24th Hibernia Guard
Recruitment Zone: Hibernia, Lower Cathedral Line
Beating Order: 586000M41
No. of Active Companies: na
No. of Battalions: na
Class: Capital Establishment
Commanding Officer: Colonel Cyrus Uwe Moltke
Battle Honours:
Cleansing of Cathedral I (24th Agrippa War)
Severus (25th Agrippa War)
Litha (25th Agrippa War)
Equine Risings (Scylla Crusade)
Arthos (Scylla Crusade)
Kali (Scylla Crusade)
Battle of the Pyramids (Scylla Crusade)
Blodsburg Orbital (Thraxos Scandal)
Amun Tower (Kali Liberation)
General Background
At the outbreak of the 24th Agrippa War, the defenses of many of the sector's worlds were deemed understrength. In the initial state of alarm, beating orders to raise new regiments were answered by thousands of recruits throughout the sector. Using his powers as the chief Imperial military agent in the sector, High Lord Admiral Lougheed requested the planetary governor of Hibernia raise a regiment. Being on the front of the fighting this regiment would live on to become the premiere regiment of the 25th Agrippa War.
While Lougheed did not live to see the regiment filled out due to his untimely demise at the first Battle of the Bastion, Admiral Goethe appointed his hand hand picked choice, a retired Colonel on Corsca named Cyrus Moltke to take command. There were not enough Commissars to assist in the training so Moltke took on these responsibilities himself, aided by a high proportion of reservists who had joined the regiment.
While there was nothing out of the ordinary about Moltke as far as Corscan soldiers go, his influence on the 24th Hibernia regiment was dramatic. Naturally the majority of the 24th's recruits were from the Hivecities of Hibernia. Moltke found that these recruits wholly undisciplined, even the trained reservists. He identified the Hibernian uniform, with its lax appearance as a major contributor. Moltke saw only one way to turn what he saw as a lot of ruffians into imperial soldiers, and that was to train and equip them according to the treatise of his home regiment the Corscan Chasseuars.
First, Moltke petitioned to add this regiment to the Imperial Lists under the planetary tradition of naming the regiment after the war. Hence the 24th nominer. This also helped ensure that it would be equipped from the nearest Imperial Armories at the Cathedral Bastion. Likewise he garnished the rules a bit in order to make sure that some of the equipment and uniform would be drawn from Corsca itself. (Several critics of Moltke have come forward to libel that this was simply a cover in order for his allies to engage in a little pursing as the regiment was outfitted.) With the influential help of Goethe the petition was granted. The urban camouflage and loose fitting garb was replaced with a smart Red faced Green Tunic and a proper Corscan style (minus the plume) headdress. Training involved endless drill and harsh discipline. The men came close to mutiny on more than one occasion, but because of Moltke’s professionalism they grew to respect him as much as they hated him.
The men of the 24th soon learned to perform every action in crisp swift movements, and most gradually evolved into a model Corscan style regiment. The hivecities of Hibernia, traditionally a haven for badly behaved Imperial sailors, was amazed and proud of this new regiment. During the initial recruiting drive a brief conflict arose as off duty Imperial sailors were often pressed into the regiment, resulting in an outcry to the Admiral. After this slight problem was resolved and all sailors on Hibernia issued with exemption papers the regimental recruiting parties were driven deeper into the underhive. In these dark corners pressed recruits of a savage disposition were collected but impossible to train with conventional methods. Many of these were semi literate, and spoke a dialect known as Onderspeek. These men could scarcely take orders let alone stand at attention for more than a day. They were very adept however at marksmanship and infiltration based on the daily struggle for survival they had grown up with. Too uncouth to fit in with the regiment but too valuable to discard, Moltke formed the best of these in to special section simply called the "Scout Department". . This area would be attached to the Headquarters Platoon and assigned an Agent of the Under Hive to keep them under control. Such agents were men who had performed sterling service for the Emperor deep in the under hive, but many had "gone Onder" and preferred the primitive yet romantic society of the Onder natives over that of the stiff collared refined Corscan nobles.. Fluent in Imperial Gothic and Onderspeek, and knowledgeable in the ways of fighting in the under hive, agents were able to ensure that the skills of the Onder natives were used to their best advantage, but that their orders would come from Command HQ and the Scout Department. In the end Moltke was able to assure himself that they would be more effective than Ogryn.
The 24th was put to the test during the uprisings that occurred on Hibernia following the initial setbacks of the war. These actions ranged from crowd control to heated skirmishes with hive gangers and major firefights with Cruentus insurrectionists lasting several days. The iron discipline of the 24th was in inspiration to those who witnessed them in action and their mere presence was sufficient to diffuse several incidents. Where this was not possible, the Scout Department proved complimentary to the 24th’s methods in rooting defenders out of difficult pockets of resistance. The Onder natives were also able to gather intelligence and ambush unorganized cultists. It is fair to say that the 24th was instrumental in bringing the populace of Hibernia within the control of the Empire during these difficult times.
The real test of the regiment naturally came during their initial deployment on the Cultists world of Cathedral I. Assuming the Chaos forces were weak and demoralized after the great space battle which broke the traitor fleet the Hibernia regiment was completely unprepared for the ferocity and conviction the traitors fought with. Initially there were many setbacks but slowly with a reformed plan from Moltke the planet was largely reconqured.
Most of the 24th were unable to see true service until the outbreak of the 25th Agrippa War when the regiment entire was deployed to scour the freeport of Severus of Orkoid invaders.
Rather than be disbanded at the end of the 25th war, the regiment was instead intended to assist Goethe with the Scylla Crusade. It was here that the regiment garnered a reputation for stubborn endurance. While stranded for dead on the deathworld of Kali, Moltke and Field Colonel Sthren of the 500 Coy. Fenn Armour managed to fight against all odd, with little water and food until House Dukas and Lord Kitchener managed to rescue them.
Following the Scylla Crusade the regiment was rewarded Capital Establishment by the Cardinal Duke Thrackos.
Following the Corscan tradition, the regiment wears a pristine Scarlet Tunic and black guazed pith helmet and small clothes. The armour of the regiment is codex gray as per standard Agrippa Sector regulations.
The elite companies of the regiment trade the pith helmet for fancy Corscan style Dragoon helmets with a death's head insignia on the front.
The facing colour for the regiment is green.
Since the 25th Agrippa war a Super Heavy Baneblade from the 150 Dragoon coy. Fenn Armour has been attached to the regiment and still serves as part of the command train.
Like the Corscans, Hibernians are very fond of their horses and follow the Corscan example of several highly skilled Calvary companies. However, unlike the Corscans who draw their Calvary recruits from the aristocracy, the Hibernians utilize the skill and fierceness of wasteland hussars who reside outside the main hive city of the homeworld.