Who did it?

[Wade Garrett]

Given that the Alpha Legion had to recruit the planetary tribespeople because THEY couldn't beat the Ultramarines on their own, I am a bit deaf to claims Rob's boys "cheated" by employing their orbital superiority.

[Greyall]

Doesn't seem like a big win for the Ultras, starting with the 'breach' in their Codex and ending with, well, getting shot more often than the Alphas, from what accounts there are.

 

Still, it's not a victory for the Alphas either. Even if their squads operate on an almost individual basis, loss or disbanding of the command structure would still affects the goal of the battle.

 

I have a feeling the less rigid Space Wolves would call it a victory, were they in the Ultramarines' place.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Given that the Alpha Legion had to recruit the planetary tribespeople because THEY couldn't beat the Ultramarines on their own, I am a bit deaf to claims Rob's boys "cheated" by employing their orbital superiority.

 

Who said anything about cheating?  I just said they were exasperated.

[Excessus]

Doesn't seem like a big win for the Ultras, starting with the 'breach' in their Codex and ending with, well, getting shot more often than the Alphas, from what accounts there are.

 

Still, it's not a victory for the Alphas either. Even if their squads operate on an almost individual basis, loss or disbanding of the command structure would still affects the goal of the battle.

 

I have a feeling the less rigid Space Wolves would call it a victory, were they in the Ultramarines' place.

Though their command structure was still intact. The Alpha Legion command structure is to have no command structure that can be destroyed by a single swordthrust by a primarch. Like many times before, the Alpha Legion made battle to prove a point, and they did. Robute had to set the codex aside to kill "Alpharius", but while doing so the Alpha Legion proved that they operated exactly as good without him as with him (thereby perhaps proving the point that it was not the real Alpharius that was killed, thus making the ultras reluctant to add the battle to their scrolls) and chased the ultras off-planet. The Alpha Legion would most likely have realized that they were going to be bombed though and dug in into fortified caves and whatnot. If enough poorly equipped astartes can withstand viruses and bombardments on istvaan III, then I bet a well equipped fully coordinated legion can withstand an orbital bombardment on Eskrador...

[Kais Klip]

You mean the Night of the Wolf that most of the Imperium does not know about and the Primarchs only talk about it amongst themselves? The same night that the World Eaters themselves barely talk about even though they believe they came out on top?

Not to mention the timetable that has two blacked out dates with the Wolves, one of which could very well be the Night of the Wolf.

And Prospero. Funny how no one remembers the Razing was the Wolves attacking a Loyalist Primarch and his Legion.

There's also the Missing Legions themselves, an event(or series of events; since we don't really know) so shameful that it had an erasure more complete than the Horus Heresy.

Speaking of the Horus Heresy, an event that the common Imperial citizen either doesn't know happen, or is equivalent to the idea of Satan, a myth perpetuated by the religion and is not really believed to be fact.

And then you get the daemons and the length the Inquisition goes to cover that up from mind erasure to execution of loyal subjects to even whole-scale Exterminatus and red ink across the ledger.

Nope, the upright, perfect, noble, honorable and courageous Ultramarines would never ever ever ever ever think of "just forgetting" a single battle.

I admit I’m working hard with the pail to keep sailing my dingy here, but your outlined instances were all during a time when Astartes vs Astartes action was unthinkable. Post Isstvan I struggle to see how claiming the head of a traitor primarch would be anything short of celebratory.

Edit: oh and it goes without saying that any personal combat between A&O would end with “I am Alpharius” :D