Iron Gauntlet 2020: Index Imperialis: Cantorellian 23rd

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

The Cantorellian 23rd

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Cantorellian Guardsman in Standard Duty Uniform

Date:...............072.046M42
Ref:................LBC//DAI
By:.................Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch
Re:.................Astra Militarum - Cantorellian 23rd
Thought:........."The Ocean is relentless. So are we."
A curious hybrid regiment, the Cantorellian 23rd is an all-male unit, with twinned focuses of Sentinels and mechanized combat.

Origins of the Cantorellian 23rd

Founding:
The regiment was founded in 200M37, ready and capable to take the fight to the Emperors enemies among the stars, as their predecessors had also done. Designated as Mechanized Infantry regiment and equipped for amphibious assault operations, the Cantorellian 23rd prepared to move out.

 

First Campaign:

In 202 M37, after a period of training and preparation, the Cantorellian 23rd was deployed to the desert planet of Arkanit, a critical mining planet that sourced material for a nearby forgeworld, that had come under assault by the perfidious Eldar for reasons unknown. The planet was subject to a multiregimental war, with Imperial forces scattered across the planet in an effort to deny territory to the Eldar, secure mining facilities, and find the xeno base of operations. Once they arrived in-system, the 23rd was deployed as security for a Valhallan rocket artillery regiment that came under frequent attack, at a base in the middle of nowhere, where the Valhallans were well-positioned to shell any battlegrounds anywhere they chose.

However, once the Cantorellians had spent some time on the planet, they began to chafe at the lack of combat that they were undergoing. The Valhallans, miserable as they were under the blazing heat of the desert, at least could and did engage in battle, launching volleys of rockets intermittently at Eldar actions for fire support. The Cantorellians, though, did not see combat at all for more than three months, outside of blunting scouting parties of only a few Windriders. Thus, aching for battle and a way to prove his regiment as both capable and fearsome, the Colonel devised a plan to get some, and perhaps end the conflict.

When next the Eldar scouting parties arrived at the artillery base, expecting only the furious but measured reprisal that usually greeted them, the Windriders were instead greeted by a hail of flushing fire and the roar en masse of Chimeras and Valkyries spinning up their engines for a pursuit. Quickly turning about, the Eldar began to flee, chased by the growling machines of the Cantorellian 23rd. Following an hourslong chase to the edge of the continent, towards the planets sole ocean, with the Chimeras of the Guard following behind and the Valkyries of the Stormtroopers tracking the Eldar from above, the Windriders turned out over the ocean, seeking to lose the Cantorellians. Undeterred, the Cantorellians charged into the ocean, their Chimeras rigged as usual for amphibious operations. The eldar quickly departed, running along the coast in an effort to ditch their pursuers. However, with the air cover of the Tempestus' gunships, the Eldar could not escape the view of the Imperium.

The Eldar were tracked to a cave system some one hundred miles up the coast, where they disappeared from aerial view. With hardly any hesitation, once they arrived the Chimeras of the 23rd drove headlong into defensive fire onto the beach, offloading their contents into what became a brutal cave fight that lasted for several hours, turned in the Imperiums favor with the arrival of the Tempestus by way of a hidden passage to the surface, just large enough for a man, outflanking and destroying the eldar webway gate that they used to reinforce their troops, as well as an escape point. After another hour or two of intense fighting, the Eldar were subdued and defeated, with moderate casualties on the part of the Imperials, including 10 percent of the Tempestus force.

At the conclusion of the campaign, which mainly involved cleanup of the remaining forces and investigating in the Eldars goal on the planet--a task left to the capable hands of the Inquisition--the Colonel was commended for his quick thinking, and then assigned to a Generals staff command, where his bright ideas could be filtered through Imperial bureaucracy to prevent more such harebrained schemes like abandoning ones allies on a chase for glory. The Major was promoted to fill his place, and he went on to lead the regiment in several more uneventful campaigns before succumbing to an Eldar Brightlance when his command vehicle exploded.

 

362.M39: In a rare stroke of Munitorum competence, the Cantorellian 23rd find themselves deployed to wipe out a chaos uprising on an ocean planet known for its undersea promethium reserves. The 23rd, with support from the Cantorellian 31st Armored, find themselves instrumental in staging an amphibious assault on the heretics main base, crushing it in a concentrated blow after three months of Naval bombardment.

 

739M41: The Cantorellian 23rd find themselves under attack by a Necron raider force while on Garrison duty on an Adeptus Mechanicus forgeworld. The 23rd will drive them off, with heavy casualties. They will not see the Necrons again in the lifetime of any man in the regiment.

 

992M41: The Merging
Deployed to the hive world of Varru IV as part of a defensive task force, in preparation for a Tyranid invasion. Not a week after the regiments arrival, and with hardly any time to spare before the Tyranid fleet darkens the Mandeville point of the Varrunis system, a Genestealer Cult uprising took place, throwing Varru IV into chaos. As a recently arrived regiment, the 23rd was one of the few units completely uninfected, they spent several days policing and eliminating infected Guard regiments. One regiment, a Sentinel regiment, from the world of Dolrunus, had approximately half of its regiment infected with genestealer infestation due to its prolonged stay on Varru IV, in support of a Knightly house from Dolrunus. After clearing the remaining genestealers from the command structure, only about a third remained after the regimental infighting. The 23rd took command of the situation, absorbing the Dolrunus regiment into their table of organization. After the fighting was over, and the tyranids were driven off, the Cantorellian 23rd permanently absorbed the Dolrunus regiment, adding several Sentinel squadrons to their ranks, along with a hefty cache of bionics and other mechanicus tools. The 23rd requested an official redesignation from the Cantorellian gubernatorial house, who granted both the change from Mechanized to Mechanized-Sentinel and a commensurate equipment increase. The Cantorellian 23rd then spent a few years on a munitorum training planet, establishing command and control protocols, combined tactics, and a plethora of other integration exercises, resulting in an almost-seamless regiment at the end of it.

 

012.M42: Swimming in Shark-Infested Waters
The Cantorellian 23rd, recently having acquired Commissar Nykkole Jayn, is attacked in transit by a Necron warship. The 23rds transport ships were boarded, but the attackers were repelled at heavy cost, and the warship itself was driven off by a Dawn Blades Battle Barge, bearing three companies of Astartes. Following a three month campaign, the 23rd with support of the Dawn Blades tracks down and destroys the moon base that the warship came from. The 23rd then returns to Cantorellia for resupply, with promise of future cooperation between the two organizations.

Organization

The 23rd operates nominally at 8 companies, broken down into three Sentinel companies, four mechanized infantry companies, and a headquarters company. However, due to manpower constraints, one company, usually the 8th, is typically critically undermanned, and only nominally available for combat operations. Any men in this company are usually assigned to the Headquarters company for additional security, liaison work, specialist work, and additional bodies where needed. It is a rare day indeed when all 8 companies are at full fighting strength.
The Headquarters company houses much of the Regimental support staff, as well as a Militarum Tempestus stormtrooper platoon, courtesy of the Cantorellian gubernatorial house, which mandated that each regiment would maintain such a force, and granted by gubernatorial decree the necessary rights and equipment for such. It also liaises with other Imperial organizations, and typically finds itself in command of or acting in concert with armored assets, abhuman auxiliary units, and whatever other assets are in theatre and available for deployment with the Cantorellian 23rd.

Homeworld and Cultural Influence

Cantorellia is an ocean world, with far less landmass than any other habitable planet in the system and subsector. Despite the disadvantages the planet poses to Imperial supremacy, it has done well for itself in the six millennia since it has been settled. Imperial governance has turned the disadvantages of the planet into vast resources, using the many fish and other seafood to supply food for other planets, and taking vast quantities of water from the planet's oceans to other planets, for hydration purposes, industrial uses, or weapons production, whatever is needed. In order to balance the loss of water versus the needs of the planet for water, excess elemental gas from other planets is transported to Cantorellia, where chemical processes and arcane sciences turn the gas back into the liquid that all human life requires. In addition to seafood and water, the planet also exports men, as all Imperial planets do, in the Imperial Tithe. So it was in early M37 that the Cantorellian 23rd was tithed and created, designated an amphibious assault/mechanized infantry regiment of two thousand men.

Cantorellian regiments are often exported with enough dried, tinned seafood to keep them fed for decades or more, with regular shipments in resupply and reinforcement convoys. As a result of this, few find Cantorellians anything approaching pleasant to be around, with the smell of fish always permeating their breath and their equipment.

However, when called upon for formal events or to host high-ranking Imperial officials, the regiment's cooks find themselves capable of what they consider to be great feats of oceanic delicacy, and most who dine with the regiment's officers at such events would tend to agree, though there are some dishes that no one but Cantorellians will touch. On special events, like Founding Day or the conclusion of a major campaign, the rank and file of the regiment will partake in these feasts, but these events are rare, and never occur more than once or twice a year.

Combat Doctrine

-armored sentinel platoons will generally provide outrider support to mechanized columns
-scout sentinels tend to outflank the enemy, as well as provide reconnaissance to the regiment. they work to drive the enemy to a battle with the regiment's main formation, for hammer and anvil maneuvers
-due to their homeworld's watery state, the Cantorellian 23rd, and all Cantorellian regiments, are adept at amphibious warfare, though the addition of walkers does tend to complicate matters, with limited waterproofing equipment available to the regiment, one or two companies usually have to be airdropped into the battlezone or shipped on dedicated barges to ensure they reach shore
-in concordance with typical Imperial Doctrine concerning mechanized units, the 23rd is often deployed alongside armored regiments to provide assistance in whatever manner is needed. One regiment that the 23rd deploys alongside with somewhat unusual frequency is the Cantorellian 31st Armored
-due to their relationship with their homeworld, where it is a constant struggle between the ocean and its inhabitants, where giving up is fruitless and often permanent, Cantorellian regiments almost never surrender or retreat, and rarely have disciplinary issues when it comes to desertion. As a result, a typical unit will only have two or three commissars. The 23rd has two, one at the regimental level, and one to oversee the first company.

Personnel

Author

Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch is the commanding officer (Daimyo, by chapter tradition due to his membership in the Samurai company prior to his officer posting) of the Dawn Blades Second Company, and renowned across the chapter for successfully penetrating the Necron tomb world of Seranon to retrieve several Adeptus Mechanicus Magi, at great cost to his company and in spite of the burning enmity between the chapter and the Adeptus Mechanicus. He also succeeded in stealing several pieces of Necron technology for study and analysis by chapter Techmarines and Legio scientists. The moniker 'Phaeron' was added to his title after this feat, in mocking of the Necrons he had defeated--he was their Phaeron, their master. A capable swordsman and a skilled tactician, he fought for four decades in the Dawn Blades Samurai Company before ascending to the rank of Daimyo following the death of the Second Comapny's previous commander. He visits the Legio Fortress on occasion, though how he is capable is currently unknown by the Legio, as his Strike Cruiser was last noted on the far side of the Noctis Aeterna.

<<description of the regiment's typical personnel and its TO+E>>
-due to their deep. intrinsic relationship with their homeworld, where it is a constant struggle between the ocean and its inhabitants, where giving up is fruitless and often permanent, Cantorellian regiments almost never surrender or retreat, and rarely have disciplinary issues when it comes to desertion. As a result, a typical Cantorellian unit will only have two or three commissars. The 23rd has two, one at the regimental level, and one to oversee the first company.

Most Guardsmen of the 23rd have, as is typical, a deep tan or dark skin, as the sun beats down harsh on the people of Cantorellia. A tiny minority of the regiment, however, boasts a pale, almost pasty skin, from those few men tithed who spend their whole lives belowdecks on ship, or in the massive desalination plants that line the oceans of Cantorellia

Many of the Guardsmen spent much of their formative years on fishing boats, and grow up strong and swarthy, with mouths to match. While most Guard regiments have the typical Gothic lexicon of swears and curses, when angered Cantorellian troopers will often spill forth a tide of invective that can leave other Imperials gobsmacked at the impropriety. On rare occasions, when in conflict with xeno forces capable of understanding the tirade, some Cantorellian soldiers have been known to frighten their enemies with their creative and crude use of language, and the sheer anger that backstops the words.


Cantorellian troopers are issued three types of uniforms, though only two of them, the combat uniform and duty uniform, are worn on anything approaching a regular basis. The combat uniform consists of a set of fatigues and flak armor with a blue, light blue, and sand-color camouflage pattern. The duty uniform is a monochrome blue, with a hat to match (attached to this datafile please find an image of a Cantorellian trooper in duty uniform). The dress uniform is a deep ocean blue, with sky-blue highlight and trim, and some gold detail for those of the rank of sergeant, captain, or above, for enlisted and officer respectively. The dress uniform is required for high-profile events like Founding Day, as well as parades, victory celebrations, and is authorized for use outside of these events, but the opportunities for such are quite rare, as the Cantorellian 23rd spends little time in civilian sectors, as befits a regiment of the Imperial Guard and its duties.
 

The Dolrunus regiment, upon their subsuming into the 23rd, brought with them a cache of both bionics and Skitarii weaponry. Such equipment is often given to those troopers who prove themselves worthy of such tools of war, most often veterans and sergeants. Certain line troops who distinguish themselves in battle or discipline may earn the right to carry such arms into battle, or receive a replacement body part if circumstances necessitate it.

Notable Personnel

-Colonel Zevan Zenara: Current commanding officer of the Cantorellian 23rd Mechanized/Sentinel Regiment. Lost his left arm in an ork Kommando attack on his regimental Command Post. Despite his wounds, and with the aid of a young medic who saved his life, Zevan proceeded to dispatch most of the ork assailants, before the quick-reaction force was able to respond and deal with the threat. Fitted for an augmetic arm from the regimental cache shortly afterward, and awarded the Medallion Crimson at the conclusion of the campaign.
-Major Crysis Rand: Second in command of the Cantorellian 23rd, and very much a man of the line troops. Spends much of his time with the rank-and-file of the regiment, ensuring they are in good fighting trim and capable of completing their mission. I suspect more than six in ten men of the regiment would take a lasbolt for him, which in my experience is a ratio far in excess of most Guard forces and commanding officers.
-Captain Candon 'Kanner' Broklaw: Great grand-nephew of General Ruput Broklaw of 597th Valhallan Ice Warriors fame, the Captain commands the Sentinel forces of the 23rd, often leading the charge in his own walker. Earned his nickname from the sheer number of Killa Kans he destroyed in close quarters with his Sentinel chainsaw--or so I'm told. Guard tales are so often sensationalized, and I haven't the time to attempt to ferret out the truth. Nonetheless, he is a competent commander, though he does have a bit of a wild streak.
-Regimental Colour Sergeant Lawrence James: To attempt to describe the Regimental Colour Sergeant is a notably difficult task, primarily due to his reticence to answer any inquiries that are not directly related to the mission at hand. This includes, but is not limited to: his favored hobbies; his preferred alcoholic beverage; anything about his family (or lack thereof); questions of his preferred devotional prayer; where and how he acquired the swagger stick he uses as a melee weapon, despite having been issued a chainsword; what hes doing that evening, and would the sergeant like to have a meal with the Astartes officer asking him the question. However, when a reasonable concern is brought to him, the Regimental Colour Sergeant ensures it is taken care of, be it additional supplies from the quartermaster, questions of enlisted morale, tactical and strategic guidance for new officers, or simply a man who backs up his men over outsiders. Not many soldiers like the RCM as a person (mostly owed to the fact he hardly allows himself to exist as a person), but I have not met a man in the regiment who does not respect the RCM.
-Regimental Commissar Nykkole Muran: Currently the chief commissar for the Cantorellian 23rd. She is new to the unit as of this writing, within the last five years. Her predecessor was killed in an unfortunate danger close accident--or so it's claimed by those few troops I've been able to speak of. Wields an heirloom power lance entrusted to her Scholam by her father, and has an augmetic eye from a stray lasbolt, gained while fighting a rebellion on her first posting with a Cadian unit two years before her transfer to the 23rd. While she is not well-liked, and carries a harsh demeanor, she is generally regarded as a fair disciplinarian, according to Militarum guidelines.
-Lieutenant Cythos: Personal aide to Commissar Muran, and the second of two females in the entire regiment. She requested a transder to the 23rd to serve as Commissar Muran's adjutant, following the pair meeting on a Munitorum hub planet. Her mother was a decorated tank commander in the Cantorellian 31st Armored regiment, who earned commendation for a decisive maneuver that turned the tide against a horde of chaos cultists. Lt. Cythos herself is quite the hero as well, according to the citation I pulled from regimental records, indicating a fervent assault against tyranid swarms even after her unit was almost entirely wiped out, earning among other planetary honors the Triple Skull, as one of four surviving members of the Cantorellian 151st Infantry Regiment (citation attached). No one knows her first name, and it is not listed on any of her medal citations, promotion warrant, medical records, or personnel rosters. Nevertheless, it appears she manages to navigate the regiment skillfully and without issue, being both immediately recognizable and with some degree of Commissarial authority, in addition to her own rank.
-Private Jones Mellenkamp: Though it pains me to do so, I suppose I must at least mention my attache for the impending campaign. He seems eager to please, but for Throne's sake the boy is hardly 18 standard years old. Manpower may be the Solis-Imperator's currency, but I'm not sure this note is worth spending right now. A couple of years, perhaps, and he'll be a proper soldier. But not quite yet.
 

Personal Notes

I have observed that an air of tension exists between the Mechanicum priests and support personnel and the command staff of the regiment. From what I have learnt of the Sentinel regiment's homeworld, the underlings don't trust the higher-ups very much, and when the 23rd absorbed the other regiment, they absorbed certain cultural norms as well. Cantorellian tradition demands absolute loyalty to those in command, as it is the only way to survive. Dolrunus tradition dictates absolute loyalty to those in command by force and on pain of punishment. The command staff orders them on expectation, and the Dolrunus men and mechanicus personnel obey out of fear. Commissar Tred Pond, deceased about fifteen years now, was a large part of ensuring that there was some modicum of understanding between the factions, though I understand he may have eaten an 'accidental' mortar shred shortly after beginning the integration work--I'm given to understand he was not well liked.

Interaction with the Legio

currently none
-one private jones mellankamp as an aide-de-camp, advisor, and envoy between myself and the 23rd for an upcoming campaign.

Related Articles

Currently none. Will update as further intelligence arrives at the Legio.

Placeholder removed. Enough ideas in place now. Edited May 16, 2020 by Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch

[Ace Debonair]

Looks good so far, I'm a sucker for oceanic worlds in general, so I'm interested to see how the regiment develops.

 

I'm also just going to float (hah) the idea of seafloor-walking Sentinels for underwater ops out there if you need a way of integrating walkers into your regiment's combat doctrines.

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

I could certainly see the armored sentinels integrating that into their combat doctrines...after all, the 21st had several millennia to figure it out. They've only recently (last 100 years or so) integrated into the 23rd. I can see the colonel having some issues trying to work things out, but then having the major pipe up with the idea, and mention that they do have the capability. Even for an amphibious regiment, the idea of going *on* the sea floor instead of above the sea might be difficult to process. Excellent idea, I'll see what I can do to integrate it.

 

Also, with regards to the men of the regiment, because i meant to write this down but didn't earlier. They swear like sailors because, for the most part, they were sailors, before they get tithed.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Do Cantorellian regiments operate an amphibious battle tank- maybe a Leman Russ turret shoehorned into the Chimera hull- for mid-range fire support? Hellhound flame tanks with the amphibious capabilities restored (IIRC, the Hellhound uses a Chimera hull with enlarged engines in the passenger compartment, sacrificing transport capacity for speed)? An amphibious variant of the Sentinel, maybe with propellers at the hips?

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Pretty much all Cantorellian regiments ar optimized for amphibious operations...that said, I hadn't given proper thought to every bit of that. The allied military used quite a few amphibious tanks in WW2, perhaps I can do something similar by attaching a float skirt (of whatever they were called) to a Leman Russ.

The 23rd is usually accompanied by a squadron from the 31st Armored, so its certainly not out of the question.

 

Same could be done for hellhounds, though I'm not planning on including any in the army I build. I might do it for a Chimera if I get one during the challenge.

 

I'm not sure about propellers, but I am taking underwater sentinels into consideration.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

If you don't mind using 3rd party models, the Dust tabletop war game has kits for an amphibious, two-legged walker, the Cobra (whose phaser can count as a lascannon) and the Rattler (whose dual antiaircraft guns can count as an autocannon).

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Thanks for the idea, but i think a walker triple the price of a sentinel, esp. already painted, is a tad out of budget.

I may take inspiration for the design, though.

[UtariOnzo]

Interesting concept, though I disagree the use of walkers would strictly be 'difficult' to operate alongside mechanised forces. We already utilise light infantry formations to screen mechanised and armoured thrusts at key objectives, and Sentinels could easily outpace troopers doing that job on foot. So, in my mind, they really fit the bill as an 'up-armed' light infantry scouting and screening force that frankly would work wonders alongside the chimeras and battle tanks.

Aside from that, so far so good.

[Trokair]

I second the idea of underwater walking Sentinels.

 

Alternatively how about having the Sentinel component come from a different regiment from a different planet that got absorbed. If memory serves in the Tanith books at one point the Tanith 1^st is merged with another depleted regiment.  

 

I played around with an idea years ago for a hovercraft based mechanized guard regiment, so how about having actual hovercraft chimera variants as well as more normal chimeras. The new AdMech tank might work for this (or for water adapted heavy tanks).

 

Would it work for you to have a IG fluff but AdMech rules for the actual army?

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Interesting concept, though I disagree the use of walkers would strictly be 'difficult' to operate alongside mechanised forces. We already utilise light infantry formations to screen mechanised and armoured thrusts at key objectives, and Sentinels could easily outpace troopers doing that job on foot. So, in my mind, they really fit the bill as an 'up-armed' light infantry scouting and screening force that frankly would work wonders alongside the chimeras and battle tanks.

 

Aside from that, so far so good.

Well, I'm no military expert, and screening elements were something I had not considered. That little bit of doctrinal friction is either going to go away, or be relegated strictly to ocean-launched operations.

 

I second the idea of underwater walking Sentinels.

 

Alternatively how about having the Sentinel component come from a different regiment from a different planet that got absorbed. If memory serves in the Tanith books at one point the Tanith 1^st is merged with another depleted regiment.  

 

I played around with an idea years ago for a hovercraft based mechanized guard regiment, so how about having actual hovercraft chimera variants as well as more normal chimeras. The new AdMech tank might work for this (or for water adapted heavy tanks).

 

Would it work for you to have a IG fluff but AdMech rules for the actual army?

 

Likely not. I have one of the hover tanks, but it's earmarked for another project, and there's plenty of real-world history of amphibious armored vehicles (plus, those tanks are 75 dollarydoos a pop--i'll take a much cheaper Chimera any time.

I'll consider the absorbed sentinel regiment being from another planet instead of another Cantorellian regiment. Could make for some interesting history as they absorb and integrate. The absorbed regiment is going to be very much subservient and erased from existence, due to their infection by a GSC, which could lead to an interesting power dynamic.

[Gederas]

 Interesting idea for a Regiment, you don't usually see many amphibious specialists. So I like it just for that fact alone.

 

 

I second the idea of underwater walking Sentinels.

 

Alternatively how about having the Sentinel component come from a different regiment from a different planet that got absorbed. If memory serves in the Tanith books at one point the Tanith 1^st is merged with another depleted regiment.  

 

I played around with an idea years ago for a hovercraft based mechanized guard regiment, so how about having actual hovercraft chimera variants as well as more normal chimeras. The new AdMech tank might work for this (or for water adapted heavy tanks).

 

Would it work for you to have a IG fluff but AdMech rules for the actual army?

Likely not. I have one of the hover tanks, but it's earmarked for another project, and there's plenty of real-world history of amphibious armored vehicles (plus, those tanks are 75 dollarydoos a pop--i'll take a much cheaper Chimera any time.

Depending on the size, the Skorpius Disintegrator could work as a Leman Russ variant perhaps? Or possibly a Macharius?

[Trokair]

Fair enough, they are expensive these new kits.

 

Some internal regimental tension can make for some great cahracer development for the regiment.

 

I would suggest that while the sentinel regiment gets absorbed and mostly takes on the Cantorellian culture over time there should be some small cultural flows in the other direction, setting the 23 apart from other Cantorellian regiments.

[Dosjetka]

Diving straight in:

-deployed first to desert world with little ocean, base security for a valhallan detachment against eldar.

The Valhallans must've really suffered in the heat. Any reason why they got sent to a desert world? Perhaps clarify the sheer necessity and lack of alternatives? Then again, given the levels of discomfort the Valhallans must've gone through, wouldn't it have made more sense that the Cantorellians be used as the main fighting force and have the Valhallans on security?
 

-colonel decides to sally forth after a scouting party and chase the eldar to the ocean, where they thought to flee.

Perhaps you could give a bit more context to this: it's unusual that a unit on sentry duty would give chase to the enemy. Why did the Colonel think it was a good idea to do so on this occasion? What factors led him to conclude it would be a victorious or at the very least worthy affair?
 

-two main exports are food and men, sparing what food they can from the oceans and what men they can from the fishing boats

Another additional export could simply be the water from the vast oceans. There are plenty of worlds where the water isn't clean enough to drink, there is no water, or where the technology level simply isn't high enough to purify enough of the water to meet the needs of the local populace. Water also has many uses in industry so that could be another destination for the highly valuable H2O.
 

-mechanized/sentinel makes it somewhat difficult at times to coordinate, especially when a new commander takes over, but the regiment has generally found a way to make it work

Given the fast movement of the Sentinels (which are mechanised, and armoured), what kind of issues arise that make coordination difficult?
 

-due to their homeworld's watery state, the Cantorellian 23rd, and all Cantorellian regiments, are adept at amphibious warfare, though the addition of walkers does tend to complicate matters.

While Sentinels in their current form are unlikely to be able to operate in deep water, there is always other land-based roles they can fulfill, such as securing an area where the Chimeras can emerge post-submersion, acting as a comms relay between land-based transmissions and underwater ones, stopping further reinforcements to any underwater enemy forces, etc. I don't see their inclusion as being that much of an issue.
 
Last but not least, what are the drawbacks of this regiment? What challenges do they face and what traits of theirs affect their ability to operate in a combat environment? Does their stubbornness account for an increased amount of human losses perhaps?

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Asking the hard-hitting questions, aren't you, Dos? ^_^ All is fodder before the Iron Gauntlet!

 

 

 

-deployed first to desert world with little ocean, base security for a valhallan detachment against eldar.

The Valhallans must've really suffered in the heat. Any reason why they got sent to a desert world? Perhaps clarify the sheer necessity and lack of alternatives? Then again, given the levels of discomfort the Valhallans must've gone through, wouldn't it have made more sense that the Cantorellians be used as the main fighting force and have the Valhallans on security?

This is half a joke poking at the Administratum/Munitorum's incompetence by sending an ice regiment to a desert world, but also half because it's a thing they actually do. Sure, the Valhallans were uncomfortable. Bossman don't care. There were more details before I accidentally fat-fingered a control-left into an alt-left and erased a bunch of progress, but the long and short of it is the Valhallans were the ones in-theater, with less equipment to get invariably :screwed up by sand etc. (there may or may not have been some unfortunate enemy action against the regiment's commissars that prevented them from enforcing uniform standards)

 

 

-colonel decides to sally forth after a scouting party and chase the eldar to the ocean, where they thought to flee.

Perhaps you could give a bit more context to this: it's unusual that a unit on sentry duty would give chase to the enemy. Why did the Colonel think it was a good idea to do so on this occasion? What factors led him to conclude it would be a victorious or at the very least worthy affair?

There were more fleshed out details in the computer error of the chase itself, but much of it stemmed from the officer's hotheadedness and desire to impress. He got sick and tired of sitting in base for months on end, and decided that the eldar's (sensible) habit of never sticking around for a sustained engagement was prolonging the war unnecessarily, and that it was time to change that. While it worked, it was risky and not very favored with the general in the system, who decided to reward the Colonel with a promotion up and out of a regimental position where he couldn't do as much damage. The Colonel as I envision him was quite insecure in both himself and in his regiment, and decided that a good, bloody battle would be a great thing for his chest candy and his regiment (but mostly himself. He wants to live up to the honor of being the first commander of a new regiment). Afterwards he was promoted to a nice cushy staff position and was never heard from again.

 

-water: This is an excellent point. I had completely forgotten that water is a valuable resource all its own. I'm envisioning massive desalination plants and shipping ports, and maybe a Mechanicum platform to synthesize useful compounds somewhere in-system. Perhaps they tithe workers to the guard in return for better rates on the water. Or perhaps not.

 

-As to your two points about sentinels, much of my confusion about sentinels and mechanized comes from the fact that while I like to read about militaries, I do not actually have and practical experience with tactics etc. I think UtariOnzo touched on much of the same stuff. I'll be changing this part to reflect your advice.

 

As to their drawbacks, stubbornness certainly will lead to a loss of life.

Another, perhaps more flavorful drawback, is that at sea, the captain is second only to the Emperor. The idea carries over into regimental command structures, where the commanding officers are trusted above all, and almost never questioned. This can include army-level superiors, where bad orders from generals or army group commanders can and will order the regiments into bad situations and other such situations. This can clash with their stubbornness, wherein they might be ordered to retreat, but their nature against such an action might cause moments of confusion that can cost lives. It all depends on the officer or noncom in command, for that.

 

Now, having handled Dos's comments, an idea I had for the sentinel regiment that merged with the 23rd during that annoying GSC uprising.

I was thinking about having them be from a Knight World, which would provide some interesting interplay with the regiments--one fiercely independent, as sailors can be, and one rather subservient, as I would imagine many serfs et al of Knights and the Mechanicus would be. It would inject some cultural difference into the regiment, and also give me a use and excuse for the various skitarii bits I have left over from another project.

Thoughts on the viability of this? I know almost nothing of the Knights Imperialis, so I could be totally off the mark in having them have regiments.

[Trokair]

A thought on having the sentinels come for ma Knightly world, it seems fitting to have a walker regiment from a world that deals with walkers as its main combat force that said the first idea that spring to my mind (and the other side of that coin) have to do with the social aspect of such a background).

 

On the one had the nobles in command of the Knights, and their squires/pilots in training in Armigers, are like to see the Sentinel pilots as commoner as acting above their station and will hold them in disdain/contempt and similar. This could also lead the ‘common’ folk to view the nobility or any authority figure to far above their own with distrust which could carry over to a distrust of the higher command levels of the Guard.

 

Another common aspect of Knightly world culture is the strong emphasis of chivalry and related ideals and it stand to reason that this would have filtered through to the Sentinel pilots. This could set up some cultural issues when combined with the Sailor/maritime culture.

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

You raise some interesting points, Trokair, and some that I think may play into tension between the regiment's troops and the mechanicus guys, who I imagine will have subsumed any techpriests and augmented troopers into a little clique, if you will. I very much doubt they like Commissars much, and I don't think either Muran or her counterpart will like them much either.

 

Now I have more to write on, and about. My thanks, Trokair!

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Right, I think this is about done! clocking in at 3300 words, give or take, and a lot of it in the history section.