Welcome to game 35 of our (very) long running campaign. This battle is game 3 of a 3-part operation by the Imperial forces to break the defensive ring around Hive Erd, now identified as the source of the Chaos uprising and the likely base of operations for the forces of the Ruinous Powers.
Previous games in this campaign can be found here:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Gordy2000%27s_Battle_Reports
In the last two battles, the 681st Krieg Regiment has fought its way through a series of layered defences and is now within sight of its final objective – the last of the defence works and the promethium refinery beyond them.
Seizing the refinery intact would provide a boost to the logistics chain for the Imperial forces and accelerate their assault. With the final defence ring smashed, the way would be open for a direct attack on Hive Erd itself.
The defences have, until now, been manned by heretic forces loyal to Chaos. Whilst these have provided strong resistance, the strategic value of the refinery is known to the Chaos commanders. As such, an altogether more ‘resilient’ group of defenders awaits the final Krieg push….
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The Command Russ ‘Hand of Glory’ bucked under Captain Stiltz as it cleared the low trench and moved into a firing position amongst the rest of the Krieg assault forces. From his elevated position in the turret cupola, Stiltz could see across the sparse terrain stretching out towards the enemy defences, and beyond them, the refinery itself.
The tank commander panned his magnoculars across the lines of barricades, bunkers and redoubts – all familiar terrain and just the type of battlefield the Krieg were born to fight in. The heretic infantry opposing them would be swept aside, just as they had in the previous two days fighting.
Movement caught Stiltz eyes, and he focussed his eyepiece on a low wall 100 meters from his position. Something swayed into view, drab coloured and misshapen. He adjusted the focus, trying to make out what he was looking at. Another of those accursed Ogryn? No, the dimensions were off, but it was clearly too big for a man. The figure hoisted an unfeasibly large weapon over its shoulder and continued to amble amongst the defence lines. As it turned, Stiltz got a clear look at the power plant embedded on its back. The cold hand of dread settled on his heart.
Traitor Astartes.
Stiltz had heard rumours that the champions of the Ruinous Powers were in theatre, but here now was one in the flesh. The thing was huge, bedecked in horns, spikes and other altogether more hideous details. Just then, the wind shifted, and Stiltz caught a gust of foul air, the stink of corruption penetrating his gasmask as if his face was bare to the world.
“All units, all units” came the call across the battalion vox channel. In the name of the Emperor, advance!”
Stiltz gripped the sides of his command hatch tightly and commended his soul to the Emperor as his vehicle lurched forwards and into the teeth of hell.
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The field of battle – the Krieg assault forces in the foreground, the defenders in the far middle, and beyond them, the refinery proper
The assault forces prepare to move off
But these defenders are the champions of Nurgle himself – the dreaded Death Guard
The traitors hold the defences and the refinery
With a shriek of multiple barrels, the Krieg mortars send their payloads towards the enemy.
Armour and infantry move off
Another glorious day in the Korps!
To the dismay of the artillery crews, their previously devastating barrages appear to have little effect on the waiting Death Guard
Return fire stabs out from fixed gun emplacements, although the plaguemarines appear content to wait until the range closes
Krieg armour reaches the first defence works and opens fire at short range
Despite the massive firepower, most of the Death Guard remain in place
Krieg infantry dash from cover to cover, supported by their APC
The Krieg bring up a cyclops demolition vehicle to dig out the plaguemarines
Fooooooom!
Incredibly, the Death Guard remain unmoved
Krieg tank fire begins to take out gun emplacements, but does little to the defenders themselves
The armour advances
Footslogging infantry get into short range fire fights with the traitors
An armoured infantry unit dismounts to clear out a bunker
You…Shall…not…pass…
The assault is progressing, but the Death Guard forces remain stubbornly in place
The refinery beckons, so close but yet so far
The Chimera supporting the infantry assault on the bunker is knocked out
And the dismounted squad is charged by the chosen of the plague god
The armour continues forward, eager to clear the defenders from the objective
Heavy Metal
Plaguemarines. Plaguemarines everywhere…
Incredibly, the footsloggers and their Chimera have cleared the defenders to their front and move up.
Even more incredibly, they surge forwards and assault the entrenched Death Guard
Even if, by the grace of the Emperor, they miraculously prevail against the armoured monsters, tougher adversaries await…
The Death Guard still hold the refinery in strength
Back on the defence line, the last guardsman assaulting the bunker falls heroically to the plaguemarines
More footsloggers turn up, having traversed the entire battlefield
But will it be enough to shift the implacable Death Guard and push on to the final objectives?
Just then, the Krieg play their ace in the hole – two Hades drills emerge from the ground with their accompanying infantry squads, right on top of the objectives
Forwards men!
But disaster, one has come up short, the Nurgle defenders preventing it from arriving on target
In a last-ditch attempt, the armoured units fire everything they have at the defenders in the refinery, desperately trying to eliminate them from the objective
But in their haste, the Krieg make poor target selection decisions and the armour, cover and blessings of Nurgle keep many of the defenders intact.
It is too late – a Nurgle champion with a tank of foulness lurks amongst the pipes and tanks. The defence lines are clearly lost as the Krieg tanks move in, but the refinery will not fall into Imperial hands. With a grinding twist of a rusting valve, the plaguemarine empties his vile concoction into the promethium lines…
The Krieg are denied their prize as the refinery is irrecoverably tainted by the Death Guard contaminant. The defence lines are broken, but the day belongs to Grandfather Nurgle…
Chaos victory!
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Well, that was a close one! The final result was in the balance right up to the end of the final turn. The Death Guard were incredibly hard to shift, shrugging off heavy weapons, artillery, demo charges and direct tank fire. The Quad Launchers had ruined the defenders in the previous 2 games, but the plaguemarines just laughed them off.
MVP for the Krieg has to be the footslogging infantry. They traversed the entire board (lengthwise!) to the objective, cleared out Death Guard with lasguns(!) and then went on to assault the dreaded champions of Nurgle in close combat. Heroic stuff.
Still, in the end they were denied at the death. One of the Hades assault teams couldn’t get close enough to the objective to take it (stupid 9-inch rule…), and in a rush of blood to the head I fired all my tanks at the wrong defenders, allowing the Death Guard to claim the objective. The other objective ended up being contested, and that gave Nurgle the (deserved) win.
Still, the defence line is broken and the way to Hive Erd is now open. But the loss of the refinery will slow the Imperial advance and give the servants of Chaos time to prepare all sorts of exciting surprises for the Imperium…
Next game: The Imperial advance continues, but the Death Guard are now on the field and ready for some marine-on-marine action.
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