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The full parade

Flufftastically, what you are looking at here is the command detachment of 902 Div (XVII Korps) including an armoured squadron and mechanised company of DKK 19 Armd Regt, a company from 262 Line Regt, An armoured squadron from 22 ASL, a company from the Valhallan (Kado) 540th Regt and a lot of smaller detachments drawn from other 902 Div units to provide local security for the Div HQ. 

Additionally, there is, for as yet unexplored reasons, a detachment from 901 Div, armoured and mechanised subunits and company from 2/24 Cadian and 1/2 Corbanian.

So here it all is in it's glory.  The darker table had gravel mixed in to the paint when it was painted.  For years I have been chipping and plucking the 'effin' gravel off.  It's a job that needs some serious attention so that I can repaint it to better match the other two tables.  Homogeneity will be achieved one day.

And with hindsight, the Valhallan mobbed up blob should have been arrayed across the table between the Cadians and the DKK - it would have given a visual continuity across the deployment.  Also the actual command team(s) are bunched up next to the Crassus.  We should have split these up and displayed them in their actual teams and with the additional vehicles - most of which are still in their boxes, unbuilt.  But what we did do took us hours, we were tired and it was the first time we'd done this.  Lessons for next time !

Armour vs Infantry

Col Scipio wrote:

What proportion of IG regiments are completely mechanised do you think? A lot of fluff seems to totally discount all-foot regiments, but I suspect that the 'famous' regts with loads of Chimeras would be in the minority.

This erudite query was brought on by this post here, which is about the reinforcements sent to Devos IV in the form of Army Group 3422 (3422AG).  So whilst Col Scipio’s question is about the Imperial Guard generally, it also provokes the question of what is going on with 3422AG (?) So this is the question I’m going to address first.

Comptroller Bellormus is the Departmento Munitorium’s senior official in charge of the Devos IV campaign.  Obviously the Military Officer in charge believes that he is total command.  But without DM support, he’s going to be out of food, ammunition and Battle Casualty Replacements in short order. 

Infantry without vehicles.

Fortunately for the Devos IV campaign, Comptroller Bellormus and his team are competent, conscientious and above all, lucky.  Ordo Heretics involvement early on encouraged participation from the ecclesiasty, Legio Astorum and Black Templars.  This in turn has ensured that the DM itself has continued to resource the campaign, responding favourably to demands issued by Comptroller Bellormus’ team.

At some point, an armoured formation of two Corps became available at just the right the point and was assigned to the Devos IV campaign.  Additional armour was at the top of the demand list for 72Ag as it chased the PLA eastwards across the prairie.  The arrival of another Army Group, even one lacking in Infantry, could in no way be described as unwelcome; however it does pose the Imperial Guard a number of issues as described in the other post. 

Where did the two Tank Corps come from and are they typical ?  They would have been spearhead formations for larger armies assigned to other campaigns and then not deployed for some reason.  Possibilities include either we won, we lost, the commander fell out of favour, Devos IV being bumped up the priority list or the campaign they were raised for slumped down the priority list for some reason.

Steering this back to Col Scipio’s original question; it is pretty clear from my piles of iggy codices[1] that as a part of the settlement following the dissolution of the Imperial Army and the formation of the Imperial Guard, attempts were made to specialise larger units to discourage formation or unit commanders from unilateral action.  However, as has been seen elsewhere, all arms task forces are what is needed. 

What these smaller all arms task forces are drawn from is one of the Imperial Guard’s regiments.  Let’s deal with infantry regiments first.  The IA books give us the Cadian 266^th[2] and Tallarn 17th[3], both of which tell us that iggy infantry regiments will have their own organic armour.  And the Kreig 19th and Tallarn 12th, which illustrate armoured regiments having organic infantry assets.  The composition of the 4621 AG formed for the Taros campaign is reasonably balanced all arms force.  A lot of the early fluff makes a great deal of vast infantry formations with a relative paucity of supporting armour and artillery and certainly very little in the way of specialisation.  A cynic might offer that this is because in the 1980s there were relatively few vehicle models and back then, when I and my ilk were in short trousers, didn’t have the money to build ourselves tank companies.

A whole load of AFVs with out foot soldiers (a WiP picture from years ago)

And of course, with the Krieg regiments in the 88^th Army, IA shows us a number of regiments who do conform to the single arms blurb of the main GW fluff.  In this instance it works as the DKK are being deployed as descrete Corps in the 88^th Army, so infantry regiments in which the only people with transport are Grenadiers and Death Riders, armoured regiments with nowt but tanks and artillery regiments with nothing but, well artillery.   But again, it seems that even the inscrutable DKK are capable of adapting to circumstance and changing their MO to suit the situation, hence the all arms natures of 19 Armd Regt[4] and the formations described in the Fall of Orpheus[5].

So do I have direct answer to Col Scipio’s not unreasonable question ?  One could stall with an “It’s a huge universe/ army, so anything could be found in there somewhere.” But the question was about the normal, the usual, the mundane.   So harking back to the description of the Cadian 8^th in my first Iggy Codex, I might suggest that where a Napoleonic era British Infantry Battalion would have a Grenadier Company and a Light Company, perhaps a ‘typical’ Iggy Infantry regiment might have a Light Role Battalion, a Grenadier Battalion and a Mechanised Battalion alongside however many Line Battalions it might have. 

Of course we should accept that the real answer about the level of resourcing is directly related to the economic state of the place where the unit was raised or the resources on hand when the unit is reconstituted at a DM hub. 

---

[1] We should remember, especially now with the event of “The Fall of Cadia” that the Cadian Shock Troops first appeared in the Codex Eye of Terror. The Catachans appeared in their own codex shortly afterwards.  And then the Armoured Battle Group list and then FW got in on the act with the Airborne list.  Iggy players have always had choices that the fluff would seem indicate were not the norm.

[2] And the Cadian 144^th from IA show a fully equipped Mechanised Infantry Regiment.

[3] A Regiment on a scale for interplanetary war: 10507 Officers and Men.

[4] I understand that the reprint of IA1 does not have the DKK 19 Armd Regt in it.  The single most useful page in the whole book.

[5] And the Assault Brigade list.  Bwaa  haa haa haa !

CO 11Bn 157th Firstborn

This is brevet Colonel Machalovski; CO of 11/157 (Firstborn) Infantry Regt.  And members of his command team, including his Adjutant, Kaptain Ilic.  Their Divisional commander, 3* General Tolstoy, rated Kaptain Ilic, to the extent of making him the first Imperial Guard Officer on Devos IV as part of Operation Tranquillity.

Body guard, Col Machalovski, Kaptain Ilic

The 157^th Firstborn was for a long time the only Vostroyan Regiment in 72AG.  As such, it’s 12 battalions were split up amongst various headquarters and formations in order to provide some commonality of Standard Operating Procedures for 72AG as a whole.   The first four battalions are now part of XVIII Corps 1^st Infantry Division. 

11^th Battalion was designated as HQ Bn for XVII Korps.  It’s Companies and platoons are deployed alongside their non-Vostroyan brothers in arms in order to provide understanding and interpretation  of information and instruction passing between the formations of XVII Korps.  Additionally, the designated close protection company for the Korps HQ is also under Col Machalovski’s command.

With the rest of the team (minus standard bearer)

Whilst not exactly an opportunity for eternal glory that being in the line would be, 157^th Regt’s role on Devos IV (battalions one to four excepted) offer an able officer a chance to position himself as available for a staff role, should such an opportunity arise during the campaign.  This would a coup for (substantive) Lt Col Machalovski who is not really entirely used to his new augmatic leg.

3* Gen Tolstoy, the Divisional commanders and indeed, Kaptain Ilic, have changed the way Col Machalovski approaches command of his regiment.  Doubtless he would revert to type in an instant, but then, it would likely be in his interests to do so.  His subordinates have no exposure to his new found pragmatism, being dispersed across the Korps, so his career within a Vostroyan formation remains safe and/or his opportunity to move into the wider command of Imperial forces is becoming available.  The future looks rosy and he is in good humour for a man who lost a leg less than a year ago[1].

Kaptain Ilic is keen to continue to perform well under 3* Gen Tolstoy.  Should the campaign be successful, doubtless there will junior staff opportunities.  If not, then a good write up in his annual appraisal will do no harm.  Kaptain Ilic continues to work hard.  He is learning more about SF Operations as they are largely planned and launched from Korps HQ.  He is learning more about the Inquisition as there is normally one or more Inquisitors passing through Korps HQ each day.  He is learning more about the workings of Divisional and Corps HQ as he sees more of them.  All this on top of his own job and the occasional date with Commissar Pymarett as well.

---

[1] Not even in combat.  He was run over by a cargo lifter in transit to this warzone. 

2014 reinforcements - 17 Korps Command "AT - Chimera - AT"

Just in case you thought it was an illusion:

Quite a clear indication of scale next to a Land Raider, a Knight Paladin and an office block.  I still intend to base it.

This shows where there's still work to do; black plastic covers on the smoke launchers, work on the lights and lenses and a bit of appropriate paint splashed on the auto cannons.

I've just previewed this and realised that it's actually no-where near finished really.  But I know that some of you out there like it, so I'll leave it up.

More Progress

Sunday am, Admiral Drax flew south for what remained of the summer.  Like a swallow or swift, but different.  So whilst waiting for the 'event shelter' to dry (yes, these things really are good enough to just keep mentioning) Kartias and I sat in the garden and spoke for a short while about airbrushes.

You can take and educator out of the school, but you can't take the teacher out of the education professional.  A miss quote (mash quote) but allow me to elucidate; without a shred of 'I thought we went over this three years ago', my dear friend proceeded to dismantle and clean my airbrush, reminding me of all of those things that I had, over time, allowed to slide.

So now, aside from a slightly sticky airvalve (just press it again and it stops), my airbrush has returned to its former glory.  (the paints all need anti-centrifuging, but that can be done...)

On to the progress !

Previously weathered hell hound, now with added grime.  Pin wash, plus extra oily marks where you'd want the extra oily marks to be.

Another view.  Tracks next. This quite deliberately has no markings.  Making it eligible for service with whichever side has the points to spare.

The Vostroyan command AT-AT, rebuilt, painted, decal'd and wevva'd.  I hadn't meant it to look quite as grimy and battered as it does, but meh, there's a war on, y'know ?

Incidentaly, I sized the normal GW flying base against the Knight base and the Knight base is bigger and I'm gonna get one to mount this bugger on to stop if falling over again.  After this latest rebuild, it's a teeny bit wonkier than it used to be.

Now, you would be forgiven for saying "That's cute Zzzzz, but following your own rule about accurate fluff and no bollox engineering, we've spotted the weakness here, which is access and egress, There appears to be no way or out for the lil' men.  So waddaya say ?"

And my reply would be quite right; it is supposed to be a command chimera, so the extra space here is taken with the gubbins needed to make this baby walk (and it is a baby one..) and there are panels on the side which could be airtight doors.  And they would have to abseil out and rope ladder back up.  But ultimately this only passes the Zzzzz contact with reality test by adhering to the most important rule.

I think it's kool.

Just the end caps for the smoke dischargers, lenses & auto cannons to go and she's ready.

One man's view

Rain lashed down on the shattered town, thunder and lightning hid the sounds of nasty little firefights punctuating the night.

Rifle Soldaty first class Stonnovich hunched into his overcoat as rain slowly dripped off his bearskin; the depth of fur ensuring that the rain kept out of his collar and off his face.  His great great grandfather’s Achle-wood furnished las-rifle cradled in one arm, he watched out on the night with the precious NVG, turning the focus every so often as he scanned his set arc of responsibility.

Stonnovich and his fellow sentry, Gramnov, were perched in the fourth floor remains of an old adminsitratum block.  They had walls on two sides, but the rain drove in through the windows which now just gaping holes in the fabric of the building.   Gramnov had spent a part of their shift lugging old ammunition boxes up to make a small kitchen-cum-shelter.  The wood-alcohol burner and pot of recaf making strong odours that assaulted Stonnovich’s senses in equal measure whenever the wind gusted and the rain temporarily stopped, as if it had been sucked back out of their eyrie but the breath of some vast creature.

Gramnov was snuggled down in both of their bedrolls, tucked into a corner, lined with wooden box panels as the rain continued to plink off of the smaller metal boxes that formed the outside wall.   Stonnovich was not entirely unhappy (of course he complained a lot – too much marching, too little good weather, the food hadn’t been brilliant lately, too many officers and commissars around here, not a nice warm, dry billet like Randstad had been etc etc), the war torn town was not too dissimilar to the ruins on Vostroya where he had begun his training.  And the advantage of guarding a Divisional HQ were that you got fed and were less likely to be too close to the enemy. 

The rain gusted in again, taking the strong scent of the recaf and the acrid tang of the wood alcohol burner away and leaving Stonnovich in the cold.  He glanced down at the HQ complex below; lightproof tents on the ground floor of the building and the vast shape of the General Commandant’s Crassus command vehicle looming in the darkness.  Stonnovich had genuinely believed that all of the officers knocked off and went to bed after their evening meal; they did in his regiment, the 158^th First Born.  He had been mildly intrigued by the late night workings of 902 Divisional HQ.

The fact that place buzzed all day and all night without ever shutting down had surprised him; even whilst moving, one site remained operational whilst the next was being set up; even when co-located, the Ad Mech would be servicing and blessing the non-working equipment.  The signallers, security detail and other ranks on the staff, all of which he would have previously described as REMFs, were always busy unless they were asleep.  And the staff officers and command staff were obviously working for as long as they could physically manage.  But above all, Rifle Soldaty Stonnovich was in awe of the General Commandant.  The man from Armageddon walked calmly and quietly about the place; officers, men and servitors (most of whom were just those damned flyin’ skulls) swarming around him.  A word here and an earnestly delivered order there and they would move away as he continued to cruise past the desks that Stonnovich now knew represented the different staff branches and the offices of the plenipotentiates.

Also he had learned to read the mood of the HQ as it worked; the levels of excitement, anguish and frustration were now all clear to him as an observer.  A cold meal instead of a scheduled hot one was a sure sign of an impending move, whereas the collapsing of a vox antenna could easily be moving it a few meters to get a better signal.  His fingers were now feeling the chill, he flexed them in his thick leathern gauntlets and shifted his great great grandfather’s rifle to his other arm and shuffled his feet about.

Only three more hours before they were relieved.  He prodded Gramnov with his foot, it was about time they changed places. 

Right Marker !

So it was a bit dismal and Mrs Z had gone wedding shoe shopping with her bestie.  I built an Amera Plastic Buildings intact factory (following the instructions) and then came indoors as it was grim - I spoke to Jeff at PVP and he swore blind that it was dry in Wales.  humm....

Anyway, what to do, what to do.  I could de-louse myself or bathe the hounds.  I could watch GoT on the big telly.  But I could also see how many iggies I could put on the dinning table.  No contest.

Best Group Shot

DKK 262 Line Regt (a half company thereof)

Necromundians (Necromunda 1st 'Deaths Head' Regt - 17 Korps Sy Detail) manning the HW.  Vostroyans from 11Bn, 158th Firstborn, also manning HW.  Cadians from 144th LRR Regt.

Stormtroopers from D-77

902 Div HQ elements in front of 17 Korps Staff Officers.

Anyway - laying them out like this is fine, but due to the constraints of space, they are all too close together to illustrate their dependancies and Chain of Command.  Plus of course, a lot of these fellows don't actually have to walk anywhere.  And there really is no room for any vehicles once the iggies are out on the table. I might try for bigger, better (a better illustration of their Org and Det) and easier to understand in the summer.

And of course, the DKK 19th Armoured Regt boys didn't feature at all.

High Command. Elements of 72AG Leadership. 17 Korps

And another in the continuing series. Officers of the general staff from Left to Right:

Inspector General of Infantry Mib Alas Sim.  Inspector General of Infantry Mib Alas Sim wearing the uniform of a Corunna Grenadier.  His job is to make sure that all of the Korps’ infantry assets are fit for role, in terms of quality, quantity, readiness and morale. 

Colonel Abas Khurran, Chief of Security, wearing the uniform of a Corunna Grenadier.  Colonel Khurran’s task is to ensure the security of 17 Korps Headquarters, its officers, men and material.  He is well aware that the Necromundans who comprise his command refer to Inspector General of Infantry Mib Alas Sim as ‘the milk man’.  But that’s just soldiers talk.  He is however quite observant and not beyond bugging fellow officers, which you wouldn’t think, to look at him.

Captain Yinka, Vostryan 157^th.  Captain Yinka is the data control officer for 17 Korps HQ.  He leads the team who process data for the other branches of the Headquarters.   The rest of his regiment are split amongst the various Corps HQ.  Captain Yinka appreciates that this is a chance to further his career without quite as much personal danger than his contemporaries in the line.  But he cannot help yearning for glory, it’s in his Vostroyan DNA.   Hence his retention of a powerfist, even when carrying out his normal duties.

Major Krasimir, Vostroyan 111^th Major Krasimir is the Korps communications officer.  A hobby bazuki player, Major Krasimir has a fine singing voice and his a talented dancer.  He’s also good with the comms systems; they are made in his family’s manufactorum.   His relative youth, for a Vostroyan Major  and abilities as a dancer mean that he is the fencing champion of 17 Korps General Staff. 

The performance of various units of the Imperial Guard.

The Vostroyan Officer class is exemplified by the upper echelons of Vostroyan Society which has produced all of their world’s most celebrated General[1]s.   Born into privilege they are, by the acts of their inferiors, insulated from the worst that the attrition of war produces.  Promotion by purchase, widely practiced amongst firstborn regiments, ensures that the upper classes are swiftly elevated to higher command and further away from the front line.

Another one for Admiral Drax...

Junior officers in Vostroyan regiments come largely from the lower middle classes.  In military service, they achieve a status that would be simply unattainable for them in civilian life, especially for those not ‘firstborn’.    NCOs in Vostroyan regiments are not used as sub unit leaders, they are there to enforce discipline.   Beatings are common and expected, with longer serving soldiers are served by their juniors.  Fagging is also common amongst the officer classes in the comfort of barracks, but not on campaign due to their officers billeting closer to their commands whilst under field conditions.

The rank and file of Vostroyan regiments are characterised by an ability to put up with hardships, harsh discipline and fatalism that manifests itself in a form of collective melancholia expressed in folk music.  These men, even those in the firstborn regiments are not well educated; many are barely literate, being drawn from the workers of their homeworld’s manufactum. 

This manifests itself on the battlefield as an army that can seen to have a reluctance to act.  Without strong leadership, in defence or attack, the Vostroyan infantry are reluctant to move without their officers.  These officers must needs lead from the front, which leads to one of the highest junior officer mortality rates in the Guard.   In order to get their platoons to advance, Vostroyan Lieutenants have to lead their men from the front.  Without an officer, Vostroyan formations will halt where they are and dig in.  

A Valhallan Coy with attached Vostroyan Liaison Team

The Valhallan population is generally better educated, with close to universal literacy and their armies draw their enlisted men and commissioned officers from the same population.  In common with the Vostroyans, they are used to hardship, however unlike the Vostroyans, the similar levels of violence originate with the wide spread Commissariat and their field police detachments, rather than the officer corps. 

In the case of any perceived weakness or sedition in a Valhallan formation, there is likely to be a widespread pogrom of the officer class of a regiment or sub unit.  This leads to a fatalism across the entire Valhallan contribution to the Guard, “if the bugs/xenos/heretics don’t get us, the commissariat will” is a common theme. 

There are, however, good men who try hard throughout the Valhallan contribution to the war effort.  But efforts to streamline training mean that basic infantry tactics are not built upon; there are no colleges to better train their leaders; training which in many armies would be delivered by NCOs is delivered by officers in the Valhallan regiments. 

Even more than the Vostroyans, Valhallan formations will rely on weight of numbers to achieve what other units with more limited resources will achieve with more imaginative tactics or alternative weapon systems.

What both of these armies will do is use massed infantry wave attacks; the Valhallan field police will site heavy stubber teams at the rear of attacking units to dissuade men from faltering.  Both armies have knowingly driven attacks across uncleared minefields due not to time constraints affecting the whole campaign, but simply due to a lack of planning.   To the credit of the officers and men conducting these attacks, they are generally pressed on with determination and no small amount of grit.

There are exceptions, of course.  The professionalism of the Kado (Valhallan) 540^th is on a par with Cadian levels of military professionalism.  They have been away from the Kado Hive for over a decade and have been restored to readiness on Agripinna in tandem with units from elsewhere, where professional military development and education are blended and the experiences of the regiments being rebuilt together are shared.

All Cadians are familiar with small arms and platoon tactics by the time they finish their secondary education.  They are familiar with company and battalion level tactics by the time they finish their schooling.   This militancy means that once a Cadian has joined the Guard, their training focuses on all arms actions and fine tuning their performance under a variety of conditions.

Where the Cadians excel is in keeping going where others would be rendered ineffective; being drilled since childhood, the Cadian soldier will be able to give a flexible and imaginative response to whatever is thrown at him.  Where another formation might be broken up into many ineffective shattered units, the Cadians will readily re-brigade into ad hoc formations and remain combat effective for much longer.   Cadians will re-brigade in this manner without any impetus from outside, it is an organic response which they undertake without needing command from higher formation.

In the attack, the Cadians will always be ready to exploit an opportunity, their junior officers will keep an eye out to enable them to capitalise on opportunities or take prompt actions to counter emerging threats as they become apparent, without having to wait for approval from higher formation.   Cadian formation commanders will be not be surprised to hear that a subordinate has achieved their objective (or not) and found an opportunity to exploit which requires them to then alter their whole ‘bigger picture’ plan.  It is this institutional flexibility that makes Cadian Shock Troop regiments amongst the best the Empire of Man has to offer.

Cadians are well used to command devolving to the highest available rank present; on campaign it would not be unusual to find sergeants commanding platoons and Lieutenants or Warrant Officers commanding Companies or even Battalions.     The net effect of this flexibility is that Cadian units remain combat effective almost regardless of losses and that a Cadian ad hoc formation can be relied on to not only hold a position, but launch successful counter attacks.

It is for this reason that the Cadian war machine is exported widely throughout the Segmentum Ocularis and beyond; despite the prevalent (cheap in time and resources) modus operandi of half of 72AG’s  units (the Vostryan/Valhallan ‘men led by Grox’s’ model), the other half are schooled in the Cadian way of war.

---

[1] There are no recorded instances of Vostroyan Army Commanders coming through the ranks or from anywhere other than the Vostroyan nobility.  In rare cases, individuals have risen to become to Regimental Commanders, but have not progressed any higher up the Imperial Guard chain of command.

Imperial Guard in shock GW Reprieve

This may not be news to you, on the other hand, it might be.

The entire Vostroyan line has gone back into the "main" product line for the IG (ie out of "collectors").

Also moved are the Valhallan, Mordian and ASL troops boxes.  Summitz garnon.

As usual, all pictures culled from the interweb with apologies to the owners.  You want to change to Vostroyans now, don't you ?

17 Korps on Parade.

This being the occasion of the Medal Ceremony;  Gen Tolstoy is making a point here; none of the Death Korps are here, they are holding the line whilst elements of other units are pulled back for the parade.  The Palladians, largely rouled back out of the front lines (as per 4* Gen Zhukov's instructions), are mostly on guard duty in the rear areas.

Zhukov has his own point to make, namely the representatives of the Legio Astoria being guests of honour; The whole episode around capturing enemy combatant witches was to allow the Ordo Hereticus to further legitimise the conflict, drawing in more resources.

Each of the Warhounds is further protected by Knights of the Legio's leige-houses.  Their task, militarily, is to head off and neutralise threats to the Warhounds in situations such as Urban warfare, where the Titans might otherwise be vulnerable.

Behind the titans are three Platoons of C Coy of the (Valhallan) Kado 540th  These men have previously been fighting around the high ground to the NNW of Randstadt.  You can also see their attached Vostroyan Divisional liaison team (and their las cannon team, which is a bonus for the lightly armed 540th).

Here you can see a detachment of the Armageddon 22nd Armoured Regt with their attached ASL infantry screen, some of the remaining specalists of the Cadian 144th Long Range Recce Regt and at the front, Storm Troopers of D-66, actually a specialised Plague Zombie hunter unit from Agripinna itself. Once again, nestled in front of the Cadian Wolverine Annihilator Scout Cars, you can see the Vostroyan Divisional Liaison Team.

Here is Colonel-General Von Kreed of the Saranian Light Infantry, with some of his "Wolf Brigade" Gebirgsjeagers in their distinctive camouflage.

Another Platoon of Saranians, directly in front of Capt Aelious, of the Palladian Divisional Liaison Team.

Another platoon of Saranians, in front of Lt Col Brisingstoke, of the Cadian 24th.  Shouting and drinking tea in a soldier like manner, in all probability.

General Tolstoy and his command team, directly behind their meat shield penal detachment and bolt magnets Sanctioned Psyker Battle Squad.  Although they are out of focus in this shot, the gentlemen in black dress uniforms directly behind Gen Tolstoy are Lord Commissar General Harris and nine of his stoutest proteges.  Which must be a comfort.

Here we can see the brave uber commandos of D-66.  All set to hunt down the foulest beget of the Great enemy.  Rather them than me.  Which is why they are there, and I'm watching this from orbit.  The newly breveted Captain Severous will pass along in front of the representitves of the Korps and receive his medal from the Lady Inquistrix whilst the Platoon is awarded the Aqilla Mundanis by 4* Zhukov.  

This was all done on D-Day during the glorious weather, when PVP brought the Warhounds up.