From Lexicanum

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 speciality. It is also in use as a generic term for any member of the Imperial Guard, regardless of rank.¹

The most common type of Imperial military force, there are estimated to be billions of Imperial Guardsmen in service at any one time. 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, the average Guardsmen is equipped with a flak jacket and a lasgun; victory and survival are won with the aid of fellow Guardsmen, courage and of course, faith in the Emperor.¹

Guardsmen are the basic troopers of all standard regiments and form by far the greatest part of most aspects of the Imperial Guard. They are the most common soldier in the Imperium and perform all manor of tasks from open warfare to city fighting to construction of fortifications and defending Imperial property. They are always armed with the most common weapon in the Imperium, the lasgun, chosen for its reliability and low ammunition requirements. 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 Settlement.¹

The Role of Imperial Guardsmen

Inside the Imperial Guard, Guardsmen can be found anywhere and everywhere, doing any and all tasks possible. Whilst the Guard is an organisation of marked internal variation, the majority of these tasks are relatively standardised throughout the various regiments of the Imperial Guard, and a list and description of the most common positions and responsibilities of Guardsmen can be found below.

Command Squad

Guardsmen in a Command Squad are usually some of the better ones from the regiment, tasked to perform bodyguard or specialist roles and are often seen armed with close combat equipment, but can also carry heavier weapons if their officer orders it. Some of these Guardsmen will have received additional training, allowing them to perform as vox-operators or battlefield medics. Command squads may carry colours, and if so a Guardsman is likely to be designated as a standard-bearer. There are notionally four Guardsmen to a Command Squad.¹

Vox-Operator

The bearer of a Vox-caster, the vox-operator receives specialist training in the utilisation of Guard communications equipment, and often acts as an aide or adjutant to an officer. Some Vox-operators are referred to as Comms-Officers and appear to have some level of NCO authority despite being ranked as simple Guardsmen.²

Medic

Always a veteran and equipped with some form of Medi-pack, allowing him to patch up wounded fellow guardsmen. Medics are also soldiers, meaning they are as skilled at combat as any normal guardsmen.¹ Such battlefield medics can be referred to as Corpsman or even Orderly and do not typically rank as officers. Command Squad medics are not always true members of a regiment's medical staff, meaning they are not fully qualified Medical Officers (also known as Doctors and/or Surgeons). Such personnel often stay in the rear of the regiment, awaiting incoming casualties.²

Standard-Bearer

Also typically a veteran soldier, a standard-bearer has the honour of carrying a Company or Regimental Standard.¹

Support Squads

Guardsmen who display talent with specialised weaponry can be formed into Support Squads. Guardsmen in these squads are either gunners or loaders and their squads are given distinct battlefield roles. Each squad contains six Guardsmen, crewing three heavy weapons. This pair of Guardsmen, a gunner/loader combination, is referred to as a Heavy Weapons Team.

Fire Support Squads

Armed with Heavy Bolters or Autocannons, these squads can suppress enemy infantry and even neutralise light vehicles.

Anti-tank Support Squads

Armed with Lascannons or Missile Launchers, these squads are principally used to kill enemy armour or similar high-priority targets.

Mortar Support Squads

Armed with anti-personnel Mortars, these squads are primarily used for long-range suppression or harassing fire.

Special Weapons Squad

Still typically six Guardsmen strong, but which fields man-portable special weapons rather than the larger crew-operated heavy weapons. In these squads, only 3 Guardsmen are allowed to carry special weapons, with the remaining three operating as ammunition carriers. The special weapons available to these squads include Meltaguns, Flamers, Grenade Launchers, Sniper Rifles or a Demolition Charge.¹

Support squads are often either attached to a Command Platoon or formed up into Heavy Weapons Platoons, generating considerable massed firepower.¹ Heavy Weapons Support Squads are often set up entrenched in a defensive position, or set up behind sandbags.³

Hardened Veteran Squad

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

Storm Troopers

Storm Troopers are Guardsmen who are widely used to perform various types of special operations.

Infantry Squads

The most basic formation used by the Imperial Guard is the infantry squad, and most Guardsmen in service are members of such squads. Notionally formed of 9 Guardsmen and a Sergeant, infantry squads are able to be tactically equipped with various heavy and special weapons, as well as other forms of equipment. Between 2 and 5 infantry squads make up a platoon, which is led by a junior officer.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 form of dedicated transport can be referred to as an Armoured Fist Squad. They are armed in a similar way to Infantry Squads, the only difference being that they have their own transport vehicle.¹

Drop Troop Squads

Drop Troops are specially trained Guardsmen, who utilise 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. They are formed up into Drop Troop Squads that are reminiscent of standard infantry squads, with some minor equipment and weapons modifications.¹

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 include¹:

• Basilisk
• Hellhound
• Leman Russ Battle Tank
• Sentinel

Equipment

Weapons

The primary weapon of the Imperial Guard is the Lasgun but guardsmen are very versatile and can be trained in the use of many different weapons. The standard issued types are:

• Autocannon
• Flamer
• Grenade Launcher
• Heavy Bolter
• Lascannon
• Meltagun
• Missile Launcher
• Mortar
• Plasma Gun

They are also commonly armed with Frag and Krak Grenades to aid them in dealing with unexpected threats they come across during a battle.¹

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 sometimes it is augmented with other ballistically resilient materials such as with the Harakoni Warhawks.¹

Other

Other equipment guardsmen may be deployed with includes²:

• The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer

Previous Editions

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

In 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 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)

Imperial Guard Infantry
Command Units	Command Platoon • Heroic Senior Officer • Senior Officer • Junior Officer • Sanctioned Psyker • Commissar • Priest
Flexible Troops	Infantry Platoon • Conscript Infantry Platoon • Hardened Veteran Squad • Storm Troopers • Sentinel Squadron
Combat Troops	Armoured Fist Squad • Rough Rider Squadron • Ogryn Squad
Ranged Troops	Ratling Snipers • Snipers • Heavy Weapons Platoon
Support Units	Fire Support Squad • Anti-tank Support Squad • Mortar Support Squad • Sentinel Support Squadron Special Weapon Support Squad • Techpriest Enginseer