadia, and so needs to conserve troops as well as defeat the enemy, which has led to its unique combat doctrine.

Notable regiments

• 1st Dolsene Rifles, "First and last and always". The original Dolsene Rifles regiment has an astonishing battle history. It stands distinguished as the only regiment originating from outside the Markian worlds to join Gaspard Lumey's Task Force Rubicon and fought through the bloody years of the Scouring under its first commander, Colonel Andru Kazem. For a hundred centuries since, the 1st has been Dolsene's standard bearer in the wars of the Imperium, forever deployed off-world to some of the most difficult assignments available to the Imperial Guard.