IX Legion and Blood Angels Chapter Doctrine (lore)

[Indefragable]

Hi all,

 

Looking to start a discussion on what we know (so far) about the combat doctrine and methodologies of first the IX Legion and later the BA as a Chapter.

 

This is less about tactics or strategies on the tabletop (for other threads), but rather about how they appear in the lore and background, both from ForgeWorld and Black Library.

 

According to Lexicanum:

 

" During the Great Crusade, the Blood Angels became known as being excellent shock assault troops, and formed a rivalry with the similarly assault-oriented World Eaters Legion.^[4a] Throughout the Great Crusade, the Blood Angels became renowned for its 'wars of ultimatum'. These campaigns of open domination against non-Compliant worlds began with Sanguinius or one of his praetors affording a world one opportunity to embrace Unification or face a 'Day of Revelation', in which they would suffer the fury of the Blood Angels unleashed. Many foes confronted by the gathered Blood Angels Legion hosts were overcome with dread and awe, and capitulated without hesitation. Those who did not would see the shining countenance of the Angel Sanguinius transformed into savage fury as blinding destruction was delivered from on high."

 

From: http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Blood_Angels#Doctrine_and_Record

 

More from Warhammer 40,000 wiki:

"The IX^th Legion's tactical doctrines were heavily focused on the use of powerful shock assaults to shatter an enemy's resistance in a single, devastating blow. Because of this, flamer and melta weapons were strongly favoured at the tactical level, both because of their effectiveness and ability to provide a fearsome display in action.

Just as the IX^th Legion was famed for its set piece shock assault tactics, so it was also famed for its ability, when pressed, to stand against any that would overwhelm it, no matter the odds and no matter the foe, and even in its death throes, drag its enemies down with it to destruction. To even their brother Legiones Astartes, such feats of resilience sometimes seemed to border on the preternatural and could be laid to no single tactical plan nor doctrine nor biological trait, but rather had their origins within their unshakable will to endure, as if somehow fuelled by the rage and grief wrought in their hearts by the deaths of their battle-brothers. To the Blood Angels themselves, such battles became known as the "days of sorrows", when few would stand against many and sell their lives dearly, their names and deeds to be reborn eternally in the most sacrosanct of the Legion's rites of battle and remembrance. When the bulk of the Legion was missing for many years at Signus-Prime, those few lone ships and garrisons which remained in an Imperium riven by war would find themselves time and again outnumbered by their foes. Many were their own days of sorrow, but far greater was the number of the Traitor foes who died along with them as they passed burning into the night."

 

From: http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Blood_Angels

 

*NOTE: Lexicanum/Wh40k Wiki are not always the best sources for these things, but they are handy and good starting point

 

 

What I find most difficult is that it feels like nearly every faction in the lore is about "wars of ultimatum." I mean, we have the Dark Angels, Iron Warriors, Space Wolves, Night Lords, Blood Angels, Iron Hands, World Eaters, and Salamanders who all in some way, shape, or form, are all about Total Warfare.

 

What I am looking to tease out is how the BA differed from their brother Legions, most especially in terms of doctrine, preferred tactics, unit compositions, and battlefield techniques. How the BA would "screw in a lightbulb" compared to other Legions, if you will.

 

Real world comparisons and historical military examples welcome.

 

Select examples for comparison purposes:

Hidden Content

Iron Hands: Ferrus Manus believed in total application of every asset. There was no such thing as "limited" use of a weapon or unit. Bolter magazines were meant to be emptied, regardless of 1 target or 30, etc...

 

Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus: Horus most famously had his favorite technique of "Going for the Throat." This meant targeting an enemy's command-and-control centers with overwhelming force, cutting off the head so that the thrashing limbs could be dealth with piecemeal. He and his Legion were so effective and famous for this technique that the very flow of the entire Horus Heresy revolved around both sides knowing it was simply a matter of when Horus would strike at the Emperor himself on Terra.

 

White Scars: speed and maneuverability above all else. Under Jaghatai Khan, The V Legion believed in "strike and fade:" never staying tied down in protracted engagement and whittling down the opponent through multiple quick strikes rather than a few overwhelming blows (like the Iron Hands and Sons of Horus). Quite contrary to the chest-thumping culture of almost all of their brother Legions, the Scars believed retreat to be a vital and effective part of warfare as it conserved forces to attack from other angles or to lure opponents into traps.

 

Warhounds/World Eaters: though their methods (de)evolved once reuniting with Angron, the XII Legion was well known for their utter abandon in their assaults, showing little imagination beyond full frontal attack. Casualties on either side were never a concern, though their track record and the speed of their successes was enough to keep outside influences back.

 

Night Lords: brutal, unrelenting, psychological warfare designed to break the enemy's will as fast as his battle lines.

 

[BluejayJunior]

I think the Wars of Ultimatum is more about Sanguinius always giving the planets a final chance to join the Imperium before destroying them than it is about the total war part. 

[Panzer]

Well the one thing Blood Angels are known for is their Shock&Awe style warfare. Dropping in, overwhelming the opponents force and inspirering allied forces.

[Xenith]

I think the BA approach would be most similar to the Luna Wolves, but with elements of the World Eaters (in terms of full frontal assault) and night lords (in terms of breaking the opponents resolve):

 

While the Wolves went for the decapitation, killing the head to let the body wither, the Angels went to break the back of the main resistance in one fell swoop: shatter the body with one blow, and the head will realise it's mistake and decide to stop fighting.

 

This would be generally a full frontal (skyborne/orbital) assault to eliminate key assets, with the rapid destruction forcing early enemy capitulation when they see how hopeless it is to stand against the Angels. 

[Indefragable]

I have been theorizing that the BA had the most in common with the Luna Wolves, but also elements of the Emperor's Children, World Eaters, and yes, even Night Lords.

 

Again, this is me speculating/theorizing what we will see in the upcoming Malevolence.

 

LW: BA and LW have a lot in common, preferring to always attack whenever possible. Indeed, their proclivity for ending conquests as swiftly as possible by applying maximum pressure at the most crucial points certainly made the two Legions quite similar. Certainly they differ from each other, but I can't quite put my finger on exactly how just yet. This is one area I am most interested in learning about come Book 8.

 

EC: focus on individual prowess and professionalism. Where the EC saw this as the pursuit of perfection, the BA saw it as a necessity of their up-close-and-personal style of warfare: the "Little Groups Of Paratroopers" model.

Hidden Content

Historically, LGOP is an officially unofficial method of organization for paratroopers, hard learned from D-Day, Siciliy, Pacific operations, etc... The basic premise is that there are so many ways Murphy's Law shows up in an air drop, airborne troops need to be trained from the very beginning to embrace the chaos rather than fighting to overcome it. When the wind blows your unit off course and scatters equipment everywhere, rather than expending energy trying to get 2nd platoon guys back with 2nd platoon commanders, etc... each paratrooper's mission is to link up with whoever he ends up next to...and then go attack something wearing a different uniform! https://www.gruntworks11b.com/rule-of-little-groups-of-paratroopers-lgops-red-metal-wall-sign/

 

WE: the former War Hounds are the most famous/notorious Legion for their all-out-attack style of warfare. Like a meat cleaver, it is wonderfully unsubtle in execution and effectiveness. Like their similarities and differences with the Luna Wolves, BA espoused similar methods of assault, but on a much more localized and contained fashion. Whereas the WE would have entire companies or armies "Rhino Rush" the enemy to overwhelm him with threat saturation, the BA would perform all-out assaults at the squad or demi-company level against enemy positions isolated, cut-off, and otherwise confounded by the sudden appearance of blood red power armor throughout their lines.

 

NL: and while they would be loath to ever be compared to the Nostraman terror squads, IX Legion tactics often did have similar effects on enemy morale. Having your reinforcements surrounded and annihilated before they even left their base certainly does not help your backbone Likewise, the BA would often perform highly visible strikes to maximize psychological effect. Strikes on symbolic areas of importance would further quickly erode the enemy's will to fight. And this is where, more than other Legion, the BA had an edge: for Sanguinius' very nature as the Angel of Wrath incarnate was enough to empty the bladders of even the staunchest of foes.

[Charlo]

Shock & Awe baby!

 

Alan Bligh (RIP) hinted in a seminar that there is a reason Sanguinius has wings, to really push his image as an Angelic savior/ destroyer appearing from on High to deliver the Emperor's judgement (good or bad!)

 

As others have hinted at, most of the legions work fall under "Compliance" it's just what form that takes.

 

The Blood Angels make a show of it, but it's for awe and inspiration rather than fear or for untamed slaughter of the population. They're fast, they hit hard but it's a virtuous "fight" as opposed to something like the Night Lords would pull - like raining literal corpses onto the Capital City...

 

Pre-Sanguinius cognomen was revealed to be the "Hellriders" too, so hopefully there is something fun in that when it comes to it.

[Indefragable]

Pre-Sanguinius cognomen was revealed to be the "Hellriders" too, so hopefully there is something fun in that when it comes to it.

 

"Hellriders" makes me think of this real world example:

 

Hidden Content

The Marine biker gangs of Afghanistan

https://sofrep.com/9047/marsoc-motorcycle-gangs-in-afghanistan/

[Xenith]

Pre-Sanguinius cognomen was revealed to be the "Hellriders" too, so hopefully there is something fun in that when it comes to it.

Hell riders was just the first chapter, as I remember.

 

We'll find out in time.