Escalian Airborne

Planetary insignia worn by all Escalian regiments

Equipment illustration from the Escalian Airborne training manual.

### **Motto**

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

## Other information

### **Specialty**

Airborne, Drop Troops and Planetary Interdiction.

### **Heavy Weapons**

Primarily Heavy Stubbers and Missile Launchers

### **Special Weapons**

Grenade Launchers, Sniper Rifles and Plasma guns

"*Hell of a way to die...*"
—Corporal Jupitus Nomad, after seeing his Sergeant's death during dynamic insertion training, and shortly before his own promotion.
The **Escalian Airborne** are elite Astra Militarum regiments that hail from the now-destroyed civilised/mountain world of Escalia. These regiments are comprised of veterans from the Escalian Mountaineers. They are divided into Air Cavalry and Drop troop regiments, originally equally. However, since the destruction of their homeworld at the hands of Hive Fleet Leviathan, the remaining Drop troops have suffered a higher rate of attrition, with only one believed to be active as of 110.M42, versus three to five Air Cavalry regiments.

## 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.

The successful PDF Trooper would likely find themselves inducted into the Escalian Mountaineers, and having proved themselves in at least one campaign, might then be chosen for further training and acceptance into an Airborne Regiment.

The Airborne regiments were divided into Drop Troops and Air Cavalry units. The key difference being that Drop Troops jumped from high altitude with grav chutes in order quickly capture key points, whilst Air Cavalry would ride their transports down to the ground, attacking quickly, often before withdrawing. In other words, the former operated in relative isolation, taking and holding until relieved, whilst the latter was a rapid-deployment force used for raiding, rapid-reaction or exploiting changing battlefields. Neither was considered more prestigious than the other, both being grouped under the Airborne umbrella, however naturally there was a great sense of competition between the two camps. These regiments were universally small, elite forces, and considered Escalia's primary representatives on the battlefield.

## Regiment Organisation

An Escalian Airborne regiment consisted of 4 Companies (A through D), each of 4 Platoons (1 through 4) composed of 4 squads (1 through 4) 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 1070 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 B in the 32nd Air Cavalry would be documented as "Guardsman B324 32nd Escalian Air Cavalry". Command squads are denoted as 0, so our Guardsman's Platoon commander would B301, his Company Commander would B001, 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.

Due to their Elite status and small size, most Airborne regiments were entrusted with reduced commissariat oversight. Therefore, a new Airborne regiment was generally formed with a single Regimental Commissar (included in the above figures).

## Standard Equipment & Ordnance

Like virtually every regiment of the Astra Militarum, the men and women of the Escalian Airborne were universally issued with a knife, entrenching tool, basic first aid kit, survival kit, messkit, canteen, sleeping bag with insulation mat, blanket, rechargable lamp pack, grooming kit, dogtags, comm-bead, 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, each Guardsman would retain the supplementary oxygen equipment issued to the Mountaineers, for use in drops as well as in lieu of respirators for short periods. Drop Troop regiments were of course universally issued grav-chutes.

### Guardsmen

Standard armnament for the basic combat Guardsman consisted of two grenade, generally one each of krak and frag, three lasgun power packs, and their primary weapon, the Duopedes pattern lascarbine. This weapon was one of the few exceptions to the rule that Airborne equipment was more expensive than that of the Mountaineers, as it was produced as a signature item of Escalia's local forgeworld, Duopedes and was therefore much more readily available than the specialised Ximenia pattern. The lascarbine itself suited the Airborne very well. It was relatively compact, comparable to the Galaxy pattern in terms of firepower, and featured an integrated underbarrel flashlight. Its primary drawback was the lack of a bayonet lug, which, coupled with its short, stocky frame made it practically useless as a melee weapon. Many Guardsmen therefore chose to keep their combat knife very close at hand, and some even supplemented their equipment with additional melee weapons, the hatchet being the most popular. Special weapons were less restricted than in the Mountaineers, but were mostly plasma guns, grenade launchers, and occasionally the odd long-las. Specialists armed with the former two were also normally issued a laspistol as a backup. Each squad could expect to receive two such specialists. Further, one squad in each platoon would be issued a heavy weapon, in most cases either a heavy stubber or missile launcher. In the case of Drop Troops, these weapons would drop seperately in dedicated capsules.

The armor of the Airborne was a moderate upgrade on the Mountaineers. The Airborne Guardsman's entire uniform was reinforced where possible with the same mesh as the Mountaineer parka, and had ceramic flak plates integrated into the chest, thighs, collar, and upper arms, with a further large plate in their pack. Their helmet was fitted with a brim, to distinguish the more elite troops in silhouette, and instead of simple steel, was constructed from what the training manual described vaguely as "hardened alloy". Alternatively it was acceptable to instead wear a peaked cap, or regimental beret. During extended deployment, it was not uncommon for Guardsmen to "lose" their headwear, as most put very little stock in their actual protective capablilities, prefering the comfort of operating with bare heads.

### NCOs

Besides the relevant patches, NCOs were generally identical to their subordinates. They did however have much more freedom in terms of their armnament, and commonly carried a sidearm and sword, different pattern weapons, and sometimes even special weapons if they could be begged, borrowed or stolen.

### Officers

The commissioned officers of Escalia were ever keen to distinguish themselves from the men who served under them, and as such were mostly loath to carry rifles. Lieutenants would almost universally carry laspistols and swords, 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. Finely crafted autopistols and laspistols were most common, however bolt and plasma weapons were also widely used. Again, Colonels and above would usually prefer to enter combat without a melee weapon at all if only standard issue swords were available.

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. However, whereas the Mountaineers could get away with this practice most of the time, the Airborne were prone to much higher intensity combats, and as such casualty rates amongst officers, especially the junior ranks, normally far outstretched those of the enlisted men.

### Specialists

The only specialists regularly employed by the Escalian Airborne were Medics and Engineers, to a degree determined by the regiment type. Air Cavalry units rarely had much need for either, as they were not expected to engage for long periods. However, Drop Troops were, and were expected to do so in isolation. Hence, the former was normally formed with a professional Medic per company at most, and no Engineers. The latter could expect as much as one Medic per squad, and an Engineer either per platoon or company. These personnel could expect to be armed and equipped as per the regulars, albeit with a reduced load of grenades and power packs. Should a regiment require additional specialists, they would generally be sourced externally, and thus be equipped as per their parent formation.

### Aircraft

In the vast majority of cases, Escalian Airborne regiments were mounted in Valkyrie Transports supported by Vulture gunships, supplied by a permanently attached formation from the Imperial Navy. In all such cases, the door guns were removed in order to make room for the large fifteen man squads, but aside from that the specifics varied according the tastes of the attached unit, preventing any definite discussion of preferred armnament and equipment for the aircraft and their pilots.

## Regiment Combat Doctrine

Naturally, the combat doctrines of the two regiment types are rather different, and must be considered seperately.

### Air Cavalry

The Air Cavalry regiments specialised in highly mobile, rapid reaction warfare. They were most often used for lightning raids, flanking manoeuvres, exploitation, strategic reserves, reconnaissance in force, and the destruction of high value targets. As one can perhaps infer from the size of said list, it was fair to say that they were a versatile formation. Despite the apparent breadth of applications however, the average mission could have been summed up as follows: Mount, travel, dismount, advance, destroy, mount again, and return to base.

To add some detail however, the Air Cavalry could be deployed alone, or as part of a wider engagement. In the case of the latter, they would almost always be held back until an opening could be found for them. Perhaps the enemy had left artillery unprotected far behind behind the main combat, or a friendly a position was being flanked, requiring immediate extension of the line. Perhaps an enemy formation was routing and could not be allowed to reform, or maybe some high ground had been identified that required an immediate securing force in order to deny it to the enemy. Whatever the case, Air Cavalry forces could act with speed second only to Astartes, and were rarely a poor choice for these tasks. The Air Cavalry's most common mount was, of course, the Valkyrie, often supported by Vultures. Standard practice was to fly in two "waves" of equal size. The first, which would include the Vultures, would pass overhead the landing zone, strafing the area. Before the dust had settled, the second wave, entirely Valkyries, would then pass much slower at near ground level, allowing the troops inside to conduct a "dynamic insertion", in which the Guardsmen leap from the moving aircraft. Where the ground would not allow this, they would simply land, however this was considered far riskier for all involved and so was avoided where possible. The Guardsmen would then immediately begin advancing, whilst behind them, the first wave had come around to land and disgorge their passengers, under covering fire from the Vultures and second wave, not to mention those on the ground. From this point onwards, the Guardsmen would advance until their objective was complete or until ordered to halt, with the aircraft limiting their operations to high speed gun-runs against hard targets. Once ordered to withdraw, the Air Cavalry would then board again by wave, and return to base, from whence they would in all likelyhood be deployed again several more times in the case of larger battles, each sortie rarely exceeding two hours in length.

Operating as above for long periods was, as a rule, exhausting for both Guardsmen and Crews, however the increased flexibility that the inclusion of Air Cavalry offered was significant, and no doubt contributed in large part to several major Imperial victories.

### Drop Troops

Drop Troop regiments specialised in rapid, sometimes covert, insertions behind enemy lines via air drop. Equipped with grav-chutes to slow their descent, they would jump from either Valkyries or, if no anti-air fire was expected, from a single bulk lander. Their immediate focus upon reaching the ground would then be on securing their landing zone, and recovering their heavy equipment, dropped alongside them in containers. At this point, speed would generally be vital to survival. Once fully combat-ready, they would then look to their objective, normally to take and hold ground, or destroy vital enemy structures. If possible, reconnaissance of the ground would first be undertaken, but either way, the Drop Troops would normally be expected to make their assault within hours of landing.

In the case of take and hold missions, the men would then dig in and fortify the area under the direction of the regiment's Engineers. Under most circumstances, the regiment would have already gone out of their way to secure as many heavy weapons, mines and supplies as possible, supplemented by enemy equipment should they be human. They could then be relied upon to hold the ground until relieved, or die trying.

In the case of destroying structures, be they logistical, defensive or even political in nature, the regiment would often be deployed with a list of secondary objectives, which they would then endeavour to complete.

Should the regiment have failed to complete their primary objective, their next actions would have been down to the initiative of their Commanding Officer. If it was considered possible, the preference was generally to make additional attempts on their primary objective, whether through alternate means, or simply further direct assaults. Where this was considered impossible, normally after multiple attempts or significant casualties and often both, secondary objectives would then be considered, along with nuisance raids, and simply digging in. If nothing else, shattered Drop Troops in most cases at least continued the fight via guerrilla warfare.

The Airborne was often used in these ways in the hours before a general assault, or as a prelude to planetary invasion, securing landing zones for reinforcements. As one could imagine, their specialties were somewhat wasted in defensive combat. However even then their experience in doggedly holding ground made them more than useful, and their independence, initiative and individual courage have allowed them to rapidly exploit enemy mistakes and snatch victory from defeat on many occasions.

## Notable Regiments

* **27th/367th Escalian Air Cavalry** - The only Airborne regiment deployed to the Fall of Kingshaven. Notably a mixed gender scratch regiment. The 27th/367th conducted various special assignments, and provided harrying actions against the encroaching Tyranids during the retreat to Hive Nossus. A squad from the Airborne also conducted the final act of the conflict before the Imperial retreat, rigging the city's plasma reactors to blow. Albeit at the cost of all but one of those involved.

## Notable Members

* **Sergeant Jupitus Nomad** - Sometimes known as the "Martyr of Kingshaven", he is famous amongst survivors of the Fall of Kingshaven for leading the mission to overload the plasma reactors of Hive Nossus, destroying a significant enemy force as the Imperial forces withdrew. Only his Corporal, Razon, exfiltrated successfully.

### About the Escalian Airborne

"*Squad Malaz in position. Relieving the Guards. By the Throne! Under heavy fire, target enemy heavy weapons teams with extreme prejudice. How they survived this long, is impressive. Buy them time to regroup, brothers.*"
—An excerpt of Sergeant Malaz' vox reports as Champions of Mortis relieved the Escalian Airborne.