vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Siege of Vraks - Digging In: The next day each foxhole was extended, via a narrow trench to connect with the next foxhole, thus establishing a single basic trench for each squad. This could then be connected into a platoon trench, and then they too would be linked into a company trench, which could then in turn be linked into other company trenches. Over the course of days, the trench lines would start to spread. These first hand-dug trenches were steadily improved, becoming the basis of a more permanent frontline position. Under the cover of darkness, razorwire teams stretched coils of wire in front of the trench to prevent enemy patrols or raiding parties gaining easy access. Heavy weapons teams were then sited and dug in. This methodically planned and efficient way of conducting war was the way the Death Korps regiments had trained to do it back on Krieg.Despite the Death Korps methodical digging, the enemy did not attack. Pinned under the daily bombardment the enemy clung to his bunkers and defence lines, offering little fight except the occasional sniper shots and harassing mortar fire. While the Death Korps were digging-in and reinforcing their trenches, Cardinal Xaphan's renegade army was occupying the prepared positions opposite, parallel to the Imperial earth-works, staring across the vacuum of no-man's land, which neither side ventured into. The defence lines were formidable, the enemy burrowing deep underground to protect themselves from artillery. All of their positions were protected by miles of tank traps and razorwire, as well as anti-tank ditches and minefields. The enemy had also laid millions of mines. In places the defensive positions were combined into strongpoints, resistance nests that were strong enough to withstand the heaviest shells. These nests provided the defenders with interlocking fields of fire. Breaking each defence line would be a major undertaking, and any advance would have to be bought at a high price in casualties. To complicate matters, the three main defence lines surrounding the Citadel became gradually denser and harder to crack the closer the enemy came.
Siege of Vraks - Life in the Trenches: All along the line, both sides dug themselves in deeper. Systematically, a maze of trenches spread across the Van Meersland Wastes. It seemed neither side planned on moving for a long time. For weeks on end the stalemate held each side firmly in position, sentries staring out across the desolation of no-man's land at the enemy positions. Despite the stalemate every unit would still have to take its turn at patrolling and raiding the enemy lines. Night operations in no-man's land saw patrols finding or laying minefields, or identifying gaps in the wire for a subsequent raid to exploit. Trench raids to take enemy prisoners were common. The 88th Siege Army was losing an average of 2,000 men a day, without any regiment actually launching an attack. Of course such losses were a planned eventuality for the Krieg regiments as they kept receiving daily replacements to re-fill the ranks. The first year of the siege slipped past. The outer defence lines had held against the first assaults, and both sides contented themselves with wearing down the other, the opposing armies locked in a grinding stalemate of slow destruction.
Siege of Vraks - The Battle of Fort A-453 (897.814.M41): On 897814.M41 the grenadiers of the 261st Krieg Regiment of the 30th Line Korps were ordered to conduct a probing attack along its entire front after six months of relative inactivity. The 9th Company of the 261st, under the command of Commander Tyborc, had been given the task of attacking a strong point in the heretics' line, designated Fort A-453. The Death Korps forces were able to move quickly across the no-man's-land, covered by the smoke from the offensive's heavy preliminary artillery bombardment. Some Krieg troops were able to reach the enemy trench lines under heavy and indiscriminate bombardment. Sending a runner back across the lines to call for reinforcements, Tyborc and his men were able to gain a foothold in the entrance of a personnel shelter, hunkering down as enemy artillery was called in upon them. The runner, having taken several hours to return across no-man's land, was eventually able to report the breakthrough to the 30th Line Korps' commanding officer, General Durjan, in his own command post. The next day, grenadier units worked their way towards the fort while Tyborc's men fought a fierce battle in the galleries and corridors beneath it.The third day of the battle saw the deployment of 3 tank companies from the 6st Krieg Tank Regiment of the 11th Assault Korps, augmented with a Baneblade super-heavy main battle tank. These units were accompanied by Atlas Excavators, equipped with dozer blades to fill in the anti-tank ditch that protected the fort and allow the tanks to cross. Meanwhile, underground, the Vraksian Renegade militia attempted to burn out Commander Tyborc with Flamers. Grenadiers were able to force their way into the underground complex and captured the main access tunnel. From there, corridor by corridor, they were able to clear the complex of the heretics' forces. The men of the 261st ultimately secured the area, narrowly avoiding being attacked by their own men before establishing that they were friendly Imperial forces and members of the 88th Siege Army's 30th Corps.With more men and tanks thrust into the breakthrough at Fort A-453, the Vraksian Traitors were no longer able to control the entire outer defence line. With the heretics' frenzied attempts to stem the tide, other sectors in the heretics' defensive lines soon became undermanned. The 8th Assault Corps made its way through these breaches and then completely rolled up the heretics' outer defence lines until they were no longer tenable positions. The Apostate Cardinal's units began to abandon their defences and move back to man the second defensive line. Death Riders harried the enemy hard as they fell back en masse. Once the mopping up of several heretical units trapped behind the breakthrough had been completed, the first objective of the Imperial Siege of Vraks had been won.
Siege of Vraks - Raid on Sector 50-45 (649.818.M41): At 649818.M41, the 158th regiment made a large raid in sector 50-45. Their objective - capture and destroy a defence laser silo, part of Vraks' network of orbital defences. To gain the element of surprise, the attackers went without the usual artillery bombardment that preceded an attack on the ground. The attack was led by grenadier squads, infiltrating forwards across no-man's land under cover of darkness to quickly seize the silo's surface at dawn to clear the silo, which was mostly underground, protected on the surface by razorwire, a dense minefield, and several reinforced gun emplacements.The grenadier squads set off under cover of a dark and gloomy night, stealthily slipping into no-man's land and crawling from crater to crater through the mud. As starshell rounds burst, casting its harsh light over them, the grenadiers froze or played dead, disguised as just another corpse. Once the light faded to earth, the grenadiers continued to slither forwards. One squad stumbled into an enemy patrol, and a firefight erupted, but to the defenders' sentries it was just another nightly clash in no-man's land. The grenadier squads that reached their objective cut the first band of razorwire, clearing a lane for their fellow squads, when a starshell burst overhead. An eagle-eyed sentry noticed the unfamiliar shapes on the perimeter and shouted out a warning as a Heavy Bolter open fired. The men below were roused from their sleep by their bellowing officers.With little choice, the grenadiers pressed on, scrambling through the wire and rushing forwards to avoid being massacred on the wire. The nighttime erupted in explosions and heavy weapons fire. By dawn, the silo was shrouded in smoke and dust. Though the mission accomplished order had not been received, the order was given by the Krieg commanders to continue the attack as planned, and so, the infantry companies swarmed up and out into no-man's land. But, unknown to the new attackers, the genadier's attack had gone badly. Soon withering defensive fire turned no-man's land into a charnel house of burned, concussed or dismembered men. The survivors straggling back into the cover of their own trenches again. The following day, only superficial damage could be seen, but the silo remained intact and functioning. Several hundred had died in the hopeless attack. Only a few of the attacking grenadiers ever reached their own lines again. Most were killed, those that were captured were tortured for information and then executed. Their bodies left hanging on the razorwire as grisly reminders of their fate.
Siege of Vraks - Reinforcements (821.M41): In 821.M41, Lord Commander Zuehkle's requests for reinforcements were finally met. A convoy of transport vessels entered the system carrying the 46th Line Korps, with three more regiments to assist in breaking the deadlock around the second defence lines. These were troops that had been designated for other warzones, but now Zuehkle's political connections had proved useful in getting the extra troops he wanted. The Lord Commander Militant's office had also provided some unasked for assistance. The chance that the war on Vraks would escalate could not be taken. Instead, the Lord Commander Militant had acted independently of his subordinate commander and sent his own delegation in search of aid from the Adeptus Astartes. The first to answer were the Dark Angels, the infamous First Founding Chapter, whose mobile fortress-monastery known as The Rock, had allowed them to react quickly. Led by Supreme Grand Master Azrael, the Chapter had responded with a huge commitment of forces - almost half of the Chapter's battle-brothers had been embarked for Vraks, with Azrael himself taking command. The Battle-Barge Angel of Retribution powered into the Vraks System along with the Strike Cruisers Sword of Caliban and Salvation and a small fleet of Escorts.Azrael sent no communications to the 88th Siege Army's commanders. He simply set about his self-assigned mission -- the destruction of Vraks' star port which would sever any easy access to off-planet reinforcements. Needing no assistance, he saw no reason to involve the Imperial Guard regiments engaged on Vraks. While Lord Zuekkle's staff were adjusting their plans for the inclusion of his new line korps into his front, Azrael and his Company Masters manoeuvred into low orbit and deployed their powerful strike force onto the surface of Vraks via Drop Pods and Thunderhawk gunships.
Siege of Vraks - The Battle of Vraks Star Port (944.821.M41): At 944821.M41, the Dark Angels began their assault on Vraks' star port. The armoured columns of Land Raiders, Predators, Rhinos, Vindicators and Whirlwinds were preceded by the Ravenwing's Land Speeders, skimming ahead, flying close to the ground in search of enemy blockades along their chosen route of advance, 200 kilometres overland across the Srna Flats. The Land Speeders stayed in constant communication with the Thunderhawk gunships, which acted as aerial cover to the advancing armoured column. The battle-brothers of Orias' 3rd Company maintained a defence around the base until required to launch their own vital part of the operation on the causeways.The enemy responded with its own reconnaissance forces, composed of Sentinel walkers and Salamanders, criss-crossing the flatlands of the Srna Flats in an effort to locate the Dark Angels. Some of the Sentinels were taken out by black Land Speeders that swooped in, Assault Cannons blazing. Soon the enemy commanders knew that the Dark Angels were heading across the flatlands, their target plainly clear -- the star port. Reinforcements were immediately ordered to strengthen the garrison. Leading the vanguard himself, Azrael rode in his personal Land Raider Prometheus Angelis Imperator, and were soon in sight of the star port.
Siege of Vraks - Battle at the Causeways: As Azrael's attack commenced, Master Orias' force closed in on the Balan trench causeway. Leaping from a speeding gunship, two Assault Squads made a low level jump directly onto the eastern end of the mile long causeway and quickly overwhelmed its defenders. Most fled rather than face the wrath of the Dark Angels. Those few that did, were quickly cut down like chafe before a scythe. Two more Thunderhawks opened fire with missiles and turbo-lasers, blasting great hunks of masonry from the monumental causeway and turning the checkpoint to rubble. The Dark Angels' Tactical Squads deployed as soon as the gunships touched down. Rushing along the roadway their Bolters hammered into the defenders causing them to fell back before the Astartes' furious onslaught, only to find themselves quickly cut-off by the Assault Squads which had already captured the eastern end. Caught between the opposing Space Marine forces, the garrison was wiped out.Master Orias' lightning airborne assault captured the target in just a few minutes. As he set about rigging demolition charges, he had a Devastator Squad dig in on the eastern end to cover any enemy approach from the west. Soon, enemy vehicles were seen approaching along the road, heading towards them in an attempt to reinforce the star port. The leading tank erupted in flames as a well-aimed Lascannon shot tore through its front armour. As the following Chimeras swerved to avoid the flaming wreckage blocking the road, they soon found themselves under the withering fire of Orias' Devastator Marines. Krak Missiles and lascannon blasts turned the vehicles of the armour column into smouldering wrecks. In just a few minutes the area was littered with the burning hulks of Leman Russ Tanks, Chimeras, Sentinels and Basilisks.As the Devastator Marines defended the bridge, the Assault Squads completed their demolition work, explosive charges attached to each of the causeway's main supports. Ordering all his men back across the causeway for immediate evacuation, the Thunderhawks swooped in and picked up all of Orias' battle-brothers. The first attack had only cost the Captain three injured men, all of which, due to their enhanced physique, were fit to continue. As the last Thunderhawk lifted off and banked away north, Orias triggered the detonator. Each of the causeway's supports exploded in rapid succession. The causeway crumbled under its own weight, the rubble plunging into the deep abyss of the Balan Trench, leaving only an expanding cloud of dust. By the end of the day, both the causeways across the Srna Trench would also be captured and destroyed by Orias' forces. The main routes of reinforcement had been severed.
Siege of Vraks - The Big Push (101.822.M41): It had been nine years since the Siege of Vraks had begun. By now the 88th Siege Army should have been entrenched at the inner defence ring having cracked the defences of the first two rings, and it should have had the Citadel itself within the sights of their heavy artillery. But nine years of war had not gone entirely to plan. The 88th Siege Army had been forced to request more men. The success of the Dark Angels attack gave cause for new hope, and Lord Zuehkle saw the chance to redeem earlier failures with a decisive breakthrough. The addition of a new line korps with three fresh new regiments gave his commanders on the ground the extra forces they needed to mount an unstoppable offensive. Lord Zuehkle was running out of time, he had been given twelve years to complete his mission and the resources of Krieg had poured onto Vraks in vast quantities. He ordered the three new regiments, and those already in the line to plan and execute a big push, an all out offensive that applied constant and sustained pressure on the second defence lines over its full frontage. This would draw in the enemy's reserves and then destroy them under the artillery bombardment or in powerful infantry attacks. By sustaining the pressure, the enemy would eventually have to break somewhere. When they did an assault korps would be ready to pour into the gap and smash through to the inner defence line. If the breakthrough attack was fast enough they might even be able to drive into the inner defence line and establish a foothold before the enemy had a chance to dig himself in again.The defenders could not fail to notice the build-up for the attack. Patrols and observation posts reported the increase in troop numbers at the front and the stockpiling of arms and equipment. In response, shells rained down on the Krieg trench lines in an attempts to "spoil" the preparations now underway. Krieg's guns replied in their counter-battery role. Every gun destroyed now was one less to rain destruction down on the attack when it finally came time for the infantry to go over the top. At 089822.M41, the preparatory bombardment began in earnest. Every gun in the 88th Siege Army roared out, lightning the sky with muzzle flashes as they poured high-explosives down on the defenders. All day and all night the guns fired in an attempt to break down the defenders' resistance. The defenders grimly awaited the coming assault as the ground outside and above them shook with the force of the explosions. In darkness the communication trenches began to fill up with troops, as the first wave got into position. The second wave was also ready, crowded in shoulder-to-shoulder, heavily laden with extra equipment, grenades, ammunition and rations for the coming battle. As the darkness soon gave way to the first weak rays of dawn's light, the fury of the barrage stopped, and for a brief second there was silence.
Siege of Vraks - Day Two: Day two was a day of consolidation and disjointed attacks, as each Krieg company tried to secure its own position or push on to the objectives they had failed to carry the day before. As the artillery duel reigned overhead, the infantry troops continued to fight separate battles from their makeshift positions. Small actions were fought all along the front on day two, as the 88th Siege Army sorted to secure the gains it had made by the sacrifices of the first day. By the end of day two, several regimental colonels were requesting that the offensive be called off, or at least scaled down. At the current rate of attrition their regiments would soon be annihilated. The 88th Army Command, and in particular Lord Commander Zuehkle, would not -- could not -- consider such a request. The offensive was too important to set aside because of dreadful casualties. Speed of action was deemed all important, for the longer follow-up actions were delayed, the longer the enemy had to dig himself in. On day three, more attacks would be launched. Though the 88th Siege Army was sorely hurting, they understood that the enemy must also be feeling the pain.
Siege of Vraks - Day Three: On day three, the fighting continued, as ordered, all along the entire front but the focus of the 88th Siege Army would be in the south in sectors 51-41 and 52-41, where the 11th Assault Korps was being committed to the attack. The tank companies rolled forwards, slowly crawling across the pitted wastes of no-man's land, fanning out into battle lines and began their thrust. Behind them followed the massive Gorgon transports, packed with platoons of fifty men each, ready to disembark and charge the enemy's positions.The loose line of smashed bunkers, walls and shells holes held by the enemy were soon overwhelmed as the Gorgon carrier's ramps crashed down and hordes of Krieg guardsmen disembarked. The first thin lines could not hold the crushing weight of the 11th Assault Korps' attacks for long, and by mid-morning the tanks and infantry were advancing again. It seemed that the long-desired breakthrough of the second defence line was close, but the enemy commanders were not ignorant of the situation on the ground. They had identified the potential threat of the 291st Regiment's penetration, and had a solar day with which to reinforce the sector.The enemy soon executed a renewed counterattack, pouring forth to meet the 11th Assault Korps. Leman Russ tanks, Chimeras, new Basilisks, Medusas, even a squadron of 12 Destroyer Tank Hunters had been ordered to attack. As the vanguard of the Krieg Assault Korps rolled steadily forwards, enemy resistance began to increase. The enemy's counterattack had the desired effect, by mid-afternoon the Krieg guardsmen were no longer advancing, and the enemy's armoured thrust forced them backwards.Tank losses mounted, and a defensive barrage was hastily requested. The breakthrough had been halted. Fortunately, there was better new in other sectors. On the extreme east of the attack, the 3rd Siege Regiment of 1st Line Korps had now achieved its day one objectives in sector 62-48. The 3rd regiment was gathering itself for a second mighty push on day four. Tank companies of the 14th regiment were brought forwards to assist the drive.
Siege of Vraks - On the Tides of the Warp: The Chaos Sorcerers of the Alpha Legion sent a psychic signal through the Warp, a call to draw old allies to Vraks. Those forces secretly lurking around the Eye of Terror who heard the call were drawn like moths to a flame by a flickering psychic light that promised battle, slaughter and plunder. Fortunately, the tides of the Warp were against them. The fickleness of the Warp was embraced by the Chaos armadas that dwelled within the embrace of the fierce tides that raged without end. If the gods deemed they should be cast adrift to some distant system, then so be it -- as the gods will it, so shall it be. Most of those that received the Alpha Legion's psychic signal were raiding ships and their supporting transports. Most of these vessels were made up of simply pirates or other renegades from the Imperium's justice. Worst of all were the fierce warbands of the Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions. Arkos' spell had signalled to them that Vraks was a system worthy of raiding and rich for plundering and slaughter, and so they came.
Siege of Vraks - The Chaos Fleets Approach: Observation station DM498-066 was just one of many secret Imperial listening outposts that maintained a silent vigil on the Eye of Terror. Vraks itself had been a collating point for some of this data, with its choir of Astropaths being able to relate any important information obtained by the listening posts to surrounding star systems as an early warning system against Chaotic raids or even an emergent Black Crusade. The station's sensitive Auspex detected the passage of several large, unidentified vessels in its vicinity, well off the usual trade and patrol routes. The station's astropath transmitted a warning message which, after several weeks, reached Battlefleet Scarus' High Command. Taking careful plottings and referring to their own diviners, the Imperial Navy commanders dispatched patrol groups to systems likely to be the intruder fleet's destination. Several cruiser groups were alerted and brought to readiness in expectation of a raid by Chaos vessels. Even an Adeptus Astartes fast response strike force was put on alert to move to intercept if needed.Secretly, the Ordo Malleus, ever wary of any potential threat from the Eye of Terror, initiated its own information-gathering mission. A nullship sent on a one-way mission into the Eye crewed by automated Servitors and a single pariah, untraceable through the Warp but equipped with powerful augurs and communications equipment was launched. The Inquisiton's vessel tracked the target's passage before continuing its suicidal one-way mission deeper into the raging Warp Storms, transmitting until all communication was lost forever. The Inquisiton was alarmed by the null ship's findings -- it seemed an enemy armada comprised of almost thirty vessels which had been positively identified was mustering for a major attack. It had to be hounded, cornered and destroyed. Astropathic messages flashed around the ports, bases and command ships of Battlefleet Scarus. Scout and patrol vessels were re-directed to cover the enemy armada's suspected approach. The large capital ships were also ordered out from their home ports, including the fleet flagship, the mighty Emperor-class Battleship Constantin Valdor. The battlefleet mobilized and prepared itself for a major action.
Siege of Vraks - Imperial Navy Presence in the Vraks System: Ten standard years had passed since the first Imperial Navy transports arrived in the Vraks System carrying the lead regiment of the 88th Siege Army. As the Imperial build-up of troops was completed, so the need to transport the many supplies to prosecute the war began. These valuable supplies required the constant protection of the Imperial Navy so a fleet of Imperial vessels had been stationed semi-permanently in the Vraks System. There was an Escort squadron of Sword-class Frigates to accompany each convoy to and from its destination and patrol the system's outer reaches to guard against raiders. A squadron of System Defence Monitors had been towed in to provide close protection for the vulnerable freighters in orbit; these vessels carried enough firepower to deter the boldest pirates or even roving raiders from the Eye of Terror. Commanding these squadrons was the venerable Lunar-class Cruiser Lord Bellerophon under the flag of Rear-Admiral Rasiak. The Lord Bellerophon (known affectionately to her crew as the "Big Ruffian") was the system's main deterrent. A potent ship-of-the-line, she had been seconded from Battlefleet Scarus for the duration of the campaign. One of over 600 Lunar-class vessels in service across the Segmentum Obscurus, she bristled with weaponry and was able to outclass anything pirates, aliens or even most Traitor Marine warbands could use to threaten the Imperial supply lines to Vraks Prime. The Lord Bellerophon was constantly on-station or escorting the Imperial supply convoys as the convoy leader.After a decade of war on the ground, and with no sign that the system was under threat from outside forces or an impending planetary assault, the Imperial fleet defending Vraks had been gradually reduced. The Escort squadron had been reduced in number and the remaining three starships were now in need of refits, having ploughed the Warp lanes back and forth from supply depots across the Scarus Sector or even as far as the Lucius Forge World. Only the Defence Monitors were still rated in good fighting condition. Battlefleet Scarus' high command had requested that their Cruiser be returned for other, more urgent duties. Nobody expected an attack on Vraks, especially not in a sizable enough force to overwhelm its current defenders. In all his reports, Rear-Admiral Rasiak was convinced that the Vraks System and its interstellar supply lines were secure and in safe hands. He was soon to be disavowed of this conviction.
Siege of Vraks - Death from Above: With the arrival of the Chaos Space Marines, the situation rapidly deteriorated for the Imperial besiegers. The appearance of Khornate Berserkers stole the initiative from the Imperial Guard of the 88th Siege Army. Khornate warbands, including Traitor Marines from the World Eaters warbands called the Skulltakers and the Berserkers of Skallathrax, roamed the Imperial trench lines, attacking wherever they encountered the enemy. Fort C-585 was attacked by the Skulltakers, who arrived in Drop Pods and then began clearing the trenches of Imperial Guardsmen in savage close combat. The 468th Krieg Regiment was forced to withdraw down Mortuary Ridge. The Chaos Space Marines' sudden arrival forced the Imperial Guard's forces to return to their prior positions, effectively restoring the heretics' outer defensive perimeter and guaranteeing that the siege would continue to grind on.
Siege of Vraks - Confusion Reigns: The arrival of the Chaos reinforcements radically altered the momentum of the Siege of Vraks. A slow, static war of attrition had suddenly been transformed into a more fluid battle, as the deployment of the Heretic Astartes provided the Apostate Cardinal's forces with the ability to strike deep behind the Imperial lines. But even the Traitor Marines' warbands lacked the heavy artillery and armoured vehicles required to smash the 88th Siege Army's deeply-entrenched positions, nor were they able to effectively hold onto the ground they had retaken from the servants of the Emperor.Yet being pushed back on the defensive incurred a troubling cost for the men of the Imperial Guard on Vraks. Cut off from easy resupply efforts because of the Chaos forces' constant and costly harrying pressure on their lines, the Death Korps' units were no longer able to get the regular resupply of men and materiel that was brought in from off-world by the Departmento Munitorum. Whilst the stockpiles of the 88th Siege Army were vast, these supplies could no longer be readily replenished and the Imperial forces on Vraks were now taking far higher casualties than the Administratum had ever expected when its Adepts had laid out the course of the siege.
Siege of Vraks - Retreats and Withdrawals: The defeat of the 101st meant that the ring around the fortress could not be maintained. In the aftermath of the battle, 1st Line Korps was ordered to give up its positions and move westwards, but even then they could hardy hope to avoid the juggernaut that was descending upon them. The eastern flank of the inner defence ring was to be abandoned. In order to save the rest of the Korps’ regiments, the 19th Regiment was required to act as the rear guard. The order would effectively be a death sentence, as the regiment would now be trapped by the enemy advance, pinned with their backs to the uncrossable Demus trench. Their orders were to fight to the last, forming a pocket of resistance that would buy the other regiments time to reposition against the new threat. Once cut off, the 19th could not be re-supplied and it would not be long before the enemy overran them, especially if they used their Titans. Such uncompromising sacrifices were required to save the strategic situation - if only for a short while.The 3rd, 5th and 15th Regiments abandoned their trenches at 163.823.M41, moving northwest and occupying the positions currently held by 30th Line Korps. The 30th was also to withdraw and establish a new position anchored on the ruins of hab-zone two, with its front line running roughly parallel to the hab-zone’s service road to the south-east. They would be reinforced by other units from 11th assault korps, forming the army’s backstop. Hundreds of thousands of men and vehicles were now on the move, hurrying to dig new defences as the enemy relief force advanced to meet them.What had once been a war with a clearly defined frontline had become a much messier affair, with the Krieg regiments now forced to face in many directions to meet the enemy. The situation in the eastern sectors had become very fluid. Any slim chance of taking the fortress within the designated schedule was now gone forever.It would take a major effort just to prevent the Siege of Vraks from ending in defeat.
Siege of Vraks - The Toxic War: Night fell, but saw no let up in the fighting. Colonel Keled, commander of 19th, reported that he would hold for another day, after that his ammunition would be spent, his last artillery overrun and his regiment scattered and annihilated. His men served their Emperor well and the 19th regiment clung on, fighting to the last man and last round for another three days as the frontline shrunk ever backwards. The enemy repeatedly and merciless unleashed more chemical weapons. All the dead were left to rot, often stripped bare and gathered into piles where the airborne chemicals could quickly strip the flesh from them. The muddy ground was littered with stinking, decomposing corpses. Fat maggots writhed over them, merrily feasting. Soon thick swarms of black flies crawled over the dead.All communication with the 19th siege regiment ceased at 735823.M41. It was over - the last pocket of resistance had been shattered by the remorseless onslaught of the Plague Marines and their foul followers. Behind them they left a fetid charnel house with an atmosphere still thick with poisonous chemicals. Pools of green gas hung in the bottom of blasted trenches and deep shell craters. They had turned sectors 61-44 and 62-44 into a playground for the creatures of Nurgle. Strange beasts could be seen stalking the trenches and dug-outs, creatures from nightmares that crawled and oozed, and spider-like machines stalked the mists. Here was a land fit for Nurgle’s servants. Their master was pleased.The Death Guard’s onslaught was just the beginning. It had been a testing ground for their chemical weapons. Now they could turn their attention to other sectors, and subject them to the same treatment. They would use the TP-Ill indiscriminately and the Krieg guardsmen soon learned that such chemical attacks were always the precursor to an assault or raid. Wherever the Nurgle Space Marine warbands roamed, they left a trail of decay, torturing the land with their foul toxins, spreading disease and poison wherever they could.It was a deliberate and calculated act. The Death Guard and their allies were not interested in fighting this war of attrition. It mattered not whether Vraks stood or fell. All that mattered was that the Lord of Decay would be pleased by the wanton destruction and corruption of Vraks’ surface. They were preparing the ground, creating a toxic land, making Vraks a home from home for those creatures of Lord Nurgle that were unseen but eager to join the fray and spread their own delicious diseases amongst Mankind. This was not war as the Death Korps of Krieg’s commanders understood it. It was a giant unholy ritual, fanatically pursued, paving the way for worse horrors to come...
Siege of Vraks - Planetfall: The convoy had made a narrow escape but, by their bravery and sacrifice, the two cruisers had saved the day and maybe the entire campaign on Vraks. Most of the supplies and all the Titans would reach their destination and join the war. The Anarchy’s Heart was still out there - lurking, but she was badly damaged and would not risk another head-to-head encounter.The convoy arrived in Vraks' orbit, and began to disembark its cargo. Soon men by the thousands, tanks by the hundreds, ammunition by hundreds of tonnes, fuel and all manner of equipment were being landed and prepared for immediate transport to the front. Amidst the many unloading cargo landers a huge armoured landing ship set down. Its great slab-sided doors rolling back to reveal the Titans within. Down the exit ramps walked the Warhounds and Reaver battle titans of the Legio Astorum battle group, under the orders of their ancient and venerable High Princeps, Rand Drauca. The war machines’ great strides shook the ground as they took their first steps into a new warzone. In all there were 22 Titans, each bedecked in honour banners and emblazoned with the eagle of the Imperium and the black eclipse symbol of their legion. Ten Reavers towered above all, tall and imposing. Before them strode 12 Warhounds. The battle group was ready for deployment to meet the Traitor Titans on the battlefield and resume an ancient war that had been continuous for the last 10,000 years -- since the time when many of the Titans Legions had revolted in support of Horus, and the Loyalists and Traitors had first clashed in epic battles between the mightiest war machines in the galaxy.Vraks would soon see those battles recreated.
Siege of Vraks - The War Beneath Vraks: The ultimate victory over the inner defence line, four standard years after it had first been scheduled and with an as yet unknown casualty list saw Marshall Kagori introduce a new phase to his campaign plan. Since his arrival as commander of the 88th Siege Army, it had always been in his mind to utilise large numbers of specialist Krieg Engineer companies and open up a new front to the war -- deep underground.Kagori's plan involved using these troops, all well trained in the digging of mines and counter-mines, to tunnel under the Vraksian defences, allowing his men to bypass strong points or attack them from the rear, thus limiting their effectiveness. By adding a new dimension to the war firstly he hoped to take the enemy by surprise and gain quick victories over the strongest enemy positions and secondly that the enemy would lack the resources to match his plans and be at a strategic disadvantage, which might ultimately prove crucial. If necessary he would dig his way right under the fortress and bypass its defence lasers and void shields altogether. Of course the enemy would try to stop him, but he was banking on having superior manpower and resources, a large enough advantage to allow him to tunnel wherever he wished and maybe stretch the enemy beyond breaking point.It was the Marshall's conclusion that the war on Vraks could be won below the surface of the planet. This did not mean that surface operations would cease, far from it, they must continue as before and press on with the good work of attrition and eating up the enemy’s finite strength. It was below the surface that the Krieg regiments would have their greatest advantage.
Siege of Vraks - The Enemy Underground: The 88th Siege Army now had a strong engineering korps, with companies of Death Korps Engineers ready to begin their long task. But the Vraksian Renegades themselves had no shortage of personnel with the skills required for a war underground. All of Vraks’ many large armoury facilities had been constructed underground, and the labour corps had been required to do all that mining work. Amongst the foot troops of Vraks there were already many men very familiar with the digging of mines and tunnels, and well- equipped for just such tasks with cutting and boring equipment. Once it was discovered that tunnels were being dug, they could expect to meet strong resistance from counter-mining operations.After the location of a tunnel had been chosen by an officer, the first task of the engineer squads was to sink a shaft to the required depth. These were vertical tunnels, accessible via ladders, or incline tunnels down which heavier equipment could be moved. The entrance to a shaft or incline needed to be well disguised. Many were hidden behind false trench walls, which could be quickly removed and replaced, and generally had infantry posted on sentry duty outside. Larger entrances had to be positioned further back from the front, using the lay of the land to avoid detection.Initial progress through the softer outer layers was rapid, even if dug out by hand, with pre-fabricated bracing being added as the shaft deepened. Five-man engineer excavation squads worked together, either hewing at the tunnel face with picks and mattocks, removing the spoil (usually to fill sandbags for the trenches above) and manning a listening post. Using geo-thermic auspex devices, the squad’s listener kept up a constant vigil, listening for enemy counter-digging. If a shaft ran into a very wet area of rock then it would need to be sealed with more permanent bracing against the worst effects of expansion or flooding. This was more time consuming and slowed down progress. As a tunnel progressed, so additional power cables could be run along it, pumps to remove excess water were fitted and winches positioned at the top of shafts to move bulky equipment and spoil bags. Once an engineer officer determined that the shaft or incline had reached the correct depth then a horizontal gallery could be started. Digging a gallery required careful planning, as below ground it was difficult to maintain a steady course. Squad Watchmasters were responsible for the constant surveying of galleries, measuring out distances and depths and maintaining direction. Initially tunnels would be narrow, wide enough only for two engineers to work side by side. As the tunnel war progressed throughout the siege so these narrow tunnels became guide tunnels for the creation of wider galleries by heavier tunnelling equipment.
Siege of Vraks - Second Assault: On 820.826.M41, the 308th Regiment got its second chance to seize the breach and take a vital step closer to ending the siege of Vraks. It was meticulously planned. The first attack had only failed because no armour had been able to force its way through the rubble, so the 4th siege artillery regiment, positioned south of the Darro Rift, was given the task of shelling the breach, day and night with heavy bombard shells in an attempt to break up the rubble enough to allow tanks to cross it. The rest of the regiment was to shell the surrounding walls and towers, further smashing their firing parapets and the automated weapons mounted upon them. This softening up was to go on for two weeks -- a huge drain on the artillery shell resources of 34th Line Korps.Meanwhile, Colonel Tolan prepared his new assault units. The Gorgons had been a success and they would once again carry his men to the target with the full support of more tank and heavy tank companies.The post-mortem on the failed first assault had also decided that it had been too narrow - a single dagger thrust with just two companies in the lead. The next attack would be wider, storming the walls all along the regiment’s front. This might seem like a futile gesture, but the enemy had been able to hold the breach by using the wall itself to move troops down the line in relative safety from the heavy artillery fire falling all around. This time those troops would be pinned in place defending their wall section. These attacks would be reinforced by more super heavy tanks that would attempt to use their firepower to blast new breaches. With a single location to defend, the enemy had been able to mass enough forces to blunt the attack. With multiple breaches its forces would be stretched thinner and less likely to withstand the hammer blow when it landed.This time the 308th Regiment's assault was met by a better prepared defence. The Gorgons encountered a fusillade of krak missiles and lascannons as they closed on the objective, many were knocked out, joining the other rusting hulks in no-man’s land. The enemy artillery had had time to zero-in, and responded quickly with overwhelming force. Colonel Tolan led his men into the crater again, but once more found the enemy defending it with fanatical zeal. The Colonel himself was killed in the assault, cut down with the regimental standard bearer at his side as he fought hand-to-hand with the traitors holding the breach. His body lay unidentified under a pile of dead men who had followed his lead and were also killed.The attacks further along the walls to the north and south gained some success. Two new smaller breaches were blasted in the walls, widening the possible targets, but again they could not be captured and held. In one fight the breach changed hands eight times before the Krieg attack was forced to withdraw. The second assault had been repulsed just as the first. A third would be needed...
Siege of Vraks - Attack Force Ainea: Marshall Kagori's delegates rendezvoused with the Strike Cruiser Arx Fidelis in the Cantus System. The Adeptus Astartes vessel was returning from a patrol sweep through the dangerous Fydae Nebula and was using the Imperial Navy victualling station at Cantus IX to re-supply before returning to base.On board was a combined strike force of elements of four companies of the Red Scorpion’s Chapter, led by Commander Ainea of 3rd company. He had with him approximately 100 battle brothers from the 1st, 3rd, 6th and 8th companies who had attacked and destroyed an Ork pirate stronghold. It had been a routine mission and the engagement had seen the aliens crushed. More anti-pirate operations were to be prosecuted before they returned to their Chapter fortress.Kagori's delegation was met with due ceremony and Commander Ainea listened to their request. The Marshall needed assistance in prosecuting the war on Vraks. His Astra Militarum regiments were locked in a stalemate and he needed to get his campaign started again. Many attempts had failed. Now he was turning to the Emperor's finest warriors for assistance. The Commander agreed to review the situation and put the request to his Lord High Commander. He would not authorise the deployment himself, even though as a trusted officer he was perfectly at liberty to do so.After several months delay, Marshall Kagori finally got his answer at his Thracian Prime headquarters. The Lord High Commander of the Red Scorpions had agreed to the deployment. It seemed that the opportunity to rid the galaxy of a dangerous heretic and the Traitors Legionnaires that had allied themselves with him was a blessing from the Emperor. Strike Force Ainea would proceed to the Vraks system and assess the campaign on the ground before deciding where best to deploy themselves. This would only occur under the proviso that Ainea was to remain at all times under his own offices. No Red Scorpion was to be placed under any other commander, Ainea had sole discretion and free rein in the use of his forces.The Marshall agreed, happy that the elite strike force was willing to help even as the Departmento Munitorum was reducing its support. He had the Space Marine officers briefed and they held their own planning council to decide where to commit their forces. They chose the breach at sector 57-44. Here their small force could best effect the outcome of the campaign. They would plan and launch a fresh attempt to seize the breach and crack the curtain wall. It would be codenamed Operation Execution Place.
Siege of Vraks - Underground Operations: As the cauldron of pitiless war boiled about the walls of the Citadel above, the engineers were pressing ever deeper towards their objective. Just as above ground, the fighting was bitter and progress slow but there was progress. Tunnels were approaching the Citadel from all directions: north, east, south and west. The enemy counter-mined but did not have the vast resources that the Krieg engineers had at the disposal - drilling machinery, hundreds of tonnes of explosives and seemingly endless manpower to hew their way towards the objective.The enemy, unable to counter-mine fast enough took to unleashing beasts into the galleries and tunnels. Mutant creatures, things of slime and ooze, insane with pain and glibbering madness. Chaos Spawn and the wrecked remains of plague ridden Ogryns were all set loose inside the tunnels. The Krieg engineers found themselves facing nightmarish creatures - spawned for cruel sport by the enemy and carelessly. Shotgun blast and krak grenades brought the creatures down, but each skirmish delayed the digging and cost more lives.Inquisitor Rex interrogated the engineers-commanders over progress and urged them to push onwards. The battle above ground was eating men and machines faster than the voracious Tyranid. Already whole regiments had been smashed apart in the repeated assaults. A break-in from below could well be the best way into toe Vraks Citadel. Still, the engineer commanders could not predict any tunnel breaching the Citadel Undercroft for at least another six months. The wasteful battles above ground would have to continue until then, if for no other reason than to prevent the enemy from re-deploying its manpower to counter-mining.