Boarding Shield
Boarding Shields[1] (or Breacher Shields)[5] are shields used by Space Marines during boarding operations, allowing them to absorb incoming enemy fire. They are also employed during siege operations.[1]
A bulkier version of the standard Combat Shields[3], the boarding shields were the wargear of choice for Space Marine Legion squads before the introduction of the storm shields, with the main task of breaching enemy ships and performing siege assaults[2] Although the protective field of Boarding Shields was inferior to the field of mighty Storm Shields the prototypes of which were beginning to enter service of Legiones Astartes at the time of the Horus Heresy,[3] the boarding shield provided additional protection as its bulk reduced the effectiveness of a direct enemy attack against the shield bearer. The generators used in combat and boarding shields at the time of the Horus Heresy were also refined to offer increased protection from close combat attacks. With these benefits, the venerable boarding shield remained an essential part of the Legions’ armouries long after the storm shield came into common service.[2]
Boarding shields were most often carried by Breacher squads and specialist units who fulfilled similar roles. The Ultramarines Invictarus Suzerain squads, in particular, carried ornate boarding shields to aid their defence in close combat.[2]
See Also
Images
Space Marine with Boarding Shield and Graviton Gun[1]
Iron Hands Space Marine of the Iron Hands with a Boarding Shield[4]
Varinius of the Ultramarines with a Praetorian pattern Breacher Shield[5]
Sources
- 1: Forge World
- 2: Warhammer App
- 3: The Horus Heresy Book One - Betrayal, pg. 236
- 4: Forge World (saved archive page, dated April 2015, last accessed 20 February 2020)
- 5: Forge World - Ultramarines Praetorian Breacher Shields] (last accessed 20 February 2020)
