Death Korps Watchmaster

A Death Korps Watchmaster of the Death Korps Engineers

A Death Korps Watchmaster is a specialist leadership position held by senior enlisted Guardsman of the Death Korps of Krieg Imperial Guard Regiments which hail from the post-nuclear Death World of Krieg in the Segmentum Tempestus. A Watchmaster is the equivalent of a non-commissioned officer with the rank of Sergeant in other Imperial Guard regiments. Within the Death Korps Death Rider squadrons, the equivalent rank is known as a Ridemaster. Watchmasters are the primary and most visible leaders for the troops of the Death Korps regiments. As an elite-cadre of veteran Guardsmen, Watchmasters are the leaders primarily responsible for executing their military organization's mission and for relentlessly training subordinate personnel so that they are prepared to execute their missions, absent of fear, and full of unflinching faith in the Emperor. Watchmaster training and education typically includes leadership and management skills as well as service-specific and combat training.

Infantry platoons form the bulk of the Death Korps siege regiments' manpower. Each siege regiment consists of five companies, which are broken down into ten infantry platoons and one heavy weapons platoon. Each company is led by a Death Korps Captain who is assisted by one Veteran Watchmaster. Each platoon consists of a command squad and up to six infantry squads. These squads are led by the Watchmasters who act as squad leaders. The Watchmaster is assisted by an appointed senior guardsman, usually the longest serving guardsman in the squad. Like their fellow guardsman, Watchmasters have been indoctrinated since birth in the martial traditions of the Korps. They are highly proficient with all the basic weapons of the Imperial Guard and most especially with the bayonet, and favour the bayonet charge in battle. They fearlessly lead their squads across "no-man's land" to storm enemy trenches and defences. Having no fear of death himself, a Watchmaster demands and expects nothing less from their men.

Wargear

Uniform

Death Korps Watchmaster wearing standard issue Krieg uniform

Like their fellow junior Guardsmen, a Watchmaster wears the standard uniform common to the regiments raised on Krieg. Their most distinctive feature is the heavy greatcoat which is manufacture on Krieg from a hardwearing thick cloth and produced in a variety of colours. The great coat provides limited protection, but is also heavily chemically impregnated against chemical and biological attack - an unfortunate side effect of this being the pungent smell emitted. The greatcoat is completely waterproof and very warm, useful when deployed to colder climates. The great coat is double breasted and includes brass buttons, a pair of which allows the coat's front to be turned back, to allow for greater mobility in combat. Uniform cut and design is almost consistent throughout the entire Death Korps but colours can vary from regiment to regiment and the officer ranks tend to have slightly more ornate uniforms than the rank and file.

A Watchmaster also wears the standard issue Mark IX helmet made of Plasteel, which has an adjustable cradle for fit around the head, flaring to allow a good fit for the gasmask and is ventilated via the top spine. This ventilation has an internal filter to keep out chemical or biological agents. There are many variants of the the standard mark IX helmet issued to specialists and officers. The shoulder pads are plasteel construction and buckle to the greatcoat. Watchmaster' shoulder pads are embossed with rank insignia. When fully equipped, a Krieg guardsman is completely sealed against a contaminated environment by the layers of his uniform and his respirator unit.

Weapons

The Watchmasters' main weapon is their Lucius-pattern, no.98 Lasgun. This weapon is standard issue to Krieg regiments, and stockpiled in vast numbers in Krieg's armouries. The lasgun also includes a bayonet lug which can be fitted with the standard issued 45cm long sword-bayonet. This heavy bladed, razor-sharp knife is the Watchmasters' only close combat weapon, at which Krieg guardsmen seemed to be more effective at using to drive the enemy away from their positions than all their artillery and heavy weapons platoons. Watchmasters, like all Krieg guardsmen, are also equipped with a single, standard issue no.38 fragmentation grenade, but additional grenades will be issued to squads before an attack.

Additional Equipment

All Krieg guardsmen are issued with their distinctive respirator units. The entire regulator unit can be carried inside a leather satchel, which buckles onto the webbing's shoulder straps. Krieg guardsmen are also issued leather webbing which includes carrying straps for the backpack, respirator filter unit and regulator, four ammunition pouches for lasgun powerpacks, additional pouches for carrying other kit, such as weapons and respirator maintenance kits, replacement filters and antidote vials. They are also issued a leather backpack which buckles to the webbing shoulder straps. It has additional straps to attach a bedroll, which also doubles as a waterproof shelter-half, and a dry-tin canister for storing perishable materials sealing them against the environment. Finally, as all Krieg guardsmen are expected to dig, they are also issued a small entrenching tool. As trench warfare is their preferred method of fighting, they must constantly dig new trenches, or repair and improve their current position in the line. Each guardsmen carries an entrenching tool in a carrying case which is worn on the belt and also has loops for carrying the bayonet when not attached to the lasgun. Larger tools such as mattocks and shovels will be issued when needed for heavier work.

Sources

• Imperial Armour Volume Five - The Siege of Vraks - Part One, pp. 133, 139