Brimlock Dragoons

The Brimlock Dragoons are the regiments of the Imperial Guard that hail from the Imperial world of Brimlock. Regiments drawn from this world are known to have a preference for operating as mechanised infantry, deploying in Armoured Fist squadrons. Multiple Brimlock Dragoons regiments fought in the Damocles Gulf Crusade, the first military conflict fought between the Imperium of Man and the rapidly expanding Tau Empire in the Lithesh Sector of the Ultima Segmentum in the galaxy's Eastern Fringes during the late 41st Millennium.

Brimlock
Brimlock is a heavy industry and manufacturing world located in the Ultima Segmentum. This world is at a late industrial revolution-era level of technology, with the rich living well and the millions of workers manning production lines. Some of these workers are literally born and die there. The poorest of Brimlock's populace live in slums known as "rookeries." Some workers work on the outside of large dirigibles which float over the planet's Hive Cities. Brimlock is a planet that is particularly famous for producing ornate rifles and other quality high-grade military equipment.

Brimlock is the administrative and military centre of its system. The other planets in the Brimlock system are "tribute worlds" which fall under the control of the Brimlock Planetary Governor. The tribute worlds provide material and a tithe of men to fight in the Brimlock auxilia. One of these planets was renamed Marguerite by the Brimlocks after they conquered it after the Brimlock patron saint, St. Marguerite ("Blessed Marguerite" is a common oath, alongside "God-Emperor"). The inhabitants of Marguerite are commonly known as "margoes." Some consider this term purely descriptive, but most use it to be mildly derogatory.

Brimlock Dragoons
As a highly populated planet, Brimlock is able to provide several million men to the Imperial Guard each year. These men are volunteers, driven by poverty or a sense of adventure, though Brimlock could choose to conscript men in times of crisis. These men are organised into regiments normally between five and ten thousand men each. Due to its high manufacturing ability, all regiments begin as Armoured Fist units, fully equipped with Chimeras and other transport vehicles. Over the course of a regiment's existence, these may be destroyed or break down, leaving the regiment to go into battle on foot as regular infantrymen.

Auxilia Troops
The Brimlock auxilia are troops drawn from the tribute worlds and vary in terms of troop type and ability. The troops drawn from Marguerite are very similar to Ancient Terra's Ghurkhas, however, instead of carrying a kukri (a Nepalese knife with an inwardly curved edge, used as both a tool and as a weapon), they use a heavy chopping blade that curves inwards called a falcata (actually of pre-Romanii Iberian origin from Ancient Terra). Marguerite auxilia are nicknamed "fell-cutters" after this blade and, in contrast to the low opinion that most Brimlockers have of margoes, the "fell-cutters" have a fearsome and savage reputation amongst regular Brimlock regiments.

Horse Dragoons
Brimlock provides regiments of armour, artillery and sappers (nicknamed "beards" due to their tendency to have profuse facial hair). Brimlock also provides regiments of Rough Riders known as "Horse Dragoons" (but typically known just as "Dragoons"). These specially mounted horse cavalry squadrons can fight as regular infantry but prefer to fight as cavalry troops. They are typically equipped with Autopistols and explosive lances. The Horse Dragoons wear gold and silver ceremonial armour and are nicknamed "tin bellies" by the regular infantry. Brimlock cavalrymen are typically highly religious and are astute followers of the Imperial Cult. They are also highly disciplined and consider themselves an elite unit.

(Note:The "Horse Dragoons" are based on the English Civil War New Model Army cavalry rather than the reckless and aristocratic British cavalry of the Napoleonic and Crimean wars.)

Regiment Numbering
As is common to all Imperial Guard regiments, regimental numbers are always recycled. When a new regiment is raised, it is given the number and the colours of a previous regiment that has been retired (or in most cases, annihilated). The regiment takes the colours with it on campaign until it finally loses so many men that the regiment is consolidated into another or dissolved entirely. When regiments are consolidated, the lowest regimental number is retained and the higher number is retired. As lower numbers are also given out first to new regiments, low regiment numbers such as the Brimlock 1st are constantly used. At the point that a regiment is dissolved, the regiment's colours are returned to Brimlock in the company of a few of the most decorated officers and men of the regiment (known as a colour-guard).

Once a regiment leaves Brimlock, only the members of the colour-guard ever come back. It is the highest honour to be part of the colour-guard and competition to be a part of this esteemed formation can be intense. Its men are feted or promoted and either become the core of a new regiment or, if they are too old or injured, they become magisters (teachers) at the officer schola. Along with experience, military strategy and knowledge of different foes, the colour-guard also bring more mundane items with them. One of these is tanna, a Valhallan beverage which was brought back to Brimlock by a returning colour-guard. Tanna is now a popular drink on Brimlock and their regiments spread it to whatever part of the galaxy they're sent. Brimlock troopers also use tanna to stain helmets and uniforms as improvised camouflage.

Combat Doctrine
While the Brimlocks vary their strategy to their campaign, they prefer to operate from fixed, defensible bases. A typical Brimlock campaign will begin by landing of one or more Deployable Outpost Vehicle (DOV) from orbit at a suitable location. These vehicles will then be deployed into a standard pattern fort in about a day, providing the regiments with a secure base of operations. Once that is done, they will proceed with the overall campaign objectives.

Notable Dragoon Regiments

 * Brimlock 4th Dragoons - The Brimlock 4th participated in the Damocles Gulf Crusade in 742.M41. They also participated in the operation during this campaign known as Operation Hydra.
 * Brimlock 8th Dragoons - The Brimlock 8th was assigned to the 4621st Imperial Army, XI Corps during the Taros Campaign, to reclaim the Imperial desert Mining World of Taros from the Tau Empire and its Kroot and human (Gue'vesa) allies of the Taros Planetary Defence Force in 998.M41. The XI Corps was to assemble after the X Corps had departed and act as a second wave for the invasion. The 8th Dragoons was selected because of its experience in fighting the Tau around the Damocles Gulf. The 8th was wiped out when its transport convoy was attacked and destroyed by a Tau battlegroup led by the Lar'shi'vre-class cruiser Io'Tar.
 * Brimlock 17th Dragoons - The Brimlock 17th participated in the Damocles Gulf Crusade. Around 750.M41 on the world of Sy'l'Kell, an armoured column of the 17th was ambushed in transit to the front lines from their landing zone by a small force of three Kroot kindred of the Kroot Carnivore. Scores of Imperial Guardsmen were killed in the opening moments of the ambush. The column was continuously harried until it finally linked up with a detachment of Space Marines from the Scythes of the Emperor Chapter. By this time they had lost 30 Dragoons, 2 scout vehicles and their Commissar was severely wounded. Augmented by additional Imperial forces the Kroots withdrew, the Scythes Astartes pursuing them to enact their fiery wrath upon the xenos attackers. Unfortunately, they were led into a cunning trap, as the Kroot were now augmented by Tau armoured vehicels which proceeded to decimate the column. The Imperials died to a man.
 * Brimlock 19th Dragoons - The Brimlock 19th participated in the Damocles Gulf Crusade. Following the conclusion of this campaign, they were left behind in Tau space after the Imperial crusade forces withdrew to redeploy against the new threat posed by the Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth. According to Tau propaganda, the regiment had supposedly surrendered after all of their Commissars had been killed in combat (allegedly) and was allowed to settle a world under the control of the Tau. Private Jeakim Slovaz, listed as 'Missing In Action' during the Damocles Crusade, continued to broadcast this propoganda decades after the conflict and was eventually declared Excommunicate Traitoris by Imperial High Command.