Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hi Chaps!

So I was reading a book a while ago about how Cornwallis reorganised our lads during winter quarters sometime in the American War of Independence.
Essentially, the rebel militias used a lot of skirmishing tactics against which the regular foot regiments were pretty poor, so to combat this he took the brightest and best motivated soldiers from each regiment (the 'hatmen') and formed them together into specialist skirmishing battalions.

So do you think sort of thing would also occur in the Imperial Guard? Do you know of any stories from the lore where elements of multiple regiments are combined together to achieve a specific purpose?

I really like the idea of say 'strike battalions' composed of Tallarn Armoured Fist squads supported by Asguardian rough riders and Catachan sentinel squadrons or 'storm battalions' comprised of Krieg genediers, Necromundan spider heavy infantry and Maccabian Janissaries.

I can't see these battalions being the norm, but I would be surprised if over a long campaign or crusade the more flexible Imperial commanders didn't create specialised units like these.

Different regiments are certainly combined, but usually it's for reinforcement purposes- bringing two mauled units back up to combat readiness, for example. Sometimes this does have positive effects. I recall an example where a Catachan and an Elysian regiment were combined and came to excel in Apocalypse Now-style airborne tactics. See also the Tanith First and Only and their reinforcements from Vervunhive and Bellephron.

I can't recall any examples of this being done for a specific tactical purpose, but I'm certain it's happened. I imagine it might be frowned on by more doctrinal commanders, but still done.

 Formerly Wu wrote:
Different regiments are certainly combined, but usually it's for reinforcement purposes- bringing two mauled units back up to combat readiness, for example. Sometimes this does have positive effects. I recall an example where a Catachan and an Elysian regiment were combined and came to excel in Apocalypse Now-style airborne tactics. See also the Tanith First and Only and their reinforcements from Vervunhive and Bellephron.

I can't recall any examples of this being done for a specific tactical purpose, but I'm certain it's happened. I imagine it might be frowned on by more doctrinal commanders, but still done.

if you wanted it for fluff purposes for an army list, you could have the units together in a reconstituted regiment just as noted above. You could even have them in their old uniforms or perhaps an armband from their old regiment ala deathwatch.

 Frazzled wrote:

if you wanted it for fluff purposes for an army list, you could have the units together in a reconstituted regiment just as noted above. You could even have them in their old uniforms or perhaps an armband from their old regiment ala deathwatch.

This is exactly what I'm doing for my combined regiment, which is meant to represent an ad-hoc formation that hasn't had time to properly blend and homogenize equipment or training. Each component has its original uniform and tactics, but incorporates color notes from the "parent" regiment to indicate allegiance.

Yeah, regiments are combined all the time. It is the only way to keep them up to strenght apart from shipping in new troops from their distant homeworlds, which is a logistical hassle that the Munitorum of course prefers to avoid as much as possible.
During a campaign, you will see strike forces made up of soldiers from more than one regiment a lot. But these are temporary formations.
After a campaign, if both regiments are left understrength, they are likely going to be combined into a single new regiment. If not, either both regiments go their seperate ways or they are kept together and both shipped to the same warzone again. Sometimes, regiments work particularly well alongside each other so commanders then like to keep those together.