Escalian Mountaineers

Planetary insignia worn by all Escalian regiments

Equipment illustration from the Escalian Mountaineers training manual. Shown is the summer pattern. For the winter pattern the white and green are reversed.

## Regimental Data

### **Active**

13-15 Mountaineer Regiments as of 110.M42

### **Motto**

"Death and Glory!" (Many Regiments also use "Escalia Forever!" following the Planet's fall)

## Other information

### **Heavy Weapons**

Primarily Heavy Stubbers, Mortars and Missile Launchers

### **Special Weapons**

Grenade Launchers and Sniper Rifles

"*Choss!*"
—Common Escalian curse

The **Escalian Mountaineers** are Alpine specialists from the now-destroyed civilised/mountain world of Escalia. They are smaller regiments equipped and trained primarily to deal with high altitude environments. They are otherwise unremarkable regiments, and are generally viewed by all involved as primarily a gateway into the more prestigious Airborne regiments. Following the destruction of their homeworld by Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan, it is believed only thirteen to fifteen Mountaineer regiments exist as of 110.M42.

## Background

Every Escalian Imperial Guardsman began their lives as soldiers within the ranks of their homeworld's Planetary Defence Forces, learning basic weapon and survival skills, as well as the discipline to stand guard on city walls in extremely low temperatures and driving precipitation. This time was also used to educate the men on basic small unit tactics and the Imperial Creed, and provided an opportunity to spot potential high-achievers. Expeditions into the mountains were common, and provided the skills necessary to survive their initial training for the guard. Equipment was poor, with few heavy weapons or fighting vehicles. PDF troopers could expect to serve with little more than a padded coat and a bolt-action rifle of local manufacture.

### Training

Most PDF members would at some point be offered a position with the Imperial Guard, a posting which in all but the most extreme cases, would be with a regiment of the Escalian Mountaineers. Since the world was not a wealthy one, it could not afford a great range of vehicular support and equipment, and since it was not a heavily populated one, it could not bring enough men together to produce infantry regiments. Therefore, its regiments played on the skills their home provided, armed with little more than lasguns optimised for long range, and situationally with a supplementary oxygen tank, these men were expected to fight in low oxygen, over rough terrain and in the bitter cold without support for months. They were effective guerrillas and survivalists, and were generally used to harass enemy forces and deny flanking routes.

Training would generally take place over a single winter, as the new regiment was marched up a mountain, just high enough for the lowlanders among them to become breathless and pass out easily. There they would make base camp, and could expect to deal with temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees, along with roaring winds and zero visibility. They were then acclimatised, through long hikes, becoming jogs, and finally building up to runs, or at least as fast as one can run through knee-deep snow. Teams were regularly sent to summit nearby peaks, in order to gain experience with their oxygen equipment, and for the highlanders to experience hypoxia. Long patrols would be sent out, expected to last weeks, with the task of finding and dealing with avalanche threats.

Fortifications were dug, and weapon specialists were trained in the use of their visibility-enhancing optics. When the whole gruelling season was finally over, each man was expected to earn the title of Mountaineer by hiking the Tyddeman trail, cresting Mount Tyddeman, the highest peak on the planet and a holy site. The survivors would then be assigned to a regiment and shipped out, spending the trip in extremely low-oxygen compartments to preserve their acclimatisation, and conducting weapon exercises. Only after having proved themselves more than capable in actual combat would Guardsmen then be considered for further training and a place in an Airborne regiment.

## Regiment Organisation

An Escalian Mountaineer regiment consisted of 10 Companies (A through J), each of 8 Platoons (1 through 8) composed of 5 squads (1 through 5) of 15 men. Each Platoon and Company was headed by a 5 man command squad, and the entire Regiment was headed by a 10 man command squad. This makes a total of 6,460 men per regiment, not including appended specialists and logistical personnel. Each man therefore had a reference code made up of the above. For example the fourth guardsman of squad 2, platoon 3, Company J in the 32nd Regiment would be documented as "Guardsman J324 32nd Escalian Mountaineers". Command squads are denoted as 0, so our Guardsman's Platoon commander would J301, his Company Commander would J001, and the Regimental commander would simply be 0001. This same system was used to refer to the squads, platoons and companies themselves, and indeed this was its most common usage, as beyond admin work most Escalians preferred to refer to one another by name where possible.

Newly formed regiments could generally expect to be assigned eleven commissars. One per company, and one for the regimental command staff. These are included in the numbers above as part of the appropriate command squads.

## Standard Equipment & Ordnance

Like virtually every regiment of the Astra Militarum, the men and women of the Escalian Mountaineers were universally issued with a bayonet knife, entrenching tool, basic first aid kit, survival kit, messkit, canteen, sleeping bag with insulation mat, blanket, rechargable lamp pack, grooming kit, dogtags, and a copy of the ubiquitous Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer. These made up the bare essentials of keeping the Guardsman in fighting condition. In addition to these basics, most Mountaineers would also be given climbing equipment, rope and supplementary oxygen equipment.

### Guardsmen

Standard armnament for the basic combat Guardsman consisted of one grenade, most commonly frag, three lasgun power packs, and their primary weapon, the Ximenia Pattern Lasgun. This pattern was chosen primarily for its exceptionally low energy dropoff at range, allowing the lasbolt to maintain lethality at distances that would normally only wound. Further, as this was achieved by shifting the bolt's electromagnetic frequency rather than its intensity, this boon came without significantly increasing wear on the weapon. This did however come at the cost of a longer, heavier frame and a slightly higher rate of power consumption, both prices the Mountaineers could afford to pay. Unfortunately, these weapons also came at a monetary cost Escalia could not always afford to pay, largely due to the rather expensive Airborne regiments and their need for combat aircraft. As a result, the lowest performing two Guardsmen in each squad were not issued the lasgun, and instead continued to use the bolt-action rifles of the PDF, albeit now firing Guard quality armor-piercing rounds in place of simple slugs. The expectation of course being that they should upgrade as and when lasguns became "available". Special weapons were normally limited to the long-las, the usefulness of which is self-evident, and grenade launcher, which was of great use defensively and could be used to engage light vehicles in the rare event of such an encounter. Specialists armed with the latter were also normally issued a laspistol as a backup or for close-range work. It was common for each squad to include at least one specialist, though squads in top performing companies often had two men selected for the honor.

The armor of the average Mountaineer was well below what many would consider the standard. Each Guardsman was issued a steel helmet, meant to protect against climbing accidents rather than enemy fire, and a flak coat. This essentially consisted of a heavy parka reinforced with mesh weave wherever flexibility could be spared. This provided meager protection from shrapnel and ricochets to the torso, arms and thighs.

### NCOs

In addition to the basic equipment, Non-Commissioned Officers were issued comm-beads, a single grenade, often Krak, and a short, Escalian-made autogun, normally loaded with hollow-point rounds. This had the three-fold purpose of keeping costs down, distinguishing NCOs from their subordinates, and encouraging them to focus on directing their men rather than becoming distracted by firing. It happened to also lend the squad the short-range firepower they could find themselves lacking when the time came to storm an enemy position, though often they still left much to be desired in terms of raw stopping power.

NCOs were armored as per the rank and file, however Corporals were permitted to replace the helmet with a cloth cap, and Sergeants with a peaked version.

### Officers

The commissioned officers of the Mountaineers were ever keen to further distinguish themselves from the men who served under them, and as such were mostly loath to carry anything larger than a sidearm. Lieutenants would almost universally carry laspistols, however as ranks increased, so did the variety, and many ranked Colonel or higher would likely have considered it a mark of poor status to carry a standard issue weapon on the battlefield. Although available, most officers did not elect to carry a sword, as even frontline Mountaineers rarely see melee.

In line with the Escalian attitude that officers must show contempt for danger, it was generally frowned upon for a commissioned man to wear armor of any kind. As such, most would be seen in a field jacket and peaked cap. The exception to this being officers whom had been promoted from the enlisted men, in which case it was acceptable to wear the flak coat as a symbol of the soldier's ascension.

### Heavy Weapons

Due to their cumbersome nature, heavy weapons teams were often unable to directly accompany Mountaineer squads, whom would be expected to scale cliffs or pass along narrow shelves. Therefore, larger ordnance was instead focussed into specialised Heavy Weapons Squads, which were generally appended to regiments at a ratio of around one per company. A typical Heavy Weapons squad would consist of fifteen men, usually armed with three heavy stubbers, three mortars and one missile launcher. The latter was normally included as a precautionary measure only, as heavy armoured vehicles are considered a rarity in high altitude mountain warfare. The weapon operators would also be issued with a laspistol, and one among them would be the squad's Corporal. Aside from relevant patches, they would wear the standard uniform. Each weapon assistant would be armed and armoured as per a normal Guardsman, albiet with extra webbing to carry heavy weapon ammunition. Lastly, the fifteenth man would be the squad's Sergeant, equipped as per normal.

### Other Specialists

Other specialists, such as medics, engineers and logistics personnel were normally armoured as per their rank and issued either PDF rifles or NCO autoguns, as they were not considered frontline personnel.

### Vehicles

The Mountaineers made use of vehicles singularly for the purpose of non-combat transport. Mostly these consisted of logistics companies, one of which would normally be permanently attached to each regiment. These made use primarily of simple Escalian-built trucks, which were generally capable of getting men and supplies within hiking distance of Mountaineer positions. Additionally, each company would often have at least one squadron of the Duopedes Pattern Brutus. This was a lightly armoured four wheel drive transport with a capacity of seven passengers, plus the driver. In practice however, it was easily possible to cram three or four more men into the stowage and benches. The Brutus was supplied unarmed, and was proof against light small arms fire. Minor battlefield modification was relatively common however, and many examples were found mounted with heavy stubbers, much to the disdain of any attached mechanicus personnel.

## Regiment Combat Doctrine

The specifics of Mountaineer doctrine are highly situational, and as such a great deal of it will be at the discretion of the commanding officer. On a campaign scale however, the Mountaineers are best employed as either a blocking force to secure a flank against enemy raiders, or for search and destroy operations in Mountain terrain.

### Blocking

An example of Mountaineers being used as a blocking force was their employment in the Transdecal Mountains during the Suppression of Pseudodacia II. The planet had attempted to secede from the Imperium of Man, however the world's nobility had prepared poorly and were not able to effectively contain the loyalist forces among them. The result was civil war, which quickly turned in the Imperium's favour following the arrival of off-world reinforcements. As most hives on the world were still contested, the new forces quickly turned the tide and won back the world in very short order. The exception however, was the capital city, Decaferrum, which had fallen under complete seperatist control. Imperial forces therefore set about laying siege, however as the only viable approach was through a narrow pass in the Transdecal Mountain range, men and materiel en route to the conflict were at great risk of ambush by hostile guerrila forces. The 18th Escalian Mountaineers were therefore tasked with controlling the surrounding terrain. The Regimental Commander, Colonel Harlech, moved to establish a buffer zone, which was loosely defined as all areas within eight kilometers of sight into the pass. In order to achieve this, he split his force into three parts. Of his ten companies, four would be deployed along the outer edge of the buffer zone, occupying camouflaged defensive positions and observation posts at key points to ensure maximum odds of spotting any enemy parties that may attempt to pass by. A further two companies were then tasked with occupying a second line at the inner edge, hoping to catch any raiders who might succeed in evading the notice of the first. Finally the remaining four companies were posted to concentrated positions between the lines, to act as reserve and reaction forces as needed, as well as to conduct patrols of areas with good ground cover. The 18th held this position for some six months, until Decaferrum finally fell. After this the Imperial forces declared victory and quit the world, leaving the cleanup of any remaining hostiles to local forces. During this time, the Escalians lost some five hundred men, mostly to mortar attacks and night raids on the outer line. However, not one Imperial vehicle was lost in the pass.

### Search and Destroy

The Suppression of Pseudodacia II also provides an example of the Mountaineers operating in a search and destroy capacity, albiet on a much smaller scale. In addition to its more pressing political troubles, the world also hosted a small population of Feral Orks. Under normal circumstances, local forces had been able to keep the Ork populations under control, and indeed isolated to the world's most inaccessible regions. However, with forces being drawn away to the civil war, these groups had expanded and ventured out into the wider landscape. As a result, on at least two occasions, bands of roaming Orks approached the Escalian buffer zones. Apparently unaware of the humans situated on the slopes around them, these bands were, in both recorded cases, detected by the outer defenses as they made camp in the wooded valleys below. Unwilling to risk leaving the xenos be, Colonel Harlech on both occasions mobilised his reserve companies, with orders to search and destroy. These forces split into groups, with two thirds making their way along the valley's lower reaches, while the remaining third, accompanied by the companies' heavy weapons, proceeded at a medium height up the mountainsides. The peaks themselves were still under observation and had no cover which could conceivably hide more than perhaps a single Ork, and so were considered clear of hostiles. The Escalians advanced on the target zone in a bounding fashion, with groups alternating between moving and providing overwatch for their fellows. They advanced in this manner until contact was made with the enemy, at which point the heavy weapons held position, and engaged an area target ahead of the friendly infantry. Meanwhile, the infantry accompanying the heavy weapons advanced further along the mountainside to secure a position ahead. Once the valley area had been well saturated with fire, the infantry below then initiated another bounding advance, this time at the squad level, whilst the heavy weapons caught up with their own infantry, and deployed again, signalling for the valley troops to halt their advance whilst the next area target was engaged. This tactic ensured that the Orks felt they were taking fire from three directions, confusing their already poor organisation and leading to counter-attacks scattering in different directions. The result was a relatively easy sweep up of small, confused, and often wounded groups of greenskins. Escalian casualties were, however, higher than had been originally hoped, largely attributed to ambushes by camouflaged individuals, whom would suddenly spring out as the Mountaineers advanced past their position, felling two or three with melee weapons before being put down.

## Notable Regiments

* **18th Escalian Mountaineers** - Provided security for vulnerable Imperial supply lines through the Transdecal Mountains during the Suppression of Pseudodacia II (087.M42). This allowed Imperial forces to maintain the seige of Hive Decaferrum and bring the planet's attempted secession to a rapid end. The formation is now a part of the 18th/72nd, a scratch regiment.
* **165th/190th Escalian Mountaineers** - The two regiments were deployed during the catastrophic Fall of Kingshaven (098-102.M42). The formations had been assigned to the Hive World with the supposition that they may be able to scale hive exteriors to act as unexpected flanking forces. The scheme proved somewhat successful in the later retreat, however they were still ultimately forced to conduct a brutal fighting withdrawal through streets for which the Mountaineers simply weren't trained or equipped. The regiments escaped the world at barely one third strength, and were immediately formed together as a scratch formation.
* **44th Escalian Mountaineers** - The only non-scratch Escalian regiment known to still exist.

## Notable Members

* **General Gaia Thule** - Officer commanding the Escalian forces during the Fall of Kingshaven. Also believed to be the sole surviving heir to the governorship of Escalia.
* **Colonel Harlech** - Officer commanding the 18th Escalian Mountaineers during the Suppression of Pseudodacia II.