Astra Militarum

Overview
The Imperial Guard is easily the largest fighting force of the Imperium of Man. It is comprised of countless billions of men and women, in thousands of different regiments, supported by a vast array of light and heavy vehicles. They are usually the first Imperial force to respond to threats if the planet's Planetary Defense Force fails to suppress it. They also hold major locations of interest to the Imperium and are more often found in defensive roles than offensive.

The Imperial Guard are much more widespread than the Space Marines. Imperial Guard are also much more expendable; the loss of a dozen Imperial Guardsmen would still not equal the loss of one Space Marine. The Primarch of the Imperial Fists Space Marine chapter, Rogal Dorn, once famously quoted: "Give me a hundred Space Marines. Or failing that give me a thousand other troops." (In actual game terms, however, because of a need for balance, Imperial Guard are able to fight Space Marine armies with a higher chance of victory due to nearly thousands of regiments more than Space Marines.)

Imperial Guardsmen, while weak individually, rely on massive numbers of infantry and the assistance of powerful tanks, such as the Leman Russ Battle tank, Basilisk mobile artillery, and Chimera APC, to win. Even a small Imperial Guard division is likely to have a full complement of armoured fighting vehicles. For example, a Baneblade can usually overpower its Space Marine counterpart, the Land Raider, in ballistics and firepower, and the Basilisk can easily defeat the Tau Skyray in terms of range and firepower.

The Imperial Guard also have a number of special forces troopers at their disposal, such as Stormtroopers, the elite of the Schola Progenium, who have been issued better weapons and stronger armour to compliment a lifetime of training and warfare.

Though general purpose Imperial Guardsmen are weak in close combat, with the help of specialists such as Ogryns (brute-like Ogre creatures), their strength at close quarters is boosted. Also, some named Imperial Guard regiments have special rules like Ambush to help stun the enemy for a head start in the fighting. Regiments also have the options to take doctrines, specializing their force in some ways to make it stand out from the rest. These can include better armour for the army, or allowing them to drop into the middle of a battlefield at any time during a fight. This system makes the Imperial Guard list quite flexible.

Despite being heavily underpowered in melee and ranged combat to Space Marines; The Imperial Guard task force in full frontal battle can easily defeat the Space Marines, due to Imperial Guard's number in the masses.

Description
The Imperial Guard is a colossal military organization, consisting of many individual armies throughout the Imperium, and forming the vast bulk of the Imperium's military machine. The Guard collectively numbers billions of men from thousands of different Imperial worlds.

Each Imperial Guard regiment is raised from a single world and generally number between five hundred and six thousand fighting soldiers, supported by a huge array of light and heavy armored vehicles. Each regiment also has its own entourage, consisting of support staff, camp followers, suppliers, tech-priests, doctors, religious leaders and the like. Because the Imperium is constantly in a state of war, Imperial Guardsmen can end up serving for thirty years or more.

Regiments are drawn from all types of planets of the Imperium from Holy Terra to Feral and Medieval worlds, and the contributions of some planets over the ten thousand years of the Imperium runs into the millions, if not more. The Imperial Guard are constantly at war, freeing worlds from Chaotic or alien influence, or defending them from the same. The Imperial Guard rely upon the Imperial Navy for transport to and from war zones. The regiments of Guardsmen are as diverse as the worlds they come from, and range from the Rough Riders to armored soldiers that rival, and in rare cases, outperform Space Marines.

Where the Space Marines might fight a war through tactics and efficiency, the Guard can easily afford to crush its opposition amidst thousands of lasgun volleys and hundreds of ordnance blasts. Such is the numerical superiority of the Imperial Guard that even Orks can sometimes find themselves outnumbered by the "Sledgehammer" of the Imperium

Imperial Guard Equipment and Weaponry has a wide range from standard Lasguns to Earthshaker cannons to the huge Baneblade tanks

High Command Squad
In large-scale crusades, High Commanders are often found directing the crusade effort from the rear, keeping with him representatives from the various Imperial Guard regiments and the occasional Space Marine chapter to keep in constant contact and update with the fighting components. However, when necessary, the High Commanders may take to the battlefield with his aides and bodyguard, boosting his men's morale with his mere presence. High Commanders have a higher rank than other officers normally found at the front lines.



Command Platoon
Containing an officer (Heroic Senior, Senior or Junior), 4 Guardsmen and up to 5 support squadrons. The Heroic officers are the most senior officers. They have access to the most equipment, and have the best statistics. They have the highest leadership and instill a strong feeling of patriotism for the Emperor. The Senior officer is able to run the army, with worse stats, but being cheaper. The Junior officer has the worst statistics, is cheaper in proportion, and is generally used to lead infantry or heavy weapon platoons, however they can lead the whole army, if the player desires. The guardsmen can be armed with a variety of weapons, and can be upgraded to veterans for better stats and access to the company Standard and one becoming a medic. They can all be mounted in a Chimera. The officer is in continuous contact with his subordinates and coordinates attacks and provides a solid leadership anchor.

Fire Support Squad
Can have up to three heavy bolters or autocannons. Useful for attacking horde armies, such as Orks and other Imperial Guard armies.

Anti-tank Support Squad
Can have up to three lascannons or missile launchers. Useful for attacking heavy infantry and vehicles, as well as bunkers.

Mortar Support Squad
Can have up to three mortars. Useful for bombarding enemy forward emplacements from in cover.

Sentinel Support Squadron
One Sentinel squadron may be used, allowing up to 15 Sentinels in any one army. Useful for defending objectives or drawing fire from the powerful leader units.

Special Weapon Support Squad
Allows up to three special weapons including meltaguns, flamers, grenade launchers, sniper rifles and up to one demolition charge. Useful for sneaking up on the enemy and taking out any expensive units and light vehicles.

Sanctioned Psykers
Certain psykers are picked out by the Adeptus Psykana for their psychic gifts and are constantly screened and trained to hone the ability that lets them stand out so. Given that they are also a potential psychic conduit for the creatures of the warp, they have to be ever vigilant to keep their soul intact and loyal to the Emperor. Thus, they are able to use their psychic abilities to aid the commander in his decisions by predicting or sensing enemy movements, or more directly in combat, skillfully manipulating warp energies to damage the enemy or enhance allies in some way or other. Commissars have the power to execute a psyker if it appears said psyker has been attacked by a creature from the warp. This removes the link to the warp and prevents the entity from entering real space.

Commissars


Even in battle, a Guardsman may need to be reminded of his duty to the Emperor, and Commissars are often seen as the Emperor's representatives on the battlefield. Stern-faced and grim individuals trained by the Schola Progenium, Commissars are able to either inspire great deeds or strike fear into the hearts of Guardsmen. Either way, this encourages them to stand their ground against the enemy and battle it out to the end. Commissars are, however, more than just a visible representative of the Emperor. They also often take the fight to the enemy, battling against foe after foe to aid the battle. Their elevated status marks them apart from the standard hierarchy of command, and often operate as autonomous individuals, counseling and advising the commander. They have the ability to execute Sanctioned Psykers if they are attacked by beasts of the warp and also to execute officers who fail a morale check. Commissars are often drawn from the ranks of the also fiercely loyal Storm Troopers. They learn how to lead and fight in these squads at the Schola Progenium and then work their way up to the status of Commissar.

Priests
These fanatical members of the Ecclesiarchy follow the Imperial Guard campaigns and battles preaching the Righteousness of the Emperor. They favor close combat over shooting, as they bring holy death to their enemies and they instill this ideal in the guardsmen following them. Such is their fury that they must charge any enemy they find, making them equally ferocious as a Commissar when it comes to motivating men, although they use inspiration rather than terror.

Hardened Veteran Guardsmen
Some guardsmen have their skills honed by constant battle and this experience sets them apart from others. These hardened individuals are drafted into special squads where they are given access to more specific weapons for their unique jobs. Due to the status given to them by their skill and experience, they are regarded with some degree of respect and fear by their peers. Their standard equipment, however, varies very little and their most significant difference is their ability to wield special weaponry. Their skills, however, can be very useful - and commanders often take advantage of this.

Stormtroopers


Stormtroopers are considered superior to other Guardsmen because of their additional training and indoctrination by the Schola Progenium, as well as their improved equipment. They are often used in the vanguard of an assault or as infiltrating troops to carry out special objectives lesser Guardsmen would be unable to undertake. A stormtrooper carries a hellgun and wears carapace armor that gives better protection than flak armor.

Ogryn


Often drafted into Imperial Guard Regiments from the Ogryn Auxilia Legions, these guys are large, hulking, and angry. Of course, given their tendency to brute force, they usually have little for brains. They are given well built Ripper Guns, which more often than not are used for bashing the enemy with rather than shooting them. They are extra tough in combat and are a good blocking force, preventing the enemy from reaching the softer inner core of the armies' guardsmen. They can be mounted in a transport, although they do suffer from a form of claustrophobia and are not at their best when being transported (however, it has been found that Officers and Commissars are quite adept at relieving this fear). They can resist incoming fire and move up the field to bash away at the enemy's stronger combat units. They come from high gravity worlds, forcing them to grow taller and more muscular than most other humanoid species. With their multiple wounds and high strength, a squad of Ogryn will give even the best enemy melee troops something to think about.

Ratlings
These small humanoids come from low gravity worlds and are unsuitable for close combat. The Ratlings are instead as snipers, and many a regiment has been saved at the last moment only by the pinpoint accuracy of the tiny humanoids.

Ratlings are also great cooks, being able to make anything out of whatever they find (or pilfer). Ratlings use their small size to steal whatever is laying around, whether it be a shiny bullet casing or the senior Commissar's peaked hat. This skill means the Ratlings make fine profits on the frontlines, where they smuggle in whatever the soldiers need or want - at a price.

Techpriest Enginseer
A heavily armored warrior from the Adeptus Mechanicus who can repair tanks and vehicles on the battlefield. They can be accompanied by other 'servitor' units, who can aid in ranged combat or repairing vehicles. They are privy to the mystical secrets of the machine spirits in vehicles and are held in high regard amongst armoured companies, which are comprised primarily of vehicles. Though, in most Imperial Guard armies, they are shunned because of their bionic enhancements and disfigurements.

Guardsmen


Found in every single Imperial Guard regiment, the Guardsman is an ubiquitous representation of the Imperial Guard, as he makes up the very backbone of the army itself. Armed with low-power laser weaponry known as las-weaponry, a Guardsmen's lethality is minimal. Armored with basic flak armor comprised of Kevlar and flak, a Guardsman has greater protection than that of modern-day militaries, though they have little protection in comparison with the Adeptus Astartes and other species.

Instead of cybernetic upgrades, demonic Chaos powers or biological weapons, the Guardsmen face up to the universe's unimaginable horrors with nothing more than a rifle in their hands and fire in their bellies.

Guardsmen are used differently, depending on how their commander works. Some leaders choose to use the near-limitless Guardsmen like water on rocks - maximum casulties, but a slow and sure victory. Others prefer a sledgehammer style - an enemy will always fall under a volley of a thousand lasguns. Others just use the Guard like flesh shields - overload the meat grinder until it works no more. However they are used, the Guard will always win, whatever the cost, in the name of the God Emperor.

Infantry Platoon
The standard infantry deployment, Comprises of 1 command squad lead by a junior officer and their staff and between 2 and 6 10 man squads of guardsmen. These squads may be equipped with variety of heavy and special weapons. They are tactically flexible and make up the bulk of most Imperial armies.

Armoured Fist Squad
These are units of guardsmen, much like an infantry squad, but mounted in a Chimera. These are more tactically flexible than infantry platoons, but lack the large numbers of guardsmen. They may take various heavy and special weapons.

Conscript Platoons
These are normal people with little or no training, given a lasgun and flak armor, and sent into the battle. They can be small units or brought together to form a formidable swarm of men. They are sometimes penal units, or simply Whiteshields recruited at a young age, and may include a number of special and heavy weapons, but are unable to utilize some available to the better trained Imperial Guardsmen.

Rough Rider Squadron
Mounted on horse/animal/creature back, these units are fast and flexible, but don't last for long. Compared to normal Guardsmen they specialize in close combat and can gain a movement boost during the shooting phase, but they are weak compared to the close combat specialists of many other armies. They can be given a special 'Hunting Lance' which gives them a one shot advantage in close combat. This makes them useful for hit and run tactics.

Chimera
Capable of transporting twelve Guardsmen, the Chimera is the standard transport of nearly all regiments. It is amphibious and capable of supporting naval assaults. It is often the basis for other Guard vehicle variants, such as the Basilisk, the Hellhound, and Griffin mortar platform. They play a heavy role in mechanized armies, such as the Armageddon Steel Legion.

Hellhound
Based on the chassis of the Chimera, Hellhounds have large promethium fuel tanks on the rear chassis of the vehicle. It is armed with a large flamer known as an "Inferno Cannon" and a heavy bolter. The inferno cannon has the ability to cover a wide area with flames which can cause horrific losses to light to medium units (such as orks and Space Marines) due to its large blast radius and range. The members of the tank crew are often gleeful pyromaniacs.

Sentinel Squadron
These small squadrons of walkers can carry a variety of heavy weapons, depending on the pattern of the Sentinels, and bring high levels of power and maneuverability together in one place. They are lightly armored however, and are susceptible to light arms fire. They are often employed as scouts and can be used for defending the flanks of other units or striking forward to take out medium-heavy armored infantry or vehicles.

Leman Russ Battle Tank
The tank is named after one of the Space Marines Primarchs, Leman Russ of the Space Wolves, and is the mainstay tank of the Imperial Guard. It has a large main battle cannon, which is a hugely powerful ordnance weapon, a hull-mounted lascannon and optional sponson-mounted heavy bolters or heavy flamers. With strong front armor, it is designed to initially bombard large formations and then assault the weakened enemy defenses later, weapons firing. It is however particularly vulnerable to rear and side attacks. It is the most commonly found vehicle in the Guard, and is the other base of design for some of the other vehicles, including the Leman Russ Demolisher, Vanquisher, Conqueror and many others. They can be upgraded to enhance their combat effectiveness.

Leman Russ Demolisher
Based on the standard Leman Russ chassis, it has a similar configuration. It boasts a demolisher cannon, designed for short range bombardment, rather than the longer ranged battle cannon. The extreme power of this weapon makes it tear easily through even Terminator armor. The simplest tactic is to get just within range of the enemy and then blast as much as possible, relying on the front armor to keep the tank going. It can also have more rare heavy weapons such as Plasma Cannons and Multi Meltas that the standard Leman Russ does not have access to. They are the only tank in the Imperial Guard that is directly affiliated with infantry formations, rather than being assigned from an armored company, and have a reputation for never letting down their 'little brothers.' As such, they are often at the front of the battle with the guardsmen.

Basilisk


The longest range weapon in the game, the Basilisk is a common sight on the battlefields of the Imperium. Equipped with the powerful Earthshaker cannon, which has a high strength and range, the Basilisk is perfectly suitable for bombarding enemy positions. It uses the standard Chimera chassis but has all transport room and lasguns removed, leaving it with a single hull weapon and the Earthshaker cannon itself. It can be upgraded to be allowed to fire from behind cover, blindly destroying targets before the other forces arrive, while keeping itself safe from enemy fire. The ordnance this produces is able to break through all of the enemies defenses and is feared, rightly so. It is susceptible to enemy fire if caught in the open however, and will not last long against any heavy weapons.

Heavy Weapons Platoon
Has 1 to 3 teams of two men armed with any combination of Autocannons, Lascannons, Heavy Bolters, Mortars and Missile Launchers. Useful for having more concentrated firepower.

Cadian Shock Troopers


The Cadian Shock Troopers are famous throughout the galaxy for constantly proving themselves in the arena of battle. Their leader is the Lord Castellan, the position currently held by Ursarkar E. Creed, hero of the Battle for Cadia. The model for Cadians are the standard model for all Imperial Guard troopers, consequently making them the Imperial Guard's equivalent of the Ultramarines. Cadia has always been a fortress world, charged with guarding the "Eye of Terror".

Its population all are destined for military life; the birth rate and recruitment rate are practically synonymous. Cadian regiments are highly disciplined, make excellent shots and use elite shock troops to lead their attacks. Such is their reputation of the shock troops that many other regiments mimic their appearance and equipment, although their doctrines may differ.

The Cadians fighting in the 13th Black Crusade were developed to be a generic force representing any modern or science fiction armed force based on modern Russian, British, German, American, and various other hi-tech soldiers. In previous (Second and Third) editions, the Cadian Shock Troopers were heavily styled on the United States Army as well as the Mobile Infantry from the 1997 movie Starship Troopers and the United States Colonial Marines from the 1986 movie Aliens.

History of Cadia
Cadia has a special and honored place in the history of Mankind. Cadia stands upon the edge of the Eye of Terror within a narrow corridor of stable space called the Cadian Gate. This forms the one and only predictable passage between the Chaos infested daemon worlds of the Eye of Terror and Terra. No battle fleet of any size can rely upon other unstable passages and must pass through the Cadian Gate. Cadia is therefore one of the most strategically important planets of the galaxy.

On several occasions the forces of Chaos have moved against Cadia and raging battles have been fought in the depths of space. Such huge battles are rare, but the constant intrusion of Chaos raiding craft is commonplace. Chaos Space Marines make frequent forays onto the surface of Cadia and must be hunted down. The bulk of the Cadian army is made up of the Shocktroops, with the remainder made up of the Whiteshields (conscript soldiers recruited at the age of 14 and trained to take place in Shocktroop regiments) and the Elite Kasrkin soldiers.

Notable regiments:


 * 7th Cadian: "The Lucky Sevens"
 * 8th Cadian: "The Lord Castellan's Own", led personally by Ursarkar E. Creed during the Thirteenth Black Crusade
 * 39th Cadian: "Xenobane"
 * 110th Cadian: "Shadow Corps"
 * 122nd Cadian: Distinguished themselves in the Vogen Campaign, and featured in Codex: Cityfight (Chambers, 2001)
 * 412th Cadian: Featured in the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War expansion Winter Assault
 * 417th Cadian: "Hellbringers"

Catachan Jungle Fighters
Catachan is a Death World almost completely covered in dense jungle where it seems the entire ecosystem is hostile to human life. Catachan's only export is its people, who through natural selection are bred tough and strong from living in such a dangerous world.

Catachan Jungle Fighters are among some of the deadliest experts of jungle warfare in the entire galaxy and their reputation precedes them. They make use of many close combat weapons including the "Catachan Fang", a knife measuring up to 20 inches of gleaming steel, which is the most common weapon. It is also used for settling disputes between Catachans. Another knife is the Night Reaper, which is smaller and blackened, effective in night infiltration and assassinations. They are sometimes poisoned to improve their kill strength, the poisons coming directly from Catachan. The Devil's Claw, named after the Catachan Devil, is the longest weapon, up to four feet long. It is closer to a sword than a knife and has achieved status among the Orks who call it "Da Cutta". The blade is hollow and half filled with mercury in order to improve swing strength and control, and the design of this weapon has been copied by Catachan regimental officers for use as a power weapon.

They also make extensive use of traps, mines and other unpleasant surprises. They use traps, spring mines, shredder mines and plasma charges, each specializing in killing certain types of troops. The most skilled Catachan Jungle Fighters are capable of launching deadly ambushes, remaining unseen in the foliage and appearing only when they want to attack. Due to their tactics and the terrain which they specialize in, the Catachan Jungle Fighters do not use any vehicles save for the Sentinel walker which is modified for jungle warfare. They also use fewer heavy weapon teams than a standard army, and those that they do have favor mortars and heavy bolters. This leaves them under-gunned compared to other Imperial Guard regiments, but their weaponry is optimal for their preferred style of combat.

Catachan Jungle Fighters, as a whole, bear similarities to the "Rambo" movie series, complete with red headbands, and to a lesser extent, Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movies "Commando" and "Predator". They also resemble some of the stereotypes of the American G.I. during the Vietnam War, which involved a great deal of jungle combat.

Notable regiments: Catachan XXIV "Waiting Death" - Use of extensive traps, using "baiter" squads to lure the enemy onto the traps.

Catachan XVIII "Swamprats" - Attacked a Tyranid horde, masked themselves in Tyranid ichor and successfully wiped out the Tyranids. They then had to spend two years on a decontamination ship.

Catachan XVII "Screaming Devils" - Led by Captain Thorn, including famous sniper, Sniper Dell, who won the Silver Bullet seven years in a row.

There is a Catachan special character named Sly Marbo, who appeared in the 3rd version of Warhammer 40,000 in the Catacahan "sub-codex". He also appears in the short story Death World by Steve Lyons as part of the Imperial Guard Omnibus: Volume One collection. He is part of the Catachan XIV Regiment and is considered the best camouflage expert and sniper in the entire regiment. He has also been referred to as the "one man army" and the "ghost" by his commanding officers. He also works completely alone in the field often times shadowing squads as they travel through dense jungles acting as sniper support. His character is directly based off of Sylvester Stallone's "Rambo" (switch letters in Marbo and you get Rambo), and their personalities are also very similar.

Ice Warriors of Valhalla
Valhalla was originally a verdant paradise world. No records survive of its colonization, but legends recall a world ripe for conquest. Unfortunately, Valhalla was destined for catastrophe. A rogue comet entered into a collision course with Valhalla. The planet's defense lasers fired at the comet, but only succeeded in breaking it up. Later, it was found that the comet was made of almost pure iron, explaining why the lasers were so ineffective. The comet impacted in the vast ocean but a mile-wide fragment impacted the northern continent, creating vast plumes of dust which proceeded to cover the planet in a blanket of dirt. To make matters worse, the planet's orbit was changed, moving it a long way from its sun. This change in the amount of warmth and light altered Valhalla's ecosystem permanently, changing the planet to an icy wasteland. The people struggled to make a living, fearing famine due to a lack of viable farmland. Unfortunately, this was not the end of Valhalla's troubles. The comet was bad, but not to be the end of their suffering. A damaged Ork warfleet descended on the planet and proceeded to fight the Valhallans for the precious food they had stored. The Valhallans held out bravely for a long time in their vast hive cities beneath the ice but were pushed right back to the food vats. Eventually they destroyed the Orks by using ice boring machines to strategically strike at the heart of the mob, burning and melting most of the orks and scattering the rest.

Regiments of Valhallans have been assigned to planets infested with Orks due to their intimate knowledge of Ork tactics and their dogged determination in the face of defeat, where other armies might run.

Valhalla is an extremely cold, ice covered planet similar to the ice planet Hoth from Star Wars. Valhallan Ice Warriors resemble the Soviet army during World War II.

Praetorians
Praetoria is a heavily populated Hive World that lies in a system close to the Imperial naval base at Bakka. The overpopulated Hive-Cities of Praetoria are renowned for their squalor and degradation, and produce some of the toughest gangsters on any of the hive worlds in the Imperium. Imperial Guard regiments raised on Praetoria are renowned for their iron discipline, by-the-book drilling and unshakeable bravery, even in the face of the most overwhelming odds.

Originally Mordians with different sculpted heads, the Praetorians were introduced following the Games Day display "Massacre at Big Toof River", where a substantial Imperial Guard force is annihilated by an enormous Ork horde in a similar style to the British defeat at Isandhlwana by Zulus. Despite this crippling loss, the Praetorians fought back at the "Last Stand at Glazer's Creek", where they, supported by local militia and several Ratlings, held off a rampaging Ork horde in a battle similar to the British-Zulu conflict at Rourke's Drift.

As mentioned before, the Praetorians are based on British colonial soldiers typical of those found in Africa during the 19th century. This is further reflected by the fact that their most common enemies are the Ork tribes - who are designed to function like the noble Zulus.

Tallarn Desert Raiders
The Tallarn Desert Raiders are exceptional at guerrilla-style warfare, having adapted to the harsh conditions of their home planet. They are also known for their weaponry accuracy, as well as having highly capable Sentinel and Tank squads.

Tallarn Desert Raiders have a slightly Arab-like appearance, but influences have also been taken from other sources, such as the African campaigns of WW2.

Mordian Iron Guard
Mordians normally wear bright dress uniforms, even into combat, and often present a look of amateurism, perhaps to catch their enemies off guard. Friends and allies alike learn from this mistake quickly, as the Iron Guard's training is second to none. Due to the condition of their planet, the troops raised there tend to be a dour, no-nonsense lot. Mordians believe in perfect precision and constant drill to overcome their foes, and they will rarely be seen routed, rather they make fighting retreats to a better and more defensible position.

The Mordian Iron Guard bear a slight resemblance to the Prussian army under Bismarck and if painted right could also look like Japanese army in the Russo-Japanese war in the early 20th century.

Armageddon Steel Legion


"Heroes of Armageddon! You have withstood the evil savagery of the Orks, and they have nothing left for you to fear. So raise high the black banners of vengeance - now is our time!" - Commissar Yarrick

Armageddon is a Hive World, a planet covered in vast polluted wastelands broken up by hives, huge arcologies stretching miles into the sky. True to its name, Armageddon has been the site of three apocalyptic battles, most recently a pair of invasions by the Ork warboss Ghazghkull Thraka.

As a result, the armies of Armageddon are skilled in fighting against Orks. The Steel Legion soldiers are siege experts and masters of attrition, driving their wounded enemies back across the ash wasteslands of the planet after they have suffered severe casualties. Armageddon produces many armored fighting vehicles for the Imperium, such as Chimera APCs. As such, the Armageddon Steel Legions are primarily Mechanized Infantry, employing Chimera APCS, Hellhounds and several variants of the Leman Russ (tank).

The Armageddon Steel Legions resemble the German Fallschirmjäger (paratroops) during World War II.

Death Korps of Krieg
The Planet Krieg was once the site of a rebellion against the Imperium. In retaliation, the people of Krieg subjected their world to 500 years of atomic cleansing to root out the rebellious factions.

The Death Korps are fearless warriors, never flinching even in the face of unavoidable death, which they see as atonement for the rebellion. They see their deaths fighting in war as penance for the heresy of their ancestors. They are a dedicated trench and siege warfare force and perform best in wars of attrition.

Appearance-wise, the Death Korps are similar to the Steel Legion, but have darker colors, and their masks usually have a skull motif. Of all the regiments of the Guard, they are the most gloomy and dark, both in appearance and in spirit. They bear a strong resemblance to the Imperial German Army in World War I, in tactics (trench warfare) and appearance.



Tanith First-and-Only (Gaunt's Ghosts)
The world of Tanith came under attack by Chaos forces while it was mustering soldiers for the Sabbat Crusade. Only about 3,000 men were rescued from the planet by Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt before it was destroyed by the powers of Chaos. Because they were left without a homeworld, the members of the Tanith 1st and Only came to call themselves "Gaunt's Ghosts" (As later named by "Mad" Hlaine Larkin, sniper of the Tanith First-and-Only). They are excellent light infantry and scouts, and as such are known to dress in cloaks made out of cameoline for camouflage.

The stories of the Tanith 1st and Only can be found in the Gaunt's Ghosts series, written by Dan Abnett.

Harakoni Warhawks
Harakon is a low-gravity planet with tall hives. The Harakoni use grav-gliders to hunt vapourwyrms in the valleys below their hives. This makes them fearless of altitudes and great at judging air currents. Their abilities have found a home in the imperial guard where they act as drop troops. Many a General or warmaster owes their decorations to the bravery and experience of the warriors of Harakon.

Elysian Drop Troopers
The Drop regiments of Elysia are known for the rapid deployment capabilities using Airborne Troop Carriers called Valkyries, and either rappel down ropes or use grav-chutes at high altitudes. These troops have deep strike capability, and can use mortars, rocket launchers, and heavy bolters like any other IG regiment. Unfortunately, They must sacrifice the heavy vehicle support that most other IG regiments field. The only ground vehicle to date that they can utilize is the modified Drop Sentinel. The Elysian Drop Troopers were among the forces that fought in the 3rd Armageddon War.

These troops are based on roughly modern day parachute troops to futuristic drop troops such as the Hell Jumpers (which they share some resemblance with) in the game Halo 2 and the Mobile Infantry from Starship Troopers.

Forge World recently released a line of resin models for the Elysians for the Taros Campaign, a conflict between the Imperium and the Tau.

Vostroyan Firstborn
Vostroya is a world in the Halo-zone beyond the eye of terror, which swore allegiance to Mars during the Age of Strife. It is now ruled by a committee of Techtriarchs, A mix of Mechanicus Magos and more traditional Imperial planetary government. During the Horus Heresy, Vostroya refused to provide regiments to the Emperor, preferring instead to reserve the population in the manufactorium blanketing the world. After the Heresy came to an end the Vostroyans agreed to supply every first born son to service with the Imperial guard. Despite the black mark on their people's history, the Vostroyans now consider it an honour to fight for the Emperor, and view other more reluctant regiments with disgust.

The Vostroyans were introduced in the 2006 campaign "Fall of Medusa IV".

The Vostroyan carapace armour is mildly based on the armour worn Cossacks of Eastern Europe, and the Vostroyans themselves are reminiscient of 19th century Russia.

Notable Characters

 * Lord Commander Solar Macharius
 * Commissar Yarrick
 * Nork Deddog
 * Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt
 * Colonel Schaeffer (and his Last Chancers)
 * Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed
 * Al'rahem of the Tallarn
 * Chenkov of the Valhallans
 * Nork Deddog (the smartest and most prolific Ogryn commander in recent history)
 * "Iron Hand" Straken of the Catachans

PC Games

 * Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - The Imperial Guard made a guest appearance in the Single Player campaign, and were expanded into a playable army in the expansions Winter Assault, Dark Crusade, and Soulstorm.


 * The Imperial Guard also made an appearance as antagonists in the game Fire Warrior.