Space Marine drop pods

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**tedstea**

Does anybody know what happens to a drop pod after it is used? I mean if a entire company of Space Marines drop podded into a battle and had to retreat what would happen to their pods? They wouldnt be able to drop down for round two so they would be pretty screwed. I mean they would be all up in their cruisers going "damn those orks mess stuff up" and than someone would be like "nah we can take them lets go" and the captain would be like "errr sorry guys no can do were stuck up here until our next shipment of drop pods" anybody know something they could do when all their pods are in enemy hands/claws/tenticles?

**BluntmanDC**

After the battle they would transport them back, if they have to retreat they would wait for reenforcements, or a new plan, not to get the drop pods back but to destroy the xeno/rebel scum.

**BloodDrop101X**

But how are the transported back?

**SagesStone**

Probably picked up by Thunderhawks or some other craft.

**vodo40k**

Thunderhawk transporters, thats how they get tanks and supplies to the ground. (Blood angels deep striking land raider)

**Mr Nobody**

If thunderhawks are their air transport, that would make drop pods the equivalent of paratrooper space marines. Drop pods aren't supposed to all be used in one go with all their space marines, except in extreme circumstances.

**tedstea**

yeah, good points all, i had thought of transporters picking them up just thought if they were in enemy hands than they would have to fight at a disidvantage to get something back that they pretty much wasted. seems kinder dumb is all.

**cadbren**

The drop pods are there to get the marines to the ground as quickly as possible. If the marines fail to win the battle or even hold the immediate area to the point that the pods are not recoverable, chances are that most or all the marines are dead anyway. Marines are too valuable to throw away in suicide missions so when they go in they have a better than even chance of succeeding.

**crudcakes**

try a chaos dreadclaw assault pod it can actually take of again!

note chaos dreadclaw is in imperial armour apocalypse 1
note 2 im an ex marine player

**BloodDrop101X**

Well the drop pods ave a pintle mounted automatic firing storm bolter that shoots on its own for protection of the pod

**Budgie**

Remember.. MARINES NEVER LOSE..

At least in most of the fluff, cause victory is written by the winners. If a whole company of marines died, Id worry about other things before their drop pods

**crudcakes**

that is true the last thing a space marine company would worry about is their battered beaten up drop pods!

**Jihadnik**

If the ones I've put together are any indication, then hell yes they'd waste valuable marine lives to get them back! Marines just have eight or so pieces, but a drop pod...

**crudcakes**

ok i get your point but in the game the imperium probably dosnt reuse drop pods anyway

**chromedog**

They are recovered by Thunderhawk transporters modified for this role, according to the fluff from Imperial Armour.
All of this is done after the battle is over - so if they don't win, they probably don't get to recover ANYTHING.

This question gets asked at least once a month.

**Brother Heinrich**

crudcakes wrote:ok i get your point but in the game the imperium probably dosnt reuse drop pods anyway

In a few stories I've read the drop pods are sometimes described as having devotional texts and engravings on them. In the Space Wolf novels they are described as having etched artand scenes of battles engraved on them. I would say that it comes down to battlefield circumstances, if they can retrieve them I'd think they would, if circumstances don't permit then no.

**crudcakes**

my point is why didnt the imperium try to make another dreadclaw

**Grey Templar**

dreadclaws are demonically posessed and mutated.

Drop Pods are usually recovered, but they are easily replaced as they are realitivly simply machines.

**cadbren**

I'm guessing that the engines and fuel on the drop pod are only enough to arrest its fall and stop it smashing into the ground.
The dreadclaws being able to fly sounds nice and chaosy but isn't possible for the Imperium to duplicate.
If the marines want to use something that can take off again they have the thunderhawks and now that cac looking caestus assault ram.
Drop pods are simple armoured shells with engines to slow them down so probably are easy to replace, but why throw something away if you don't have to?

**prussia59**

I would guess that servitors would load them onto a ground vehicle, like some service machine we don't have a model for. Air-transport would be less efficient, and if a drop pod lands in an uncleared landing zone, a thunderhawk would not be able to retrieve it.

**the_scotsman**

Wait. So they drop down in drop pods, then later on pick up the drop pods with thunderhawks so that they can drop down again? wouldn't it just be more efficient to take the thunderhawk down in the first place?

**HungryTaz**

The drop pods are faster to deploy than Thunderhawks and not as juicy a target to anti-aircraft. Drop pods are a 'hot zone' deployment means.

**Grey Templar**

Drop pods are used because they are impossable for AA guns to lock on to. so if the drop area is heavily defended OR they need to get down quickly then they use them.

Under normal circumstances they will come down via Thunderhawk and they will always make the return trip by Thunderhawk.

Drop Pods also have a certain shock factor in their use. A Thunderhawk will give some advance warning of its approach. a Drop Pod will just slam into the ground with little to no warning. you have to know its coming down to look for it.

**Valkyrie**

The Dreadclaw STC was found to be corrupt, and as a result the Dreadclaws were, in essence, possessed. Because of this, they were simply abandoned (released into space) by the Loyalists, but the Traitors still use them.

The Drop Pods are recovered using the magnet clamp on the Thunderhawk Transporter.
(Source: Imperial Armour Apocalypse)

**Asgeirr Darkwolf**

After use they are recovered if complete or destroyed if irreparible for humans.

In a siege they might be used as spare parts or a wall?

**Thelaugher**

Reduce, reuse, recycle

**crudcakes**

da free ar's

**Kanluwen**

Grey Templar wrote:dreadclaws are demonically posessed and mutated.

Drop Pods are usually recovered, but they are easily replaced as they are relatively simply machines.

Well, plus the Dreadclaw isn't a "Drop Pod".

It's an "Assault Craft".

Dreadclaws were designed to smash into an enemy craft's hull, cut its way into the sweet juicy innards, disgorge Astartes Assault Squads at the important parts, and then blast its way free again after to get away from their target.

As a bonus: it exposes the areas they blasted through to the void of space! Woohoo, area denial and prevention of damage control!

**crudcakes**

yeah so dread claes do it wayy better than space marine drop pods!

**Manchu**

Crudcakes, please post using complete sentences, correctly spelled words, and proper punctuation.