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The History of the 514th Cadian Guards Regiment

Submitted By: Vespasian Swiper Date: September 13, 2005, 05:15:42 PM Views: 3005

Founded in M.33, the 514th Cadian Rifles Regiment was seen as yet another Rifle Regiment.
The system employed in the Regiment was unusual, but relatively standard.

Company Level Organisation

Each squad consisted of 10 men, broken down into two sections and commanded by a Sergeant, and a Corporal would assume command of a section. The Platoon was formed from three squads, and had a two man Command Element, this consisted of a Lieutenant and a 2IC - generally a Veteran - who would operate a Vox, or a bugle with which to bolster Platoon Morale. Three Platoons made one Company with a 5 man Command Team, Captain, Sergeant, and three veterans.
Each Company also  had a Support Platoon, this would usually consist of either;

Engineer Platoon
Heavy Weapons Platoon
Special Weapons Platoon
Scout Platoon
Light Tank Squadron

 
The Engineer Platoon consisted of two 8-man squads, and a Command Element, while a Heavy Weapons platoon had 2-3 Heavy Weapons Teams of 6 men and 3 heavy weapons and a Command Squad of 5 men. A Special Weapons Platoon was two 6-man squads and a Command Element and Light Tank Squadron consisted of 3 light tanks fighting as a small squadron.

Battalion Level Organisation

A Battalion consisted of between 4-6 Companies - depending on role. A Major commanded it, with a Command Squad including Sergeant Major, Lieutenant and two Veterans led it. Battalion attachments were usually large and important formations:

Sentinel Reconnaissance Teams
Armoured Company
Artillery Battery
Attached Companies


The Battalions each had a number and at its most ludicrous level, over 50 Battalions were in existence at the end of the Caurousini Crusade. The Regiment then decided that they were too large, and over 40 Battalions were turned into other Regiments. Four Regiments rose from the ashes of the Original 514th Regiment.

This state of deployment existed in the Regiment until M.36.

Weaponry Issue Within the 514th - M.33 -M.36

Standard Issue Equipment (For Guardsmen)
Duris Pattern Autogun - Key Statistics, 40 round magazine, Burst/Semi fire modes, Range of up to 700m, can fire up to 130 rounds a minute.
Duris Pattern Laspistol - lasclip, effective up to 50 m
3 Standard 4b Fragmentation Grenades
PET - Personal Entrenching Tool
Armour, helmet and assorted pouches

Standard Issue Squad Support Weapons
Heavy Stubber
Plasma gun
Meltagun
Grenade Launcher
Flamer

Standard Heavy Fire Support Weapons
Heavy Bolters
Mortars
Missile Launchers
Lascannons
Autocannon
Light Autocannon
Howitzers
Thudd Gun

Transports Employed
Chimera
Siren - light recon truck
Commandeered - The Regiment regularly employed heavier transports/civilian vehicles which they found or commandeered during an offensive.

History of the Regiment M.33 - M.36

M.33 - Founded
M.33 - First Deployed in the Purging of Thysce
M.33.1 - Regiment deployed to Marrcaru - and engaged in bitter fighting for over 200 years, with reinforcements brought from Cadia.
M.33.4 - Regiment recruited and raised again, sons, and descendants of original officers lead army to battle.
M.33.4-8 - Regiment is assigned to Rogue Traders for protection.
M.33.9 - Regiment redesignated 514th Cadian Rifles - Protractus (PDF force on Cadia)
M.35.3 - Regiment redesignated 514th Cadian Rifles - and sent to assist the Hydrea Crusade.
M.35.4 - Regiment returned to Cadia and honoured with Honorifica given to the Regiment as a whole.
M.35.8 - Regiment raises 3rd Armoured Company to support it.
M.36 - Regiment was deployed to Britarus to assist the Ultras Angels against a large number of traitor regiments.
M.36.05 - Regiment was forced to hold off with the Ultras Angels for two years with little support, in cities. Of the original Regiment - only 13% return to Cadia, prompting a major redesign of the Regiment.

The Reformation

After the Britarus Incident, the Regiment was disbanded, but the Commander Hyron Hartgeeves did not give up, and asked Cadian High Command if he could redesign the regiment. He was allowed to do so, and it was not long until 5% of the survivors from the Britarus Incident rejoined the Regiment with the fresh recruits - each one of these men is remembered as the Heroic Few - a name still given to the 1st Company of the 514th.

Hartgeeves introduced over 3000 reforms ranging from the mundane - lavatory usage in combat. To the stunning, Karskin Companies - instead of support squads. And crucially the introduction of a Veteran 1st Company - copied from the Ultras Angels.

The new design meant that each Company would have between 90-120 men in it.
Each platoon would have a five man command squad, instead of two men.
Recruits who were excellent shots were given special sniper training, and placed in teams outside of the standard Regimental Organisational Structure.

The Regiment would have:
1 Regimental Command Company
1 Veteran Company
3 Karskin Companies
4 Armoured Companies
10 Mechanised Companies
40 Infantry Companies
4 Engineer Companies
2 Artillery Batteries


These were the initial changes that caused tremendous amounts of confusion and arguments ensued.

Kit issue also changed in a way that was even more useful.

Weaponry Issue Within the 514th - M.36 to M.41

Standard Issue Equipment (For Guardsmen)
Cantus Pattern Lasgun
Duris Pattern Laspistol (IVb)- lasclip, effective up to 80 m
2 Standard 4b Fragmentation Grenades
2 Flash bang grenades
Bayonet/Assualt Knife
PET - Personal Entrenching Tool
Armour, helmet and assorted pouches
Internal Command Helmet - commands from squad leaders immediately reached men up to 90m away over the set frequency

Standard Issue Squad Support Weapons
Plasma gun
Meltagun
Grenade Launcher
Flamer

Standard Heavy Fire Support Weapons
Heavy Bolters
Mortars - issued to special Cover Fire Squads
Missile Launchers
Lascannons
Autocannon
Light Autocannon - rarely deployed

Transports Employed
Chimera

These changes allowed the 514th to be far more effective, it is widely believed that the changes implemented increased combat effectiveness by 45%.

The days of variations on transports were over - the Chimeras were set as standard transports, causing discontent amongst many Commanders of the other transports as the 8 wheeled Goliath, because the Chimeras carried fewer men, with reduced armour and armament. One critic went as far as claiming the redesign of the regiment was part of a conspiracy to make the 514th less effective in combat, and have it destroyed as early as possible.

The Koursin VII Rebellion

With the onset of M.36, the 514th was sent to Koursin VII to assist in the purging of the local tribes who had revolted against the local PDF forces.
The local commander believed that the well trained PDF of 150,000 could massacre the 2,000,000 rebels of the Tribe of the Blackened Hand.

The PDF deployed 25,000 men to hold the crucial Mayturn Space Port, on route, the 25,000 men who formed the essential 'Counter Insurgency Division' were ambush on route. 1,000,000 tribesmen charged in a frenzy down the mountainside, armed with axes, swords, a lasgun for every 10 men, 10 Chimeras, and 5 Leman Russ MBT tanks.
These men had also deployed 50,000 Riders of the Hand, armed with swords, lances, grenades and home made heavy explosives.
The PDF formed a rapid battle line, and fired upon then attackers - but the close packed PDF in the valley were mauled by the Leman Russ MBTs, the Riders charge hit home, and scythed through the PDF, as if they were little more than chaff.
As the 12 Regiment broke, a massive panic ensued and a massacre blew home.
Of the 25,000 only 2,569 escaped the slaughter.
The rebels lost 14,000 men and 2,000 Riders. A crushing victory.

115 Leman Russ Tanks were captured
200 Chimeras
Over 300 assorted Siege Tanks, supply trucks, other transports and tanks.
2 Baneblades were also captured.

The loss of an Armoured Regiment was too much to bare, and the PDF was hard pressed to defend any position against the superior enemy. The remaining 125,000 PDF troopers and 500,000 Militia called for emergency assistance, as three more tribes turned traitor - the largest being the Reigning Sun - with over 15,000,000 under its control.

The scale of the revolt was stunning, and the loss of the city of New Havens to the traitors with the loss of 200,000 militia and 50,000 PDF troopers caused national hysteria.
The Total Armed Forces of Koursin VII numbered 375,000 spread over 4 cities, and 24 towns.
The Capital was set back, but if this world returned to tribal warfare a new terrible age would return.

The 514th arrived with 255 Division in M.36, this was the first deployment of the 514th since their reconstruction. Landing at the Space Port, they immediately sent out the Mechanised and Armoured Companies on Operation Flayer - destroy any mobile enemy forces.
The rebels main ammunition dump was two hundred miles away, and the 514th set off in earnest, whilst the Karskin Companies moved by Valkyrie towards the main enemy settlement to assassinate the two tribal leaders organising the revolt.
The 514th managed to win a great victory, but the 255th Division was destroyed in the process, and the Regiment was left stranded, fighting against numerically superior enemy…

After being relieved by 5th Corps, the revolt was non existent - along with many of those who had originally fought. The world was a shattered husk of its former greatness - but they had won against all the odds.

The 13th Black Crusade and Repercussions on the 514th

During the 13th Black Crusade, the Regiment was encircled with the 43rd Mordian, 12th Praetorian and 67th Cadian Regiment. They were utterly encircled in a large city - Onsini - they managed to hold out until relieved by the Redemptors after three months of encirclement, during which time they were assaulted everyday, morale was kept up by the ceaseless energy of the General and his Officers. Mid way through the 13th Black Crusade, the Regiment's title of Guard Regiment was presented to them by the Cadian High Command Representative - Corps Commander Phillipps.

Since then, the campaign in Hybredia had edged on, several crushing victories over the amassed enemy forces has broken Command and Control there, the 514th have been ordered to take the main hive city, and already the most Elite of the 514th, Colonel Mykar, and Captain 'Dash' are fighting behind enemy lines to track down the Chaos Lord Dysthath who began the whole system of events that led to the 514th's name being so feared during the 13th Black Crusade

After these offensives their force now boasts additional units:

3rd Company from the 3rd Airborne
2 Armoured Companies (2nd Tyhelian)
5 Mechanised Companies (43rd Orsini PDF)
2 Dominator ATAT Companies (The Dominator Regiment)

Regimental Record Keeping

The Regiment still retains the epic 'History of the 514th Cadian Guard Regiment’ book, and every new recruit is given a copy of this book.
The 514th maintains nigh on immaculate records - and material regarding the original founding is jealously kept in a heavily defended position, kept secret incase of any attempt to take the valuable information the Regiment maintains.
The 'Role of Heroes' is the Regimental Records - every man who has served with or under the Regiment is mentioned - Name, Rank, Serial Number, Squad, Platoon, Company, Personal History, photo, and more.

After being attached to the 40th Corps, the 514th Cadian is once again thrown right into the pit of hell - just where it likes to be.

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