Legion Influences // Historical Military Doctrines

[Majorbookworm]

Just to add my 2c to the topic regarding Night Lords. I've always seen them as more along the lines of 'edgy Blood Angels' in terms of their overall combat doctrine. The Fear and terror aspects are important to their identity and culture, but these are more strategic level than tactical. They really only work in a more drawn out conflict against humans who can understand the psychological tactics being employed. Orks aren't going to care if you've dressed up like a black metal band on halloween, because skulls/body parts being 'icky' or 'scary' is simply outside their cultural frame of reference. The VIII Legion's tactics were intended to assist in retaining or restoring the compliance of conquered worlds, rather than achieving it in the first place. In that situation the legion doesn't really have time to introduce itself to a target population and establish a reputation, they're just there to kick the crap out of any standing military and move on to the next system. This is where the comparison to ISIS falls short, but the Dirlewanger brigade is a good one, though also imperfect considering that the NL's operate first and foremost as a reasonably conventional military force, rather than a sort of glorified police force in occupied territory. At a tactical level their signature 'scariness' is much less likely to come into play (though it makes more sense in the 40k setting, because their main targets are other humans), and so when looking at their practical combat preferences they end up looking more like the BA's IMO, with a preference for jump assault units and 'shock and awe' mechanised attacks.

[Laughingman]

^ I agree for the most part, though I would argue fear and terror aspect of the 8th legion has more in common with cartel violence in Latin America the anything else (Los Zeta in particular come to mind as they seem to prefer to grotesque violence to other methods of "persuasion" like bribery or blackmail ).

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

It started off well enough, but the death spiral has already begun and I'm a fan of euthanasia by melta to the back of the head.

 

http://i.imgur.com/u9yQtVs.gif