Imperial Guard (Warhammer 40,000)

Latest revision as of 08:58, 16 January 2022

The Astra Militarum in Codex: Astra Militarum.

The Imperial Guard is an organization that features in Warhammer 40,000.

History

The Astra Militarum was the military of the Imperium of Man that was established by mankind.

Overview

Organization

It made up the vast bulk of the Imperial military whose ranks were recruited from the planetary defence forces of millions of worlds in the Imperium and consisted of a force of both humans and Abhumans. (White Dwarf 109 UK)

Specialisations within the Guard included:

• Imperial Guard Infantry :
• Imperial Guard Sniper :
• Cadian Shock Troops :
• Catachan Jungle Fighters :
• Ogryn :
• Bullgryns : They were clad in custom-made carapace armour made from the discarded tracks of a Leman Russ and carried crude assault weaponry that capitalised on their stature and resilience.
• Rough Rider :
• Tempestus Scions :
• Enginseer :
• Primaris Psyker : rare and extraordinary individuals who wield the destructive power of the Warp as a weapon to smite the enemies of the Emperor. With a gesture the psyker hurls these bolts of ether-energy at his opponents, burning the foes' synapses and searing their flesh from their bones.
• Kasrkin :
• Whiteshield :
• Penal Legion :

Ranks within the Astra Militarum included:

• Lord General :
• Master of Ordnance :
• Commissars : members of the Officio Prefectus stood proud amid the blood and thunder of the frontlines. To the masses of humanity, these men were symbols of Imperial authority whose sole remit was to ensure that all do their duty in the Emperor’s name.
• Sanctioned Psykers :

The true size of the Imperial Guard was unknown though the data was said to be contained within the Codex Exercitus that was maintained on Terra by the Administratum. Its enormous size meant that it was an incredibly diverse organisation. (White Dwarf 109 UK)

A major unit of the Guard were the regiments with their precise number varying though most raised a fighting strength of 2000 to 6000 men. Each was raised on a single homeworld with the troopers regarding themselves as belonging first to the Regiment rather than to the Army. Regiments were identified by the name of their homeworld and their number though they were often given unofficial names as well by their commanders with them even having an unofficial emblem. Regiments were then divided into companies that varied widely in size and composition with them being a major tactical unit in the Imperial Guard. The heart of a company was a number of platoons of varying size that consisted of specialise units and machines to be attached to a company when they were needed in the field. The Codex Exercitus gives the standard configuration of an Imperial Guard Platoon as a command section consisting of up to 4 squads. A Command Section consisted of an officer normally of the rank of Captain or Lieutenant who headed a number of specialist troops such as a Medic, Commissar, an Orderly that can carry the platoon's standard and potentially an attached group of Sanctioned Psykers. These were in addition to the rank and file Guardsmen with a squad consisting of a Sergeant and 9 troopers that were always attached to the Command Section. Imperial Guard squads were always expected to act as part of a platoon. (White Dwarf 109 UK)

The Guard had a number of famous specialised military units that included:

• Armageddon Steel Legion :
• Cadian Shock Troopers :
• Catachan Jungle Fighters :
• Death Korps of Krieg :
• Elysian Drop Troopers :
• Mordian Iron Guard :
• Tallarn Desert Raiders :
• Valhallan Ice Warriors :
• Vostroyan Firstborn :

An unofficial but common practice amongst Imperial Guard units was the adoption of Battle Badges. These had the name of the action and date stamped on the rivetted circular metal plates which were sold to Guardsman by their officers. Troopers proudly displayed such records of their battles and fixed them on their helmets and body armor with them taking precedence over official unit insignia. (White Dwarf 109 UK)

Within the Administratum, there existed an elite sub-faction that was the Ordo Tempestus that were granted far greater autonomy compared to the rest of the Imperial Guard.

Formations used by the Imperial Guard included:

• Castellan Sentry Gun Defence Force :
• Imperial Shield Infantry Company :
• Storm Trooper Strike Force :
• Armoured Fist Mechanised Company :
• Steel Fury Baneblade Company :
• Hellstorm Company :
• Catachan Death Trap Ambush Patrol :

Technology

Equipment of the Imperial Guard included:

• Carapace Armour :
• Hot-Shot Lasgun :
• Hotshot Volley Gun :
• Ripper Guns :

Vehicles used by the Guard:

• Sentinel : a one-man all-terrain bipedal vehicle used by the Astra Militarum where mobile patrols must be mounted across rough terrain, or where firepower must be deployed rapidly in response to a threat.
• Taurox :
• Chimera :
• Hellhound :
• Basilisk :
• Hydra :
• Leman Russ :
• Stormlord : a super-heavy tank
• Baneblade :
• Valkyrie : the Valkyrie Assault Carrier was a twin-engine attack craft used for aerial insertions and drop missions. These aircraft were able to deploy their cargo into the fray and provide a deadly torrent of covering fire as the troopers within disembark. Valkyries carried a fearsome array of anti-personnel rockets that can shatter entire formations. Lethal strafing runs leave a trail of destruction in their wake.
• Vulture :

Members

• Sebastian Yarrick :
• Ursarkar E. Creed : male who served as the Lord Castellan and Supreme Commander of Cadia and the saviour of the entire planet. He had fought against the forces of Chaos his entire life, protecting the Imperium from its most hated foe. Unlike most commanders, Creed was not a combatant and his skills laid in carefully orchestrated campaigns, well-kept battle plans and devastating tactics. Through a combination of threatening bellows and rousing speeches, Creed commanded his troops in battle, rallying them back into the fray, directing their firepower and inspiring them to great acts of valour.
• Ibram Gaunt : a male Colonel-Commissar who led the Tanith First and Only that were a reconnaissance regiment without peer in the Astra Militarum. They were known as 'Gaunt's Ghosts' due to being the only survivors of their ill-fated homeworld and were expert woodsmen marked by their distinctive camouflage cloaks, which allow them to perform feats of incredible stealth worthy of their moniker.
• Severina Raine : a female Commissar attached to the 11th Antari Rifles sent to reclaim the worlds of the Bale Stars that had fallen under the shadow of Chaos. Fierce and uncompromising, she was utterly dedicated to the pursuit of victory in the Emperor’s name and fought at the heart of battle with her power sabre and bolt pistol in hand. Raine did not flinch from her duty be that the persecution of the enemy or enforcing the Emperor’s will with her standing unbroken no matter the threat or foe.
• Nork Deddog : a male Ogryn bodyguard of legendary repute who quickly displayed an uncommon level of mental aptitude during his recruitment into the Imperial Guard. During his service, he had saved the lives of well over one hundred officers, earning himself a chest full of medals.
• Raeven Mortz : commander of the 8th Necromunda Regiment who were unofficially called the 'Spiders' who had a spider emblem and Mortz even going as far as having a deadly Necromundan Greenback spider as a pet and mascot. (White Dwarf 109 UK)

Notes

• The Imperial Guard was created by Games Workshop where she featured in the setting of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
• During the 8th Edition, the faction was re-named as the Astra Militarum.

In other media

Video games

• In Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior, the Imperial Guard appeared as antagonists in the video game.
• In Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, the Imperial Guard appeared as a non-playable faction in the setting of the strategy video game. Colonel Carus Brom headed the Imperial Guard regiment on the planet Tartarus where they assisted the Blood Angels in maintaining Imperial rule on the planet.
• In Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Winter Assault, the Imperial Guard were introduced as a faction in the strategy video game expansion.
• In Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, the Imperial Guard appeared as a non-playable faction in the setting of the strategy video game.
• In Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution, the Imperial Guard appeared as a playable faction in the setting in the strategy video game expansion.
• In Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, the Imperial Guard appeared in the setting of the video game. They appeared as the Cadian 203rd regiment that was trying to survive on the Forgeworld of Graia as the Ultramarines squad drops in. Guardsmen serve as NPCs throughout the game, and both the Guard and the player provide mutual support in terms of combat, navigation and air transport.

Appearances

• Warhammer 40,000:
• Codex: Imperial Guard:
• Codex: Astra Militarum:

External Links

• Lexicanum Wiki Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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