Dark Angels HH Ironwing Army FOC

[Cod]

Dark Angels Horus Heresy 'Ironwing' FOC

(selection process from Epic to 30k)

I've taken the old EPIC list for a Dark Angel Ironwing 'company' and applied it to the HH Betrayal list. Nothing has been added but straight FOC choices to recreate the list. This is for anyone wishing to create an 'Ironwing' force, one that is heavily background based.

An EPIC Ironwing company consisted of 3 detachments from the following list:

Tactical (40 infantry)
Armoured (3 Predators or 2 Land Raiders)

Tactical and Armoured choices were 0-3 each.

Ordinatus (3 Vindicators or 3 Whirlwinds)
Support (5 Mole Mortars or Tarantulas or Thudd Guns)
Dreadnought (5 Dreadnoughts)
Robots (5 Robots)

Ordinatus, Support, Dreadnought and Robots were 0-1 each.

Facts:

Ironwing were Heresy era.

Ironwing did not include Deathwing (Terminators).

Ironwing did not include Ravenwing (Bikes).

Ironwing was not only tanks.

Ironwing infantry did not have to take transports.

Applying this to the Betrayal/Massacre list =

An Ironwing force consists of 3 detachments from the following list:

Armoured

Heavy 0-3: Predator Strike Armour Squadron (1-3 Predators)

or

Heavy 0-3: Land Raider Battle Squadron (1-3 Land Raiders)

Tactical

Troops 0-3: (up to 40 or even 50 infantry)

The main choice here is to use transports or not.

There is a number of ways to build your troop choices, some ideas:

2 squads of 20 tactical troops.

4 squads of 10 tactical troops, with rhino transports.

The Betrayal book uses the idea that for every 2 tactical squads, there is 1 tactical support squad.

So those figures range from 25 (2x10, plus 1x5) to 50 (2x20, plus 1 x 10).

Ordinatus

Heavy 0-1: Artillery Tank Squadron (1-3 Basilisks)

or

Heavy 0-1: Artillery Tank Squadron (1-3 Medusas)

or

Heavy 0-1: Artillery Tank Squadron (1-3 Whirlwinds)

or

Heavy 0-1: Whirlwind Scorpius (1 Whirlwind Scorpius)

or

Heavy 0-1: Vindicator (1 Vindicator)

Dreadnought

Elites 0-1: Dreadnought Talon (1-3 Dreadnoughts)

or

Elites 0-1: Contemptor Dreadnought Talon (1-3 Contemptor Dreadnoughts)

or

Elites 0-1: Mortis Dreadnought (1 Mortis Dreadnought)

or

Elites 0-1: Mortis Contemptor Dreadnought (1 Mortis Contemptor)

Support

Fast Attack 0-1: Tarantula Sentry Gun Battery (1-3 Sentry Guns)

or

Elites 0-1: Rapier Weapons Battery (1-3 Rapier Carriers)

Additions:

For now I've left the HQ section out, as the EPIC formation didn't include one. I'm sure most people with the HH books are able to choose a suitable HQ to go with units chosen from above. Maybe I will add some specific ones in a future update.

Do I believe the above choices are all that an Ironwing Company/Battalion would have access to? No! The above are only those units directly relatable to the EPIC units. Since then FW have fleshed out the HH with more Legion choices. There are other units that are very suitable. Like the following:

Armoured

Heavy 0-3: Sicaran Battle Tank (1 Sicaran Tank)

or

Heavy 0-3: Spartan Assault Tank (1 Spartan Tank)

And that's not even getting started on all of the Elites choices or the Lords of War choices. For example, an Elites: Techmarine Covenant is very fitting too.

Suggestions:

By taking the Rite of War: 'Armoured Spearhead' Land Raiders can now be taken as transports.

If someone wanted to take 'Robots' then there is the option of taking Mechanicum Allies with Castellax Class Battle-Automata. They can be taken in units up to 5.

Notes:

At this time being chosen from 'Betrayal' and 'Massacre' as a Legiones Astartes force, there are no special rules/specific rule bonuses for taking these units. Any space marine Legion can take these same choices.

I'm aware that if an Iron Hands legion took these same units they can do them better due to their legion specific rules regarding tanks/vehicles etc.

By using this guide I've found that 2 'detachments' (6 choices) easily fit into 1 FOC.

Even with careful consideration, 3 detachments (9 choices) also fit into 1 FOC.

As the HH novel 'The Unremembered Empire' alluded to the Dark Angels having 6 different wings to their Legion composition, here's hoping that the Ironwing will get fully listed one day. Either way I'm sure I'll be pleasantly surprised when the DA's get their HH book

Hope any DA fans find this info useful.

Cheers

Cod

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

For the robots & HQ, take a Forge Lord with Cortex Controller - this sorts out your HQ & allows you to take a Castellax / Thallax Cohort as a Heavy Support choice, all within your primary detatchment

[Tiger9gamer]

I always wondered what the fabled "Iron Wing" was! very nice! =D  So it's basically a crud ton of tanks and transports... I'm visioning a "blitzkrieg" style army that rushes up to hit hard and fast. 

 

 

now, I want to know what we can do in 40k and if we can get more or less the same thing. BUT this isnt the place to talk about that! 

now should the squads be used in those land raiders do you think? or save those for something else?