Title: The Crusade Chronicles – The Battle of Formal Prime and Operation Newfound
From the annals of Warhammer 40,000 lore, we delve into the epic saga of the 41st Millennium. It was an era marked by the power of the Imperial expeditionary Fleet, with a size so colossal it could blot out the stars. Yet, despite the enormity of the force, the assault on the hostile forces was swift and brutal, reminiscent of lightning strikes.
The first targets of the Imperial onslaught were the planets Lalent and Onar. The defense put up by the hostile forces was meager, and within three solar weeks, both planets fell into Imperial hands. But it was the conquest of Formal Prime that revealed the true scale of the ensuing bloodbath.
Formal Prime was no pushover. The complex terrain and the unwavering fanaticism of the opposition tested the mettle of the Imperial forces. Their initial overconfidence cost them dearly as they faced the zealous followers of Chaos. The attrition rate among the Imperial Guardsmen soared, with nearly 200 soldiers losing their lives for every meter of ground gained.
The stalemate was finally broken by the deployment of the White Scars Space Marines. With their highly mobile assault tactics, they purged the Hive world of the remaining heretics, paving the way for the next phase of the Crusade, codenamed Operation Newfound.
Lord Militant Cbon, too, faced stiff opposition, as reinforcements from Melar and Talis Kant trickled in. Despite fighting a war on two fronts, Cbon executed a brilliant feint withdrawal, drawing the enemy onto his ranged batteries. The use of orbital bombardment, though costly in terms of ground troops, proved pivotal in achieving the operation’s goals.
However, the Crusade’s journey through the Sabbath Worlds was more challenging than initially anticipated by the high echelons of commanders. The Warmaster had to revise his liberation date for the planet Balout 37 times, as fierce and organized resistance continually disrupted the Crusade’s schedule.
The Crusade faced challenges not only from the entrenched populations, often led by charismatic leaders, but also from the Archon’s raider fleets and guerilla forces. These factions executed swift and devastating attacks on the Imperial forward echelons and supply lines, further complicating the Crusade’s progress.
The second phase of the Crusade, Operation Newfound, turned its attention to the liberation of the Newfound Trailing Group. The towering Hive cities of Ashek 2 were the initial target. However, liberating the planet proved to be a Herculean task as the Imperial forces faced the brilliant Heritor Asphodel, who deployed grotesque demonic war engines known as Woe Machines.
After the futile attempts of sending waves of infantry troops against Asphodel’s Woe Machines, Imperial commanders petitioned for heavier support. This call was answered by three brigades of armoured units from the Meran 45th and 2 Nenan Heavy Regiments. The tide of battle began to turn in the favour of the Imperium only when a full-strength squadron of battle Titans from the Collegia Titanica arrived, marking the first significant deployment of Adeptus Mechanicus war engines in the Crusade.
Join us next time as we continue our journey through the Crusader Chronicles, a multi-part series exploring the fascinating and complex world of Warhammer 40,000.
Leave a Reply