Death Korps of Krieg - Regimental Organisation: Krieg regiments operate under the standard and recognisable Astra Militarum command structure laid down by the Departmento Munitorum, with some minor local variation in insignia and designation, one example being that infantry sergeants are known by the title "watchmaster," whilst sergeants of the Death Rider companies are known as "ridemasters."Death Korps Officer - Death Korps Officers, right up to the level of regimental command, typically lead and fight from the front -- this is not so much a conscious decision as a simple expression of the Death Korps mentality, as every Krieg Guardsman expects to fight and die for his Emperor. To this end, officers commonly equip themselves for the front line with grenades, powerful sidearms and either a chainsword or Power Sword. Command squads wear their squad insignia (a "C" for command) on their right shoulder. Officer's helmets typically bear an ornate Imperial Aquila. Unlike many other Imperial Guard regiments that draw their troops from worlds with a long-standing militarised culture (such as the Mordians or Jantines for example), Krieg itself has no standing aristocracy or hereditary officer class. Instead its officers are drawn from the body of the rank and file. This means that the majority of the Death Korps officer cadre has been promoted through the ranks through a mixture of ability, seniority and often, by dint of simple survival. As veterans of the Death Korps' way of war, they have no regard for high casualties, which has led to morale problems where senior Krieg officers have been placed in charge of non-Krieg regiments in a wider theatre of war. It is also a noticeable feature of Krieg officer battledress that Krieg regiments do not issue medals or decorations as Krieg soldiers view such rewards as insignificant. Bravery is expected and commonplace, therefore Death Korps Guardsmen are not recognised with special rewards. It is also noteworthy that up to regimental command-level, Death Korps officers often favour the expediency of a numeral designation instead of their own name; as such the officers are referred to as Major Alpha (1st Company) or Major Gamma (3rd Company) and even Colonel 186 for the commander of the 186th Regiment.Death Korps Commissar - Commissars are present in Death Korps regiments as mandated by Departmento Munitorum regulations, being the only non-Krieg natives to serve in the Death Korps. Due to the relatively low rates of infraction and morale problems among Death Korps regiments they more often find themselves employed in reining in any excessive "zeal" on the part of the troops, and act as tactical advisors rather than enforcers of discipline. Commissars assigned to a Death Korps regiment are often well placed to become a voice of restraint for Death Korps officers, reinforcing the wider strategic goals of the war zone over the short-term victories through expenditure of troops and materiel that might be needed later. In theatres of war where Death Korps regiments must fight alongside other Imperial formations, commissars attached to Death Korps staff also find it prudent to act as the liaison between regimental commands where needed, as well as keeping a sharp eye that any acrimony between the Death Korps and other Imperial Guardsmen deployed to the same areas does not become a problem.Death Korps Grenadier - Death Korps Grenadiers form a strong and sizable elite force within the larger Death Korps. Grenadiers are chosen from the ranks of infantry squads, usually by their Watchmaster or a Commissar and recommended for appointment as a Grenadier. They are also drawn from veterans and survivors of decimated squads and platoons. This is not a promotion, as Grenadiers still carry the same rank, but they are regarded as having a seniority over rank and file Guardsmen by dint of their experience and veteran status. After serving with a Grenadier squad for a time, Krieg Guardsmen can then be returned to the infantry as a Watchmaster. Casualty rates amongst grenadiers are very high, and although service in the heavy infantry is regarded as a privilege, it is also seen as a duty. A Krieg soldier appointed to a Grenadier squad cannot refuse, and adopts the skull facemask as a symbol of accepting his fate. Statistically, eight out of ten Grenadiers are killed in action. The men behind the skull masks have accepted that they are essentially already dead.Death Korps Engineer - Like Death Korps Grenadiers, Death Korps Engineers are infantrymen who support Krieg campaigns in a specialist role. The Engineer Korps provides expert knowledge, specialising in subterranean warfare, digging shafts, tunnels and saps to undermine the enemy's strong points and launch surprise raids behind enemy lines. Krieg Engineer squads carry a lot of technical equipment as well as the standard equipment that is used by those of their profession. As well as soldiers, they are miners, digging forward from the frontlines with deep shafts to bypass enemy defences, set large explosive mines below positions or dig sap trenches. Saps are shallow tunnels which are dug to just below the surface, allowing a squad to blow an entrance to the surface and quickly assault an enemy position without crossing no-man's land. Engineers are also trained and authorised to use chemical weaponry. If required, they carry small gas canister grenades, which are used during assaults to shroud the enemy in highly corrosive gas. These are weapons of last resort, but have helped to give Krieg regiments their ruthless reputation.Death Korps Watchmaster - A Death Korps Watchmaster is the equivalent of a non-commissioned officer with the rank of sergeant in other Imperial Guard regiments. Infantry platoons form the bulk of the Death Korps siege regiments' manpower. Each siege regiment consists of five companies, which are broken down into ten infantry platoons and one heavy weapons platoon. Each company is led by a Death Korps captain who is assisted by one Veteran watchmaster. Each platoon consists of a command squad and up to six infantry squads. These squads are led by the watchmasters who act as squad leaders. The watchmaster is assisted by an appointed senior guardsman, usually the longest serving guardsman in the squad. Like their fellow guardsmen, watchmasters have been indoctrinated since birth in the martial traditions of the Korps. They are highly proficient with all the basic weapons of the Imperial Guard and most especially with the bayonet, and favour the bayonet charge in battle. They fearlessly lead their squads across "no-man's land" to storm enemy trenches and defences. Having no fear of death themselves, a watchmaster demands and expects nothing less from their troops.Death Korps Guardsman - Each Death Korps soldier is fully trained to the standards expected for combat-readiness set down by the Departmento Munitorum, with particular emphasis placed on hazardous-environment survival and endurance, and physical and mental resilience. Proficient in the use of all basic Imperial Guard weaponry types as well as the use of grenades and explosives, a Death Korps soldier is also proficient in rapid and skilled construction of trench works and defences. They are also exemplary hand-to-hand combatants, with bayonet-drill being practiced from childhood. Accuracy is secondary in Death Korps weapons training to fire discipline, with the ability to maintain continuous fire en masse as part of an infantry formation considered to be of paramount importance. Death Korps Guardsmen have a tendency to be highly insular, unemotional and often taciturn to the point of silence outside of their duties. They also display a high degree of fatalism and an unusual morbidity of habit, such as carrying relics, ossuaries of bone or other memento-mori about their persons as a form of religious observance to honour those who have fallen in the service of the God-Emperor.Death Rider - Superficially similar to the standard Rough Rider cavalry units found among numerous other Astra Militarum regiments from worlds where riding mounts are commonplace, the Death Riders of Krieg are one of the most justly famous of the unique formations found within the Krieg forces. The Death Riders of Krieg are also a direct result of Krieg's centuries-long civil war. Their most singular aspect is the nature of the Death Rider mounts -- the legendary Krieg Steed -- that is a highly adaptable form of the original Terran horse. This animal is now the product of extreme genetic engineering; tailored for strength, endurance and aggression, with numerous additional bio-sculpted organs that allow them to survive on the most polluted and toxic battlefields unscathed. Vat-grown on Krieg under the auspices of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the animals are further augmented with sub-dermal organic armour, osmotic lungs, and a fully integrated drug injection system rigged with a potent mixture of stimulants, pain-blockers and other palliatives. The end result is that the Krieg Steed is capable of incredible levels of endurance and environmental tolerance. The Death Riders form a special cadre within the Krieg regiments, and their inductees are chosen not only on the grounds of aptitude but also for independent thought and initiative. Many future Death Korps officers are drawn from the ranks of their survivors. Death Riders are equipped with a variety of sidearms and sabre-blades, in addition to the signature explosive-tipped lance found in similar units.Death Korps Quartermaster - Death Korps regiments feature a most unusual and unique position -- that of the Quartermasters. These individuals have replaced the battlefield medics found in most Imperial Guard regiments. Their role has its roots in Krieg's own war-torn past. In that merciless civil conflict the recovery of arms and wargear of the fallen was of paramount importance, and field medicine and battlefield triage was a luxury that could be seldom afforded for the more seriously wounded. So it was that in Krieg's civil war a soldier that could not be readily brought back to the fray or at least retreat under his own power was considered a liability and to such unfortunates the "blessings of the Emperor's Peace" was given -- an honourable field execution. This onerous task, along with the recovery of a soldier's equipment was the responsibility of the Quartermaster cadre and remains so to the present day. Quartermasters are chosen from the ranks of the Death Korps by selection during training, particularly for their faith in the God-Emperor as well as their mental aptitude and occasionally from individuals who have survived against the odds. These individuals are then given additional training in field medicine, basic tech-lore, and extensive indoctrination in the specific beliefs of Krieg's sect of the Imperial Cult.