Death Korps Engineer

A Death Korps Engineer is a specialist that serves in the Imperial Guard regiments of the Death Korps of Krieg that hail from the devastated, post-apocalyptic Death World of Krieg in the Segmentum Tempestus. Like Grenadiers, Death Korps Engineers are infantrymen who support Krieg campaigns in a specialist role. Krieg operations often require large amounts of engineering work and, whilst all infantry can dig trenches, deep dug-outs and mining requires expert knowledge. The Engineer Korps provides this expert knowledge, specialising in subterranean warfare, digging shafts, tunnels and spas to undermine the enemy's strong points and launch surprise raids behind enemy lines.

Krieg Engineer squads carry a lot of technical equipment such as geo-thermic auspex, surveyors, breaching torpedoes and melta-charges, as well as hand digging equipment used by those of their profession. They also have access to heavier cutting equipment and mole luancher. As well as soldiers, they are miners, digging forward from the frontlines with deep shafts to bypass enemy defences, set large explosive mines below positions or dig sap trenches. Saps are shallow tunnels which are dug to just below the surface, allowing a squad to blow an entrance to the surface and quickly assault an enemy position without crossing no-man's land. Engineers are also trained and authorised to use chemical weaponry. If required, they carry small gas canister grenades, which are used during assaults to shroud the enemy in highly corrosive gas. These are weapons of last resort, but have helped to give Krieg regiments their ruthless reputation.

The realm of underground warfare is brutal and merciless, with each Engineer facing the possibility of a slow lingering death trapped underground by an enemy counter-mine or a furious and bloody close assault when tunnels collide. Casualties are always very high in the confined conditions of tunnels. Engineers use a specialised form of explosive charge known as a breaching torpedo or, to the common soldier, as a "mole launcher." The torpedo itself is an advanced piece of equipment, carrying a powerful drill in its noes, enabling it to burrow through rock and earth. It also contains a small powerfield generator, enabling it to slice through rock very quickly, and a guidance system, linked to the Engineer team's control panel which they use to guide the torpedo onto its target. Once the target is located, the torpedo burrows up to the surface and then explodes, allowing attacks from the less well defended underneath of a bunker or building. The main use for the breaching torpedo is for blasting into enemy tunnel and causing a sudden catastrophic collapse.

Uniform
Krieg Engineer uniforms are a modified version of the standard infantry uniform utilised by the Guardsman of the Death Korps. The long overcoat is discarded in favour of a short tunic jacket to reduce encumbrance and aid mobility when operating in the very confined spaces of tunnels. The trousers, leg binding and boots remain standard issue. The uniform is impregnated against chemical and biological attack. Like grenadiers, engineers wear distinctive heavy carapace armour to improve survivability when in close combat with the enemy. The armour comprises of the standard issue Mk IX helmet, rebreather mask, shoulder guards, breastplate and additional abdomen plates. The shin guards are not used, being replaced by kneepads, as most engineering work must be done crouching or kneeling. Each breastplate mounts a powerful flashlight for use whilst working in the darkness.

Weapons
All engineers carry the Lucius pattern Mk 22c semi-automatic shotgun as their standard weapon. This weapon has an eight round revolving magazine, uses a gas-operated self-loading action to fire and can be loaded with a variety of ammunition, including solid slugs, pellet loaded canisters and low velocity flares. The revolver action is prone to mechanical failure, but the weapon's high gauge and the heavy cartridge fired make it a deadly weapon at close quarters, although it is infamous for its ferocious recoil. In the confines of tunnel fighting, this weapon's short range and inherent inaccuracy is not a major drawback, and its hitting power at a very short range make it useful to engineers whose fire fights are typically short and lethal. The shotgun's blast means they can sweep a tunnel clear and potentially hit multiple opponents in a single blast.

Although shotguns do not have a bayonet lug, most engineers still carry a sword bayonet. This long knife makes a fine close combat weapon, being almost the length of a short sword and very useful in the close combat confines of tunnel fighting. All engineers also carry grenades as standard for use in close confines and are trained in their use of other special weapons such as melta-bombs, demolition charges and chemical warfare agents.

Gallery
File:Krieg_Engineer_2.jpg|Krieg Engineer wearing distinctive uniform and carapace armour.