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Imperial Guard Portal

Guardsman, Cadian 412th Shock Troops

Guardsman (sometimes Private, Trooper or other regimental equivalent) is the generic term for the lowest enlisted rank in the Imperial Guard, no matter their military occupational specialty. It is also in use as a generic term for any member of the Imperial Guard, regardless of rank¹ or gender.

The most common type of Imperial military force, there are estimated to be billions of Imperial Guardsmen in service at any one time. As a member of the standing army of the Imperium, the average Guardsman can be expected to fight against genetically-engineered super-beings, alien killing machines, warrior-mystics, or technology that appears akin to sorcery. Against the horrors of a galaxy permanently at war, victory and survival are won with the aid of fellow Guardsmen, courage and, of course, faith in the Emperor.¹

Role and Organization

Guardsman of the Armageddon Steel Legions¹⁰

Guardsmen are the basic troopers of all standard regiments and form by far the greatest part of most aspects of the Imperial Guard. They perform all manner of tasks, from open warfare to city fighting to construction of fortifications to defending Imperial property.

Guardsmen have few personal rights as soldiers of the Imperium, although like the regiments in which they serve, they can eventually (provided they fight long enough and in the right warzones) retire or even earn the Right of Settlement¹.

Whilst the Guard is an organization of marked internal variation, the majority of these tasks are relatively standardized throughout the various regiments of the Guard.

Infantry Squads

The most basic unit used by the Imperial Guard is the Infantry Squad, and most Guardsmen in service are members of such squads. Notionally formed of 10 soldiers (9 Guardsmen and a Sergeant), infantry squads are usually equipped with basic infantry equipment (Flak armour and a Lasgun), and one or more may be equipped with heavier weapons or specialist equipment¹.

Many regiments further divide each infantry squad into two 5-man fire teams, which allows the squad to divide if necessary and affords it greater flexibility in combat^{[Needs Citation]}. An Assistant Squad Leader (usually a Corporal or other non-commissioned officer) is usually detailed to take command if the leader is killed or incapacitated, or leads the second fire-team if the squad splits into two^9a.

Between 2 and 5 infantry squads make up a platoon, which is led by a junior officer, such as a Lieutenant.¹

There are many variations of the standard infantry squad, normally depending on the type of regiment concerned:

• Armoured Fist Squads: an Infantry Squad mounted in a Chimera or some other transport vehicle; they are armed in a similar way to Infantry Squads, the only difference being that they have use of a dedicated transport vehicle.¹
• Drop Troop Squads: Drop Troops are specially trained Guardsmen, who utilize varying specialist equipment (Grav-chutes, grav-gliders, etc.) to deploy from the air into a war zone. The training involved in learning to use this equipment is typically very demanding, and regiments of Drop Troops have a reputation of being extremely capable fighters. Apart from their specialist equipment, they carry the weaponry and equipment standard to a normal infantry squad, with some minor modifications.¹

Heavy Weapons Squads

Heavy Weapons Platoon, Catachan Jungle Fighters

Designed to support infantry squads with greater firepower, typical Heavy Weapons Squads are made up of 6 Guardsmen, crewing 3 heavy weapons. Each weapon is served by a Heavy Weapons Team composed of 2 Guardsmen (one gunner, one loader) ¹.

Again, the weaponry used depends on the Squad's particular battlefield role:

• Fire Support Squads: Armed with Heavy Bolters or Autocannons, these squads can suppress enemy infantry and even neutralize light vehicles¹.
• Anti-tank Support Squads: Armed with Lascannons or Missile Launchers, these squads are principally used to kill enemy armour or similar high-priority targets¹.
• Mortar Support Squads: Armed with anti-personnel Mortars, these squads are primarily used for long-range suppression or harassing fire¹.

A special variant on the usual Heavy Weapons Squad is the Special Weapons Squad, a team of 6 in which 3 carry individual man-portable weapons, such as Meltaguns, Flamers, Grenade Launchers, Sniper Rifles or Demolition Charges, with the remaining 3 carrying spare ammunition for these weapons¹.

Heavy Weapons Squads are usually organized into a Heavy Weapons Platoon, which can generate considerable massed firepower, but more often is broken up into Squads, which are attached to various infantry formations or a Command Platoon¹.

Heavy Weapons Support Squads are often entrenched behind defensive position, such as sandbags.³

Hardened Veteran Squad

A Shotgun wielding Veteran Guardsman battles Tyranids¹¹

A Hardened Veteran squad is an elite Imperial Guard unit made up of battle-hardened veterans of many long wars. Such veteran units tend to be low in numbers but their versatility makes them a valuable addition to any army.^1-p42

As a regiment is progressively eroded through combat until only the toughest and luckiest remain, these remainders end up becoming hardened veterans, men who have survived long enough to become especially proficient at war. They have often picked up a number of unique battle skills and are far more individualistic than normal Guardsmen, given freer reign than normal Guardsmen, and provide valuable experience on the battlefield.^1-p42

A squad notionally consists of between four and nine veteran Guardsmen and one Sergeant. Sergeants of these squads are often equipped with equipment typically rated 'Officer-Only', either due to being given access to such equipment in the armoury by their superiors, or having scavenged it from the battlefield and being allowed to retain it. Indeed, the weapon outfit of a veteran Guardsmen squad can vary massively.^1-p42

Veterans are often acquired by Inquisitors to form part of their Inquisitorial retinue when extra power and skill are needed.^7-p15

Command Squad

The most competent Guardsmen, who have displayed exceptional gallantry or specialist skills, may join an officer's Command Squad.

Stormtroopers

Storm Troopers are specially-trained Guardsmen used to perform various types of special operations.

Rough Riders

Rough Riders are Guardsmen deployed as cavalry troopers.

Crewmen

Guardsmen deployed in non-infantry roles typically act as vehicle or artillery crewmen. Typical platforms operated by such Guardsmen include Basilisks, Hellhounds, Leman Russ Battle Tanks, or Sentinel¹.

Guardswomen

Several Guard regiments include female troopers, including the Tanith First, the Omicron Rangers, and the Calderon Rifles. However, less than 10% of all Guard soldiers are female, and the vast majority of these serve in all-female regiments, such as the Valhallan 296th Ice Warriors. Mixed-sex regiments, such as the Tanith First and the Valhallan 597th, are a rarity^{2, 8a}.

For this reason, female Guard troopers are usually addressed by the generic term of "Guardsman."^{[Needs Citation]}

Equipment

Cadian Sniper

Weaponry

The primary weapon of the Imperial Guard is the Lasgun, a weapon mass-produced throughout the Imperium for its reliability and low ammunition requirements. The standard Lasgun is usually also equipped with a bayonet or other close combat weapon. They are also commonly armed with Frag and Krak Grenades.¹

Other, more specialized weaponry issued to Guardsmen can include Autocannons, Flamers, Grenade launchers, Heavy bolters, Lascannons, Meltaguns, Missile launchers, Mortars, or Plasma guns.

Armour

Most Guardsmen wear Flak Armour, a cheaply produced, lightweight armour type provided en-masse to Imperial Guard units. They come in various forms, heavy overcoats for regiments from cold worlds such as Valhalla or light, more breathable combat gear from tropic worlds like Catachan. Sometimes it is incorporated into parade gear for regiments such as the Mordian Iron Guard and other times it is augmented with other ballistic-resistant materials, such as with the Harakoni Warhawks.¹

Other

Other equipment Guardsmen may be deployed with may include The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer ².

Previous Editions

In the 3rd Edition, Guardsmen were very similar to those in the 4th Edition, including the squads in which they fought.⁴

In the 2nd Edition, the squads were similar although more limited by a very different command structure, represented by each Infantry Squad being allowed to have another support unit 'attached' to it, although acting independently.⁵

In the 1st Edition, squad layout was very different, including Command Sections, Tactical Squads with standard weaponry, Support Squads with heavy weapons and Assault Squads with close combat weapons.⁶

Sources

• ¹:Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex)
• ²:Gaunt's Ghosts (Novel Series)
• ³:Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
• ⁴:Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 1st Codex)
• ⁵:Codex: Imperial Guard (2nd Edition)
• ⁶:Warhammer 40,000 Compendium
• ⁷:Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition)
• ⁸:For the Emperor (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium by Sandy Mitchell:
  • a: Chapter 3, p. 66, fn. 1
• ⁹:Caves of Ice (Novel) - Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium by Sandy Mitchell:
  • a: Chapter 6, p. 354, fn. 3
• ¹⁰:The Art of Warhammer 40,000 pg.85
• ¹¹:Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition) pg.40