How was the Dark Angel Legion Organized?

[BruvaVolks]

This has sort of bothered me. Like what would a chapter master be equal too in the 1st Legion. We know Captains are Company Masters, so would they just be Chapter Masters? It would make the most sense in that case. As I've heard the use of Orders being thrown around as the name for Chapters. Is that correct? 

[Piano_Sam]

Seems like there were 6 or so 'Wings.' I don't know how accurate this list is, but from what I recall of the six, three were mentioned in Unremembered Empire. Of those mentioned there's:

 

Deathwing heraldry was two crossed swords

Dreadwing heraldry was skul in hourglass

Stormwing heraldry was not stated.

 

You can probably assume the Ravenwing was a fourth. I've also heard of an Ironwing. I don't know about the last.

[Ordo Machinum]

Here are some notes I made for a planned Dark Angels Legion. I was taking/adapting information from a few Horus Heresy stories.

 

Call of the Lion

 

(page 166)

 

‘What’s that?’ Astelan asked, pointing to a heraldic symbol on Belath’s right shoulder plate, where normally a Space Marine’s organisational and rank markings would be painted. It was decorated with a quartered shield, white and blue, emblazoned with a sword held in the grip of a taloned foot.
‘That is the symbol of my order,’ replied Belath, somewhat taken aback. ‘The Order of the Raven’s Wing.’

 

[Analysis: The Raven's Wing is one of the Dark Angels' "wings"]

 

Prince of Crows

 

(page 260)

 

Of the nine companies berthed on the Nightfall, he’d only risk one. His own. The Atramentar were coming with him.

 

(page 269)

 

Sevatar knew the STC Gloriana-pattern battleship as well as he knew the contours of his own armour. The Nightfall was born of the same breed.

 

(page 270)

 

A hundred of the VIII Legion’s best warriors had teleported aboard, in full Terminator wargear.

 

[Analysis: Nine companies aboard the Nightfall, a Gloriana-pattern battleship. The Night Legion's 1st Company, the Atramentar, equals 100 legionnaires. A Gloriana-pattern battleship can accommodate 900 legionnaires. Therefore, the Invincible Reason can accommodate 900 legionnaires.]

 

The Lion

 

(page 165)

 

‘I shall lead the task force personally. The Invincible Reason will be my flagship, Captain Stenius. The Fourth, Sixth, Ninth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Thirtieth Orders are to muster at Balaam.’

 

‘More than thirty thousand warriors!’ said Tragan, forgetting himself. He bowed his head in apology when the Lion directed a sharp glare at him.

 

[Analysis: An "Order" is over 5,000 legionnaires.]

 

Unremembered Empire

 

(page 108)

 

When there was only one Legion, that Legion had been obliged to contain all specialisms. Guilliman knew that the six hosts or ‘wings’ of the Dark Angels represented specialisms of every school, at subtle variance to the standard order of the Principia Bellicosa.

 

(page 110)

 

Holguin carried an executioner’s long sword upright before him in his two hands, the tip of the six-foot blade rounded over like a butter knife. His pauldron was marked with the crossed swords of the Deathwing. Redloss carried a massive war-axe, haftwise across his chest. His pauldron bore the skull-in-hourglass of the Dreadwing.

 

(page 142)

 

It was an assault squad of Dark Angels, warriors wearing the marks of the Stormwing, braced with boarding shields.

 

[Analysis: Six "wings". Ravenwing from an earlier story. Deathwing. Dreadwing. Stormwing.]

 

The Fifth Wing: White Dwarf 126 (1990)

 

The "Ironwing" is mentioned as one of the three separate battalions within the Dark Angels. Although this designation fell out of usage in later editions, I decided to resurrect it for one of the Dark Angels "wings". Afterall, there are too many available tanks in the Horus Heresy motor-pool to simply ignore them.

 

What I consider to be the Sixth Wing

 

With all of the specialists covered, where are the basic core troopers? My own designation for these valiant armoured knights is... "Knightwing". Not to mention the current 40K Dark Angel codex now has units of Deathwing Knights and Ravenwing Black Knights. It's a precursor to what was to follow.

 

My Own Conclusions

 

The Horus Heresy Book I: Betrayal explains the Strategic Disposition of a Space Marine Legion. Suffice it to say, it briefly delves into a Chapter's breakdown into Battalions and then further into Companies.

 

As referenced above, the First Legion incorporated all of its specialties or "wings", into its structure. Therefore, each Dark Angel Chapter within the Legion should include each of the six "wings".

 

Originally I thought "Order" represented "Chapter". Then, as the term Chapter was being used, it appeared "Order" was the term for a Dark Angel Company. Now, as the references show, an "Order" is over 5,000 legionnaires. If it was 5,000 exactly, the quote above wouldn't have stated "more than thirty thousand warriors."

 

I chose to divide the six "wings" into 5,000. It doesn't arrive at a very "even" number for unit organization. Rounding down to 4,800 does, but six orders wouldn't be more than 30,000 troops. Rounding up to the next factor of six, 5,400 works better. The result is 900 troops per "wing".

 

Hey, and doesn't the Invincible Reason have a capacity for 900 legionnaires? Why, yes. Yes, it does.

In fact, in several stories, the occasional references for the 9th Order always place them aboard the Invincible Reason with the Lion. No other Order captains or companies are there. This means the Lion has an entire "wing" of his own aboard the flagship. It seems to fit nicely in my opinion.

 

Going one step further, the Lion wouldn't simply limit himself to just one "wing", right? His flagship's personal "wing" should have a range of all six specialized groups at his disposal. This would give a standard size of 150 legionnaires per "wing". Each Dark Angel company would be one and a half times the size of any standard legion company. Again, to me, it suits the First Legion.

 

Although I haven't updated this list for any new units from Horus Heresy Book III: Extermination, here is my speculative list:

 

LEGIO I - DARK ANGELS
1st Chapter, 9th Order - located aboard the flagship Invincible Reason

 

LEGION COMMAND
HQ Legion Primarch Lion El'Jonson
HQ Legion Honour Guard
 

ORDER COMMAND
HQ Legion Praetor of the 9th Order, Captain Alajos
HQ Legion Command Squad - including Corswain, Paladin of the 9th Order
HQ Legion Deathwing Centurion - Sergeant Halguin
HQ Legion Ravenwing Centurion
HQ Legion Ironwing Centurion
HQ Legion Stormwing Centurion
HQ Legion Dreadwing Centurion - Sergeant Redloss
HQ Legion Knightwing Centurion - Sergeant Tragan
 

ORDER APOTHECARIUM (assigned to wings as needed)
EL Legion Apothecarion Detachment (3)
EL Legion Apothecarion Detachment (3)
EL Legion Apothecarion Detachment (3)

 

ORDER MECHANICUM (assigned to wings as needed)
EL Legion Techmarine Covenant (3)
EL Legion Techmarine Covenant (3)
EL Legion Techmarine Covenant (3)
EL Legion Rapier Battery (2)
EL Legion Rapier Battery (2)
EL Legion Rapier Battery (2)

FA Legion Tarantula Sentry Gun Battery (2)

FA Legion Tarantula Sentry Gun Battery (2)

FA Legion Tarantula Sentry Gun Battery (2)

 

DEATHWING (150 legionnaires + dreadnoughts)
EL Legion Terminator Squad (10)
EL Legion Terminator Squad (10)
EL Legion Terminator Squad (10)
EL Legion Terminator Squad (10)
EL Legion Terminator Squad (10)
EL Legion Terminator Squad (10)
EL Legion Terminator Squad (10)
EL Legion Terminator Squad (10)
EL Legion Terminator Squad (10)
EL Legion Veteran Tactical Squad (10)
EL Legion Veteran Tactical Squad (10)
EL Legion Veteran Tactical Squad (10)
EL Legion Veteran Tactical Squad (10)
EL Legion Veteran Tactical Squad (10)
EL Legion Destroyer Squad (10)

EL Legion Dreadnought Talon (?)

EL Legion Contemptor Dreadnought Talon (?)
EL Legion Mortis Dreadnought (?)
EL Legion Mortis Contemptor Dreadnought (?)

 

RAVENWING (150 legionnaires)
FA Legion Outrider Squadron (10)
FA Legion Outrider Squadron (10)
FA Legion Outrider Squadron (10)
FA Legion Outrider Squadron (10)
FA Legion Outrider Squadron (10)
FA Legion Attack Bike Squadron (5 A-BK) (10)
FA Legion Attack Bike Squadron (5 A-BK) (10)

FA Legion Seeker Squad (10)
FA Legion Jetbike Skyhunter Squadron (10)
FA Legion Jetbike Skyhunter Squadron (10)
FA Legion Jetbike Skyhunter Squadron (10)
FA Legion Jetbike Skyhunter Squadron (10)
FA Legion Jetbike Skyhunter Squadron (10)
FA Legion Land Speeder Squadron (5 LS) (10)
FA Legion Land Speeder Javelin Squadron (2)

FA Legion Land Speeder Javelin Squadron (2)

FA Legion Land Speeder Javelin Squadron (2)
FA Legion Storm Eagle Assault Gunship (2)
FA Legion Primaris-Lightning Strike Fighter (2)

 

IRONWING (150 legionnaires - incl. tank crews)
HS Legion Heavy Support Squad (10)
HS Legion Heavy Support Squad (10)
HS Legion Heavy Support Squad (10)
HS Legion Heavy Support Squad (10)
HS Legion Heavy Support Squad (10)
HS Legion Heavy Support Squad (10)
HS Legion Heavy Support Squad (10)
HS Legion Heavy Support Squad (10)
HS Legion Heavy Support Squad (10)
HS Legion Predator Strike Armour Squadron (3 Preds) (6)
HS Legion Predator Strike Armour Squadron (2 Preds) (4)
HS Legion Predator Strike Armour Squadron (2 Preds) (4)
HS Legion Land Raider Battle Squadron (3 Phobos) (6)
HS Legion Land Raider Battle Squadron (3 Proteus) (6)
HS Legion Land Raider Battle Squadron (3 Achilles) (6)
HS Legion Artillery Tank Squadron (3 Basilisk) (6)
HS Legion Artillery Tank Squadron (3 Medusa) (6)
HS Legion Artillery Tank Squadron (3 Whirlwinds) (6)

HS Legion Whirlwind Scorpius (2)
HS Legion Vindicator (2)
HS Legion Spartan Assault Tank (2)

HS Legion Sicaran Battle Tank (2)
HS Legion Caestus Assault Tank (2)

 

STORMWING (150 legionnaires)
TR Legion Assault Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Assault Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Assault Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Assault Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Assault Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Assault Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Despoiler Squad (10)
TR Legion Despoiler Squad (10)
TR Legion Despoiler Squad (10)
 

DREADWING (150 legionnaires)
TR Legion Breacher Siege Squad (20)
TR Legion Breacher Siege Squad (20)
TR Legion Breacher Siege Squad (20)
TR Legion Breacher Siege Squad (20)
TR Legion Breacher Siege Squad (20)
TR Legion Breacher Siege Squad (20)
TR Legion Reconnaissance Squad (10)
TR Legion Reconnaissance Squad (10)
TR Legion Reconnaissance Squad (10)

 

KNIGHTWING (150 legionnaires)
TR Legion Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Tactical Squad (20)
TR Legion Tactical Support Squad (10)
TR Legion Tactical Support Squad (10)
TR Legion Tactical Support Squad (10)

[Saphrael]

Good post Archangel, thanks for taking the time to whip it up.

 

I'd be careful basing too much of your analysis on the numbers provided in the HH series though. There is naturally going to be discrepencies due to author perogative, and we also know some authors put more time and effort into research than others.

 

I think this is the most important aspect of your analysis:

 

 Therefore, each Dark Angel Chapter within the Legion should include each of the six "wings".

 

Because I'm a rotten management consultant and visualise everything in spreadsheets, I see this as a basic matrix, with the orders/chapters as the verticals/columns and the wings as the horizontals/rows. This would mean that each marine would have two designations: his order/chapter and his wing. It also makes sense for how things end up in 40k, with all successors having their own versions of the Wings. At the time of the Second Founding they simply split up the orders/old chapters into the new chapters who keep their wings.

 

The question remains whether the wings will have a concept of veterency in them or if they are just specialties. i.e. are the Deathwing a veteren group you get promoted into it, or is it more like the knightly orders of Caliban with allegience more fixed (until they were subsumed by The Order).

[Ordo Machinum]

Good post Archangel, thanks for taking the time to whip it up.

 

I'd be careful basing too much of your analysis on the numbers provided in the HH series though. There is naturally going to be discrepencies due to author perogative, and we also know some authors put more time and effort into research than others.

 

I think this is the most important aspect of your analysis:

 

 Therefore, each Dark Angel Chapter within the Legion should include each of the six "wings".

 

Thanks, my lists keep me busy while waiting for FW's interpretation of the DA Legion. It's my own "work in progress"

 

I know everything in the books can be subjective. To paraphrase the old saying, "writing is as writing does". It may not be accurate because I am drawing from comments from different books and authors.

 

In addition, I probably aimed the figures to fit a certain way once I considered the Invincible Reason. My fan-boy dream plan was to build the flagship's compliment. Even those estimates may be skewed depending on what the HH authors do next. Who is to say the Lion had all of his Orders equal in size? They were more likely different sizes according to their assigned missions.

 

Hopefully, FW and the HH team will give us a few more morsels.