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22nd Elysian Drop Troop Regiment

Submitted By: [dixon] Date: September 17, 2005, 07:26:18 AM Views: 6966
Formation

The 22nd Elysian Drop Troops was first founded in 258.M40 in response to a major Ork Waagh led by Arch-Defiler Gortoof Bugzappa, whos rampages had brought destruction to three Imperial worlds before an adequate response could be formed to put up a defense on the Agri-World of Borias II.  During the course of the campaign, later to be called to Borias Campaign, the 22nd was brought into action only once, to support the Space Marines of the Scions of the Emperor chapter who had arrived on the planet to secure a landing site for the rest of the Army Group. The Space Marines made planetfall only to discover that faulty intelligence placed the landing site in the middle of a newly built Ork colony.  The 22nd was brought down 30km from the main landing site and dropped in to support of the Space Marines, landing just outside of the Ork colony. The regiment took heavy casualties, amounting to the loss of 3 Companies of Drop Troops, but managed to link up with the Scions of the Emperor and made a fighting withdrawal out of the colony and back to the new landing site. For the remainder of the campaign, the 22nd was used as a reserve unit, and didn't see any major engagements.

After the Borias Campaign was concluded, records of the 22nd disappear from the Departmento Munitorum archives. It is speculated that the Regiment was part of the colonizing force that was sent to Bastion in 262.M40, but no definitive truth has been uncovered.


Subsequent Foundings

The 22nd was re-founded twice since the Borias Campaign. In 987.M40 the Regiment was founded as a tithed Regiment for the Barbados Incursion, but due to logistical errors, the regiment was sent to the backwater Feral World of Groia, and after leaving the system, the regiment was never heard from again, and was assumed to be lost in the Warp.

The most recent founding of the 22nd was during 993.M41, and the regiment was sent to the Industrial World of Mahanaxar to suppress an out of control cultist uprising involving several warbands of the World Eaters traitor legion. The Elysians fared better on Mahanaxar than they did in the past, and were kept at operational strength throughout the war.  The regiment was instrumental in defending the 63rd Mahanaxar armoured regiment when it was ambushed outside of Mahanaxar City by concealed cultists in the outer slums. The 22nd was scrambled and dropped directly into the fighting, surprising both Loyalist and Traitors alike, and managed to prevent the 63rd from destruction and capture by the traitors, which would have been a serious blow to the campaign. Mahanaxar City was captured shortly thereafter, during the later part of 994.M41, and the 22nd was reassigned to the 16th Drop Brigade, 40th Corps.


Organization and Command Structure

The 22nd Elysian Drop Troop Regiment consists of the Headquarters Staff and Auxiliary Companies, 8 Drop Infantry Companies, 1 Stormtrooper Company, 2 Drop Sentinel Companies and two attached Imperial Navy Tactical Wings.

HQ and Auxiliary Companies
The HQ Staff coordinates operations on a regimental scale, and consists of 6 Staff Officers and 45 non-commissioned orderlies. The commanding officer is General Conrad Renfield, and Colonel Lucius Fercian is his second in command. Auxiliary companies include the Signals Company, the Service Company and attached Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Priests, under the direction of Tech-Magos Corbulosa, the Medical Company and the Recon Platoon. The regiment has also been assigned 4 Commissars by the Departmento Munitorum, with Commissar DeBrunge having seniority.

Drop Troop Companies
Each company has a command section, which is lead by a captain who has direct control of all the subordinate units. Each company has 4 Drop Infantry Platoons, which consist of a lieutenant and his four man bodyguard, as well as 4 ten man strong infantry squads, led by either a sergeant or a corporal. Each squad in the platoon is mounted in a Valkyrie Airborne Assault Carrier.  The company has a single Heavy Weapons Platoon, led by a lieutenant in the same fashion as a Drop Infantry Platoon. The platoon includes two fire support squads, a single mortar squad, and a single anti-tank squad, each consisting of six men with three heavy weapons. All squads are mounted in Valkyries as well. Each company is also assigned a Vulture Attack Squadron of three Vulture Gunships. Captains Bormann, Glaucus, Hazic, Erhem, Vlakson, Jorgan, Fremanza and Clovy command the 1st through 8th Companies, respectively.

Stormtrooper Company
The regiment's single Stormtrooper Company consists of a Stormtrooper command squad under the command of Stormtrooper Major Burke and his 4 personal guards, as well as 8 Stormtrooper Squads. The Stormtroopers are all mounted in Valkyries and act as pathfinders for the regiment, arriving at drop zones before the main force and setting up smoke grenades by day and flares by night to mark the areas for the bulk of the regiment.

Drop Sentinel Companies
Each Drop Sentinel Company consists of 7 sentinel squads, 1 command squad, 5 drop sentinel squads and 1 support sentinel squad. Each squad has 3 walkers, the command squad led by a captain while the remainder are led by sergeants. The command squadron and drop squadrons are equipped with Accatran pattern mk.XIII Drop Sentinels equipped with either Heavy Bolters or Multi-Meltas, while the support sentinels are Triplex Phall pattern mk.XI Support Sentinels, equipped with either missile tubes or a multiple launch rocket system.  Captains Dermody and Verlan command the 1st and 2nd Drop Sentinel Companies, respectively.

Imperial Navy Tactical Wings
The Tactical Wings are commanded by Navy Majors and their support staff, who coordinate Air Support for the regiment. Each Wing has 3 transport squadrons of 6 Valkyries each, 2 attack Squadrons of 3 Vultures each and a service company of 42 guardsmen, 7 Trojans and 15 Sentinel Powerlifters. The Wings provide air cover for the Drop Infantry as well as transportation for units not equipped with their own Valkyries. Majors Crawson and Gorlock command the two Navy Tactical Wings.


Uniform

The combat uniform of the 22nd Elysian Drop Troops is the same as that of all Drop Troop Regiments raised from Elysia, with the only differences being aesthetic.

Clothing
All Drop Troopers are issued a PT-38 jumpsuit as their primary combat fatigues.  The jumpsuit is made from synthi-canvas, and comes with an additional thermal liner for cold climates on the ground as well as during a jump.  Impact pads, which are quilted and filled with foam to absorb shock upon landing, are stitched into the jumpsuit on thighs and upper arms. The jumpsuit also has many pockets and ammo pouches, as extra carrying space is a priority for Drop Troopers. The 22nd Elysian's jumpsuits are a dark brown color.

In addition to the jumpsuit, Elysians are equipped with respirator masks to supply oxygen and protect the face during descent, jump gloves to protect the hands, as well as lightweight jump boots to provide ankle support when on the ground.

Armor
The Elysian flak armor is an eight-piece set consisting of knee-plates, elbow-plates, shoulder pads and a chest and back plate. The chest plate has built in respirator equipment and air hoses. The armor is cast from synthi-plas, a lightweight material which is fairly strong for its mass. Keeping the armor light is a priority for Drop Troopers, as all of their equipment needs to be carried on their backs. It is a common practice amongst hardened troopers to discard the elbow and knee pieces after landing, but others prefer the extra protection the pads provide. In dense terrain, the pads are almost always discarded to increase a troopers mobility and lighten the load he has to carry. The 22nd Elysian's armor plates are painted black.

Helmet
The Elysian helmet is a type 5 pressure helmet, designed not only to protect the head, but also maintain the proper pressure in the ears. During a high-altitude jump, troopers experience a rapidly increasing buildup in air pressure, and without proper protection, the eardrums would burst, which all though non-fatal, would cause severe damage to the troopers hearing and render him or her a casualty. The helmet is constructed of reinforced Plasteel, with more material situated on the front of the helmet. All helmets have a built in vox system for intra-squad communications and a flash suppressing visor. Vox operators have communications equipment built into the helmet, leaving the hands free for other purposes while the vox is in operation.

It is common practice amongst Elysians to scratch a mark into the right side of the helmet for each combat drop he or she has survived.  The more drops, the more respect the troopers has amongst his peers.


Equipment

All Elysian Drop Troopers are issued combat kit at the start of a campaign, and it is their responsibility to maintain the equipment until the end of the campaign.  Failure to respect and properly maintain one's equipment carries a penalty of death. Art. 4733/67y

Lascarbine
The Accatran pattern Mk IV lascarbine was developed on the Accatran Forgeworld and is the standard issue lasgun for the Elysian Drop Troops. The weapons size is smaller than that of a standard lasgun due to the "bullpup" design ammunition system which places the magazine in the stock of the weapon. The weapon operates in the 19 megathule range and can use magazines generally designed for larger weapons. The only operating setting is semi-automatic, although troopers have been known to modify their weapons to operate on full auto. This is frowned upon by officers, and even more so by the Tech-Priests, and carries the penalty of death. Certain officers are known to turn a blind eye to this however, as fully automatic weapons are useful for providing covering fire during an advance.

The MkIVc pattern lascarbine has an underslung krak grenade launcher, which is issued to NCOs and officers to provide extra fire support, as Drop Infantry squads are not equipped with heavy weapons. Neither the MkIV nor MkIVc have a bayonet lug, so troopers must learn to fight proficiently with knives in hand instead of learning bayoneting techniques.

Other Equipment
In addition to the lascarbine, Elysians carry all of their equipment on their backs. The most important is the Grav-Chute, which is set to activate at a certain altitude, and slows the trooper down enough to make a safe landing. Grav-Chutes are discarded upon landing.  Troopers are also issued several ammunition pouches and spare magazines, an assortment of fragmentation and krak grenades, a combat knife, canteen and a backpack for storing rations are personal kit. As with all Guardsmen, Elysians are given a copy of the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer.


Insignia

Elysians have their own ways of marking rank, unit and regimental information on their soldiers. The regimental symbol of the 22nd Elysian is a winged horse, and is displayed on the right of the chest plate. The company number of an Elysian is always displayed on the right shoulder pad, in the case of a member of command staff, the company number is replaced with a rank and file trooper has no more insignia, although once he has survived 10 combat drops he is given the title of "Veteran" and has a red bar painted onto the left shoulder pad. Officers and NCOs are identified by a combination of bars on the back of the helmet and molded decoration on the left shoulder pad. Sergeants have a single grey stripe down the center of their helmet, and a winged skull decoration upon the left shoulder pad.  A lieutenant has a yellow stripe and a winged skull upon the shoulder pad. Captains have a yellow stripe with red borders and a wreathed skull emblem. Colonels have the same insignia as captain but with an additional red stripe down the center of the bar. Generals wear a solid red bar.
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