Necrontyr
03-07-2011, 09:08 PM
Gentle and not so Gentlepersons,
I've finally gotten around to writing up a complete history for my Imperial Guard unit. Since I've had my unit since 2005 and it contains both Steel Legion and Death Korps of Krieg troops, I made the history reflect that. I've tried to use my best combination of historical writing and 40k fluff. I'm particularly pleased with my Company Commander, Major Helmuth von Strasser. His model has several medals painted on it, and he earned them all! Anyway, hope you all enjoy it and may it inspire you to write your own fluff for your own armies.
13th Armageddon Mechanized Battlegroup
(Krieg 2nd Armored Regiment + 11th Steel Legion)
Commander: Major Helmuth von Strasser
Colors: Black, White, Red
Motto: “Irae” (Wrath)
Notable Campaigns: Third War for Armageddon
Notable Battles: Hive Death Mire, Phlegthon Bridge, Tempestor-Victorum Line, Death Ridge, Minos Bridge.
Organization:
The 13th Armageddon Mechanized Battlegroup is a combined force of Death Korps of Krieg armor and artillery units combined with Armageddon Steel Legion infantry forces. This battlegroup was first established shortly after the 11th Steel Legion suffered heavy casualties during the successful defense of Hive Death Mire, one of the key deepwater ports of Armageddon. When the 2nd Krieg Armored Regiment was deployed to the area and suffered heavy casualties during the Battle of Phlegthon Bridge, the two Regiments were combined to form a hybrid armor/artillery/infantry battlegroup now renamed the 13th Armageddon Mechanized Battlegroup. The Battlegroup went on to fight in numerous battles in the areas of the Tempestor-Victorum Line, Death Ridge, and later as part of the offensive to retake the Minos Bridge in the Equatorial Jungle of Armageddon. The regiment is made up of nearly equal parts Krieg and Steel Legion troops, although the current commander is from Krieg. Although the 13th is large enough to be considered a regiment in its own right, because of its hybrid nature and mixed makeup it is still considered a Battlegroup.
Commander:
Major Helmuth von Strasser is a highly experienced and loyal commander from Krieg. He, like most men from Krieg, is completely unafraid of death and considers service to the Emperor his highest calling. Just like almost every other Krieg officer, he started his career as a Guardsman and worked his way up through the ranks. Prior to his deployment to Armageddon, he served with distinction in several campaigns, including battles against the Tau Empire and rogue Penal Legion soldiers. Because of his loyal service to the Emperor, he has earned the distinction of killing almost as many traitors and cowards as xenos and heretics. Notably, as a Captain he was forced to wipe out to the last Marine a sizable detachment of Ultramarines who had threatened to turn from the Emperor's light, including a corrupted Chaplain. He was also instrumental in the complete destruction of a Tau expeditionary cadre, including several battlesuits and numerous Kroot mercenaries.
Because of Major von Strasser's unswerving loyalty and front line bravery, his troops from both Krieg and Armageddon alike have learned to respect his command. Some troops fear his reputation at first, as he is even more uncompromising than some Commissars, but they know that he is more than willing to step into the line of fire alongside them without hesitation. The troops that survive their first battle with him learn firsthand of his bravery and brutal prosecution of the enemies of the Emperor. He can be found where the fighting is thickest, whether from his command halftrack “Grief” or on foot.
Despite Major von Strasser's loyalty and fervor, the Munitorum has not yet sent orders for his promotion to Colonel. This may be because of his leadership style, which some consider to be too bloodthirsty. Major von Strasser, being from Krieg, feels no compunction about expending men as readily as ammunition. Some Commissars have complained that he oversteps his authority in regards to discipline, especially when dealing with other regiments. In one noteworthy incident, von Strasser was reprimanded by a regimental Commissar for flogging a soldier to death for falling back to retrieve more grenades from an ammunition depot. Von Strasser saw this as cowardice, while the Commissars saw this as a needless waste of personnel. In any case, von Strasser offsets his zeal for discipline and loyalty by keeping himself at the front line, and taking time to learn the names of his troops and dining with them when possible. In this way, von Strasser is seen by most men and officers as a harsh but competent and fair officer. His preferred method of combat is unrelenting artillery bombardment, closely followed up with devastating armor and infantry attacks. Von Strasser is widely regarded by his peers as a flexible master of combined arms warfare, and sure to win many victories to come.
Forces of the 13th Armageddon Mechanized Battlegroup:
Because the 13th AMB is a hybrid force, it contains many different types of units. The 13th can call upon almost any armor type in the Imperial inventory, from armored Sentinels to Chimeras, from standard Leman Russ tanks to specialized tank hunters. The 13th even has a distinguished Baneblade at its disposal, named “Fist of Armageddon”, as well as two Macharius heavy tanks. The 13th also has access to limited Valkerie support, including the distinguished “Raptor”.
The primary strength of the 13th is its artillery. Because the 13th is made up of many Krieg units, the artillery at its disposal is quite formidable. After the artillery has pounded the enemy to a pulp, the armor and mechanized infantry follow close behind, allowing the enemy no time to recover. In this way, the 13th is just as powerful on offense as on defense, especially due to the unique leadership of Major von Strasser. While some Imperial Guard may simply hold the line, the 13th AMB can fulfill both offensive and defensive roles in a superlative manner. If a commando raid is necessary, the 13th has its own cadre of Grenadiers, capable of accomplishing deep strike missions. Unique to the 13th, the Grenadiers of the 13th accept candidates from either Krieg or Armageddon units. This instills a sense of shared purpose and honor amongst the troops, and allows for an expanded recruiting pool compared to other Grenadier units. Although the history of the 13th Grenadiers is short compared to other Grenadier units, they have the great honor of having never failed a mission to date. The 13th also has access to veteran combat engineer troops, whose bravery and expertise have proven invaluable in many battles.
Although Major von Strasser is considered a flexible commander, the 13th AMB contains no abhuman troops such as Ogryns, Ratlings, or psykers. The Munitorum has offered the Major such troops on several occasions, but von Strasser absolutely refuses to have his loyal Guardsmen corrupted by what he considers to be “unclean aberrations” added to his force. Instead, Major von Strasser prefers the addition of as many Commissars, Priests, and Tech Priests as the Munitorum is willing to send him. In the future, Major von Strasser hopes to add at least one detachment of the famed and elite Krieg Death Riders.
I've finally gotten around to writing up a complete history for my Imperial Guard unit. Since I've had my unit since 2005 and it contains both Steel Legion and Death Korps of Krieg troops, I made the history reflect that. I've tried to use my best combination of historical writing and 40k fluff. I'm particularly pleased with my Company Commander, Major Helmuth von Strasser. His model has several medals painted on it, and he earned them all! Anyway, hope you all enjoy it and may it inspire you to write your own fluff for your own armies.
13th Armageddon Mechanized Battlegroup
(Krieg 2nd Armored Regiment + 11th Steel Legion)
Commander: Major Helmuth von Strasser
Colors: Black, White, Red
Motto: “Irae” (Wrath)
Notable Campaigns: Third War for Armageddon
Notable Battles: Hive Death Mire, Phlegthon Bridge, Tempestor-Victorum Line, Death Ridge, Minos Bridge.
Organization:
The 13th Armageddon Mechanized Battlegroup is a combined force of Death Korps of Krieg armor and artillery units combined with Armageddon Steel Legion infantry forces. This battlegroup was first established shortly after the 11th Steel Legion suffered heavy casualties during the successful defense of Hive Death Mire, one of the key deepwater ports of Armageddon. When the 2nd Krieg Armored Regiment was deployed to the area and suffered heavy casualties during the Battle of Phlegthon Bridge, the two Regiments were combined to form a hybrid armor/artillery/infantry battlegroup now renamed the 13th Armageddon Mechanized Battlegroup. The Battlegroup went on to fight in numerous battles in the areas of the Tempestor-Victorum Line, Death Ridge, and later as part of the offensive to retake the Minos Bridge in the Equatorial Jungle of Armageddon. The regiment is made up of nearly equal parts Krieg and Steel Legion troops, although the current commander is from Krieg. Although the 13th is large enough to be considered a regiment in its own right, because of its hybrid nature and mixed makeup it is still considered a Battlegroup.
Commander:
Major Helmuth von Strasser is a highly experienced and loyal commander from Krieg. He, like most men from Krieg, is completely unafraid of death and considers service to the Emperor his highest calling. Just like almost every other Krieg officer, he started his career as a Guardsman and worked his way up through the ranks. Prior to his deployment to Armageddon, he served with distinction in several campaigns, including battles against the Tau Empire and rogue Penal Legion soldiers. Because of his loyal service to the Emperor, he has earned the distinction of killing almost as many traitors and cowards as xenos and heretics. Notably, as a Captain he was forced to wipe out to the last Marine a sizable detachment of Ultramarines who had threatened to turn from the Emperor's light, including a corrupted Chaplain. He was also instrumental in the complete destruction of a Tau expeditionary cadre, including several battlesuits and numerous Kroot mercenaries.
Because of Major von Strasser's unswerving loyalty and front line bravery, his troops from both Krieg and Armageddon alike have learned to respect his command. Some troops fear his reputation at first, as he is even more uncompromising than some Commissars, but they know that he is more than willing to step into the line of fire alongside them without hesitation. The troops that survive their first battle with him learn firsthand of his bravery and brutal prosecution of the enemies of the Emperor. He can be found where the fighting is thickest, whether from his command halftrack “Grief” or on foot.
Despite Major von Strasser's loyalty and fervor, the Munitorum has not yet sent orders for his promotion to Colonel. This may be because of his leadership style, which some consider to be too bloodthirsty. Major von Strasser, being from Krieg, feels no compunction about expending men as readily as ammunition. Some Commissars have complained that he oversteps his authority in regards to discipline, especially when dealing with other regiments. In one noteworthy incident, von Strasser was reprimanded by a regimental Commissar for flogging a soldier to death for falling back to retrieve more grenades from an ammunition depot. Von Strasser saw this as cowardice, while the Commissars saw this as a needless waste of personnel. In any case, von Strasser offsets his zeal for discipline and loyalty by keeping himself at the front line, and taking time to learn the names of his troops and dining with them when possible. In this way, von Strasser is seen by most men and officers as a harsh but competent and fair officer. His preferred method of combat is unrelenting artillery bombardment, closely followed up with devastating armor and infantry attacks. Von Strasser is widely regarded by his peers as a flexible master of combined arms warfare, and sure to win many victories to come.
Forces of the 13th Armageddon Mechanized Battlegroup:
Because the 13th AMB is a hybrid force, it contains many different types of units. The 13th can call upon almost any armor type in the Imperial inventory, from armored Sentinels to Chimeras, from standard Leman Russ tanks to specialized tank hunters. The 13th even has a distinguished Baneblade at its disposal, named “Fist of Armageddon”, as well as two Macharius heavy tanks. The 13th also has access to limited Valkerie support, including the distinguished “Raptor”.
The primary strength of the 13th is its artillery. Because the 13th is made up of many Krieg units, the artillery at its disposal is quite formidable. After the artillery has pounded the enemy to a pulp, the armor and mechanized infantry follow close behind, allowing the enemy no time to recover. In this way, the 13th is just as powerful on offense as on defense, especially due to the unique leadership of Major von Strasser. While some Imperial Guard may simply hold the line, the 13th AMB can fulfill both offensive and defensive roles in a superlative manner. If a commando raid is necessary, the 13th has its own cadre of Grenadiers, capable of accomplishing deep strike missions. Unique to the 13th, the Grenadiers of the 13th accept candidates from either Krieg or Armageddon units. This instills a sense of shared purpose and honor amongst the troops, and allows for an expanded recruiting pool compared to other Grenadier units. Although the history of the 13th Grenadiers is short compared to other Grenadier units, they have the great honor of having never failed a mission to date. The 13th also has access to veteran combat engineer troops, whose bravery and expertise have proven invaluable in many battles.
Although Major von Strasser is considered a flexible commander, the 13th AMB contains no abhuman troops such as Ogryns, Ratlings, or psykers. The Munitorum has offered the Major such troops on several occasions, but von Strasser absolutely refuses to have his loyal Guardsmen corrupted by what he considers to be “unclean aberrations” added to his force. Instead, Major von Strasser prefers the addition of as many Commissars, Priests, and Tech Priests as the Munitorum is willing to send him. In the future, Major von Strasser hopes to add at least one detachment of the famed and elite Krieg Death Riders.