A Sons of Horus Legionary of one of the 1st Company's elite Catulan Reaver Assault Squads
The Catulan Reaver Assault Squads were one of the two distinct sub-formations of the elite 1st Company of the Sons of Horus Legion. Like their Justaerin Terminator Squad contemporaries in the rest of the 1st Company, they too, sported the signature black Power Armour which denoted their specialisation in harrowing actions and hit-and-run tactics. They were led by an officer with the unusual rank of Captain under the overall command of the Legion's First Captain Ezekyle Abaddon, who was also the overall commander of the entire 1st Company as well as the battle leader of the Justaerin squads. The Catulan Reavers also made extensive use of Terminator Armour, taking advantage of its additional protection and potent weaponry to hammer any opposition, though as elite Assault Squads they more often made use of Jump Packs and melee weapons to soften up the foe for their Justaerin counterparts to later demolish. Used in combination, these two elite formations of the Sons of Horus' 1st Company exemplified the Primarch Horus' predilection for precise and overwhelming attacks against strategic targets.
History
Ancient Remembrancer sketch depicting Reaver squad members; these units made extensive use of prototype and sub-pattern wargear and Power Armour, its manufacture and origin unknown
An evolution of the Legion Despoiler Squads and Legion Assault Squads found in the order of battle of the Luna Wolves Legion, the Reaver Squads in many way epitomised the Sons of Horus' way of warfare. Heavily influenced by the tactics of the seething and incessant tribal warfare of Cthonia, Reaver units specialised in lightning-swift assaults which maimed and disabled a foe, striking down leaders, mercilessly cutting down any who were weak or isolated, and sowing panic and disorder in any who remained. Vicious and adaptable, the Reaver Squads could fight equally well in multiple theatres of warfare, from void boarding actions, to battlefield shock-assaults, to hit and run raids and scouring operations. Each Reaver unit, whether a single squad or an entire company in strength, was effectively a warband in its own right, and its warriors fought more as individuals than regimented soldiers. Indiosyncratic both in appearance and wargear, each unit strove to make its own name and reputation. Of these squads, the Catulan Reavers were the most infamous during the early battles of the Horus Heresy and were active at both Istvaan III and Istvaan V, but there were many more. As the war progressed, the Reaver pattern of tactical organisation became more commonplace in the Sons of Horus, displacing more regimented formations as new units were formed. Accordingly they were favoured with the finest arms and wargear that Horus could provide.
Composition
- 4-10 Reavers (Squad Members)
- 1 Reaver Chieftain (Squad Leader)
Wargear
Optional Wargear
- Bolter
- Banestrike Bolter Rounds
- Volkite Charger
- Combi-Weapon
- Flamer
- Meltagun
- Plasma Gun
- Plasma Pistol
- Chainaxe
- Power Weapon
- Power Fist
- Jump Pack
Optional Wargear (Reaver Chieftain)
Notable Catulan Reavers
- Kalus Ekaddon - Ekaddon was the Captain of the Catulan Reaver Assault Squads of the elite 1st Company during the final days of the Great Crusade and the early Horus Heresy.
Sources
- Horus Heresy: Collected Visions
- The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal by Alan Bligh, pg. 70
- The Horus Heresy - Book Two: Massacre by Alan Bligh, pg. 210
- Horus Rising (Novel) by Dan Abnett
- False Gods (Novel) by Graham McNeill
- Galaxy in Flames (Novel) by Ben Counter
- Forge World - Sons of Horus Reaver Attack Squad
Gallery
