Legion Destroyer Squad

An Astartes who served in a pre-Heresy Destroyer Squad of the World Eaters Legion wearing Mark IV Maximus Power Armour; note the loss of all paint and icons on this Astartes' armour due to the toxic weapons wielded by a Destroyer Squad.

A Legion Destroyer Squad was a special weapons formation of the ancient Space Marine Legions that saw action during the Unification Wars, the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras in the late 30^th and early 31^st Millennia.

Considered dishonourable by some of the Legions who made little use of them or eschewed their use altogether, the Destroyers were equipped with and expert in the use of otherwise proscribed and forbidden weaponry that made use of technology developed during the Age of Strife.

Though none could deny the effectiveness of such foul weapons of mass destruction, the Astartes who composed Destroyer cadres were often shunned by other Legionaries as being somehow morally or dishonourably tainted.

History

Origins

Ultramarines Legion Destroyer Squad armourial with chapter numeral designator. It should be noted that the Ultramarines observed the common, although not universal, Legiones Astartes convention of adorning their Destroyer units with heraldry of black and this ancient symbol used to indicate radiation and other toxic hazards.

The origins of the Destroyer Squads lay in the conduct of the Unification Wars on Terra in the late 30th Millennium, but surprisingly not with the forces of the Emperor but with the armies of His techno-barbarian enemies. Considered dishonourable by some Space Marine Legions who refused their use outright, the Destroyers were equipped with and expert in the use of otherwise proscribed and forbidden weaponry, including certain weapons of mass destruction like alchemical and tactical nuclear weapons.

Alongside certain factions of the Mechanicum, only Astartes Destroyer Squads were sanctioned to use such forbidden weapons within the forces of the Imperium by the Emperor's command. Radiation-based weapons, bio-alchemical munitions and the burning horror of Phospex were amongst the components that comprised the Destroyers' dark arsenal -- weapons which irrevocably tainted the ground on which they were used. During the long nightmare of the Age of Strife, such weapons of mass destruction rendered many once life-sustaining Human colonies uninhabitable charnel houses.

A Sons of Horus Legion Destroyer Squad wearing reinforced Mark IV Maximus Power Armour, a requirement to survive the effects of their own weaponry.

Destroyers were marked by their fire-blackened and chem-scalded reinforced patterns of power armour. These Space Marines were often shunned and deemed somehow tainted by their fellow battle-brothers in many Legions. This was because Destroyers were considered only a necessary evil of the Great Crusade, although the effectiveness of their relic-weapons in wiping out particularly difficult foes could not be denied.

The drawbacks of using such deadly weaponry was the inevitable physical toll it took on a Legionary's body. Despite their genetically-enhanced Astartes physiology, Destroyer Squad Space Marines often displayed the physical affects of long-term use and proximity to such toxic weaponry, including: radiation-induced cellular degeneration, abnormally pale skin that displayed unhealthy lightning-storms of veins and blood-bruises staining the flesh, yellowed-jaundiced eyes, and aggressive and rare forms of cancer which often resulted in the replacement of the affected organs with augmetic replacements.

Death Guard Affinity for Weapons of Mass Destruction

It is of note that the Death Guard Legion under their Primarch Mortarion quickly became associated with the use of alchemical and radiation weaponry to a greater extent than any other Legion, further darkening the Death Guard's reputation with their battle-brothers. Simply put, the use of toxic gas, crawl-burning Phosphex and contaminated rad-shells did not rankle their Legion's honour as it did for some, while Mortarion himself was a master of such weapons and student of the most horrific arts of war, and had no compunction in their use against any foe that threatened Humanity.

Furthermore, the Death Guard's Astartes physiology, based on Mortarion's genome, were engineered to be even more resilient to toxic environments than the Space Marines of other Legions. This led the XIV Legion to be more and more frequently deployed into battle in war zones where hellish and lethal conditions were present, and in which they would then excel.

This in turn resulted in a kind of self-fulfilling fate for the Death Guard, as they were ever more associated with the most nightmarish of wars and in them the use of the most terrible weapons. A timbre of horror and charnel taint seemed to adhere to the Death Guard then, long before the Horus Heresy began, and they came to be to some extent shunned and suspected by their fellow Legions in a way the Dusk Raiders had never been.

Notable Destroyer Variations

A Dark Angels Legion Dreadwing Interemptor armed with a Plasma Burner in combat against the enemy during the Great Crusade.

• Dreadwing - The Dreadwing was one of the six specialised formations called Wings of the Hexagrammaton of the Dark Angels Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. The Dreadwing was specialised in the use of tactics to defeat the worse foes faced by the I Legion on the battlefield and was deployed when there seemed to be no other way to destroy an enemy. The Dreadwing was the only formation of the Dark Angels Legion known to employ the infamous Legion Destroyer Squads. The Dreadwing formation as a whole was led by a voted-lieutenant known within his Legion by the title of "Dreadbringer." The Dreadwing unleashed mass armoured assaults that made use of Land Raiders, Spartan Assault Tanks, Mastodons and Fellglaive super-heavy tanks. These vehicles and the Dreadwing Destroyer Squads were often outfitted with the Imperium's infamous advanced weapons of mass destruction, including Phosphex Weapons, Radium Weapons and Vortex Weapons.

White Scars Legion Destroyer of the infamous Karaoghlanlar ("Dark Sons of Death") unit in modified Mark IV Maximus Power Armour.

• Karaoghlanlar - Destroyer cadres did exist within the White Scars Legion, but in limited numbers. Known as the Karaoghlanlar, or the "Dark Sons of Death," their armour was painted a dull black and festooned with shamanic charms to ward off the evil spirits that followed in their wake. These grim warriors, often considered deranged and as omens of evil tidings by their fellows, did not serve with any single brotherhood (company) of the Legion but were instead placed under the direct supervision of the Stormseer Council, only deployed when both Khan and seer agreed they needed to be set loose. This apparently pagan superstition appeared to serve simply as a tool to vilify the use of the extreme measures represented by the Destroyers, a choice known to have originated with Jaghatai Khan himself, who held little respect for those who resorted to such measures too frequently.

A Red Hand Destroyer Legionary of the World Eaters in combat.

• Red Hand Squads - Amongst the XII Legion, those who proudly bore the mark of the Blood Hand -- or as it was known by some, the "Butcher's Mark" -- upon their armour would be drawn together, not through brotherhood or camaraderie, but through rivalry and enmity. The symbol, held in higher regard than almost any other honour or accolade borne by the World Eaters, marked these individuals out as having demonstrated exemplary ferocity or violence in the name of the Legion, be it through the sheer number of enemies butchered in battle or through the taking of the head of a foe of superior rank in single combat. Amongst the Destroyer companies of Angron's Legion, those warriors who bore this mark formed cohorts known amongst their brethren as "Red Hand" squads. As the Horus Heresy unfolded, these squads would consistently take their place in the vanguard, roaring inhuman cries of bloodlust as they sought to prove themselves ever-worthy of bearing this gory embellishment.

Ultramarines Legion, Legionary Kletos, 2nd Destroyer Company, 22nd Chapter. Note that the markings on the forearms of his Mark II Crusade Power Armour are highly idiosyncratic and have only been observed in use amongst the Destroyer cadres of the Ultramarines, Emperor's Children and Raven Guard Legions.

• Ultramarines 22^nd Chapter ("Nemesis Chapter") - The Destroyer squads of the Ultramarines were a much needed asset in the XIII Legion's resistance to the Word Bearers' assault upon Calth. Unlike many Destroyer Squads, those of the Ultramarines Legion's 22nd Chapter, appropriately nicknamed the "Nemesis Chapter," retained a high proportion of the standard bolter as a primary weapon, giving them greater tactical flexibility with the addition of specialist ammunition loads created to cause such harrowing destruction to the ranks of the enemy that fear would break the spirit of those that survived. Their prodigious skill and steadfast discipline would prove invaluable when fighting the Traitor forces, especially when defeating the zealot warriors of the Word Bearers Legion.

Death Guard Poison-Master of a Mortus Poisoner Squad wielding a Flamer utilising chem-munitions.

• Mortus Poisoners - Mortus Poisoners were a specially trained and equipped cadre within the Destroyer companies of the Death Guard Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. Wielding a high proportion of alchemical-munitions even by the standards of the Death Guard, Mortus Poisoners were more frequently deployed in support of more conventional troops. Aboard voidships or within the close confines of hive city complexes, their formidable weapons were a valuable asset in clearing defensive positions, but the horrifying alchemical flame they spread would be a the scourge of many battlefields throughout the galaxy. Close exposure to the concentrated cocktails of alchemical and biological agents inevitably took its toll on even their bearers. To be assigned to a Mortus Poisoners squad was essentially a sentence to suffer a withering, unavoidable demise. Unofficially, this was considered a form of censure for those Death Guard Legionaries who failed to achieve what was asked by their command. There were, however, those within the Mortus Poisoners who embraced the role enthusiastically, seeking to close with the enemy and dispense toxic death with disturbingly little heed for their own longevity.

A Salamanders Pyroclast clad in his Mantle of Ash Artificer Armour, wielding a deadly Pyroclast Flame Projector.

• Pyroclasts - The dreaded Pyroclasts were the burning fury of the Salamanders Legion given material form. The Salamanders shunned conventional Legion Destroyer units in their Legion, save for a small cadre retained for xenocide operations, due to the training and unclean nature of the weapons they wielded. Vulkan created the Pyroclasts to fulfil the role of bringers of utter destruction instead, creating for them advanced and extremely powerful thermal/incendiary weapons of his own devising. The Pyroclasts embodied the Promethean mantra: destruction and renewal through the purification brought by cleansing fire.

• Deathsworn Pack, the "Black Cull" - Some warriors born from the genetic deficiencies of the Space Wolves' gene-seed found their minds filled with an all-consuming impulse to kill and kill again. These dark, afflicted souls were attracted to a particular sub-cult of the Fenrisian mythos centred around the wolf-spirit Morkai, a pseudo-deity of death and the dead. Those who followed the Cult of Morkai were gathered together into a specialist infantry unit known as the Deathsworn. The so-called "Black Cull" was the informal designation of the formation within the Space Wolves Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy that made up both the Deathsworn Packs and the VI^th Legion's Destroyer and immolation units.

• Angel's Tears - The Angel's Tears, who carried the rank and titles of Erelim, the "Silver Masks" and the "Hands of Justice," served the IX Legion in place of the more common Destroyers of other Legions. They took to the field of war only at the direct command of Sanguinius himself, serving as his agents on those rare occasions when the Great Angel deemed an enemy worthy only of annihilation. Armed with weapons best suited to the swift culling of those unworthy of a place in the Emperor's bright new Imperium, they descended upon the foe suddenly and unannounced, faces concealed in the silver death-masks of their order and oaths of retribution on their lips.

• High Host - The High Host was a fraternity of the IX Legion, the Blood Angels, during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, sometimes known as the Archae or the Principatii. The High Host was one of the lesser Orders of the First Sphere made up of those warriors who bore the sorrowful duty of delivering Sanguinius' ultimate sanction to his enemies. Unlike their brothers in the Angel's Tears, the High Host did not shrink away from showing their true faces to an uncaring galaxy as they deployed weapons born of Humanity's darkest nightmares that left a trail of murdered worlds in their wake.

Unit Composition

• 4-9 Legion Destroyers

• 1 Legion Destroyer Squad Sergeant

Wargear

Destroyer Squad Space Marines

• Power Armour (Any reinforced Firstborn pattern) or Artificer Armour

• 2 Bolt Pistols

• Chainsword or Combat Blade

• Frag Grenades

• Krak Grenades

• Rad Grenades

Optional Wargear (for Destroyer Squad Sergeant)

• Power Weapon

• Power Fist

• Lightning Claw

• Thunder Hammer

• 3 Phosphex Bombs

Optional Wargear

• Melta Bombs

• Jump Packs

• Missile Launcher equipped with Suspensor Web

• Rad Missiles

• Volkite Serpenta

• Hand Flamer

• Plasma Pistol

Sources

• The Horus Heresy Book One: Betrayal (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 55, 70, 92, 195
• The Horus Heresy Book Three: Extermination (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 63, 88, 112, 118, 139
• The Horus Heresy Book Four: Conquest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 152-153
• The Horus Heresy Book Five: Tempest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 20, 41, 81, 85, 95, 105, 112, 242, 247
• The Horus Heresy Book Eight: Malevolence (Forge World Series) by Neil Wylie and Anuj Malhotra, pp. 23, 124, 146, 151, 208
• The Horus Heresy Book Nine: Crusade (Forge World Series), pp. 36, 104-105, 167
• The Horus Heresy - Exemplary Battles of the Age of Darkenss: The Battle of Perditus Umbral-51 (Supplement), pp. 3, 7
• Forge World - Mk IV Destroyer Squad
• Forge World - Mk IV Destroyer Squad with Jump Packs
• Warhammer Community - Black Library Celebration 2022: Meet Dominion Zephon, the Bringer of Sorrow (16 Feb 2022)

Gallery

A Night Lords Legion Destroyer Squad wearing reinforced Mark IV Maximus Power Armour, essential to withstand the pernicious rad-taint of their own weaponry.

A pair of Night Lords Legion Destroyer Squad members bearing the weapons of their trade.

A pair of Night Lords Legion Destroyers stand combat-ready.

A Raven Guard Legion Destroyer Squad equipped with Jump Packs.

Ultramarines Legion helm variations: from left-to-right, a Destroyer and Destroyer Sergeant.

Iron Warriors Legion Armourials. From left-to-right a Destroyer - Approved Subtype with Legion Numeral and a Destroyer Variant - Undesignated.

White Scars armourial with Karaoghlanlar insignia associated with the Destroyer units of the V Legion.

Space Wolves armourial with "Horns of Winter" insignia (associated with Destroyer units in the Space Wolves Legion).

Imperial Fists armourial with informal Destroyer designation.

Death Guard armourial with Destroyer designation.

Sons of Horus Legion armourial with Destroyer designation.

A Raven Guard Legion armourial displaying a Destroyer designation.