Valhallan Ice Warriors
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The Valhallan Ice Warriors are the Imperial Guard Regiments from the Ice world of Valhalla. Valhallan soldiers are famous for their tenaciousness in holding their ground against even the most hopeless odds, and their ability to suffer the most appalling casualties without breaking.[1]
Contents
Recruitment and Training
Like many of the Guard's most iconic regiments, the Valhallans are shaped by their unique homeworld and the history of their founding. Several millennia before M41, Valhalla was a verdant paradise, but a comet impact knocked the world out of orbit and radically altered its climate, transforming the planet into a frozen ball of ice, where virtually no plant or animal life can survive aboveground without protection. The small percentage of the planet's population were forced underground, into the caverns which offered the only protection from the surface cold, with little access to food or supplies.[Needs Citation]
As if to add insult to injury, the cataclysm was followed swiftly by an Ork invasion. Yet as poorly-prepared as they were, the Valhallans refused to surrender their homeworld. The grim campaign that followed pushed the Orks off-planet, and taught the Valhallans a means of surviving in their world's new climate.
True to this history, the Valhallans are stolid, unyielding soldiers, perfectly adapted to fighting in cold-weather environments. They also retain a special hatred for Orks, above all other xenos races, and are often deployed where their adeptness at fighting against greenskins can be put to good use.[Needs Citation]
Battle style
The Ice Warriors are stoic and unwavering when on the defensive, resolutely holding their ground against fearful odds where other troops would consider it a good idea to flee. Enemies have often found that Valhallan defending forces need to be completely destroyed to capture the held ground. Valhallans are trained to fight in dense formations to support their morale. When on the offensive, Valhallans combine massed artillery barrages and infantry wave assaults. The morale of regiments is often backed up by attached Ministorum Priests.[Needs Citation]
Equipment
All Valhallans are equipped with standard-issue lasguns and flak armour but certain Guardsmen are armed with special or heavy weapons. Their uniforms are made for colder climates, including heavy coats.[Needs Citation]
The Valhallans favour flamers and mortars.[Needs Citation]
Notable Campaigns
- 13th Black Crusade[7]
- Battle for the Poretta system[8]
- Battle of Eagle Gate[9]
- Battle of Jurn[10]
- Cressida Rebellion[11]
- Gravalax Incident[12]
- Hive Fleet Jormungandr[13]
- Sallan's World Campaign — Sallan's World Offensive, Valhallan 8th Armoured Regiment's Baneblades campaigned in Sub-Arctic pine tundra.[2]
- Scouring of Gnosis[14]
- The War of Beasts on Vigilus[15]
- War of Survival[16]
- Argovon Campaign[5]
Known Regiments
Notable Valhallan Ice Warriors
- Lady General Jenit Sulla — Served as a junior officer with Commissar Cain and the Valhallan 597th, later was promoted.[12a]
- Colonel Regina Kasteen — Commanding officer of the 597th.[4a][4b]
- Commander Kubrik Chenkov.[16a]
- Commander Wladislaw Pietrov.[Needs Citation]
- Commissar Ciaphas Cain — although he wasn't born on Valhalla, Cain spent the majority of his early career serving with Valhallan regiments.[4a][4c]
- Gunner Ferik Jurgen — Commissar Cain's loyal aide and bodyguard; originally assigned to the Valhallan 12th Field Artillery, later accompanied Cain for the remainder of his career, including his assignment to the Valhallan 597th and his retirement to Perlia.[3][4a]
- Shambas - Officer[4d]
- Faril - Officer[4d]
Images
Valhallan Lieutenant[17]
Valhallans Heavy Weapons Team[17]
Valhallans with Missile Launcher[17]
Valhallans with Autocannon[17]
Valhallans with Heavy Bolter[17]
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pgs. 20–24
- 2: Imperial Armour - Imperial Vehicles for Warhammer 40,000, pg. 33
- 3: Fight or Flight (Short Story) — Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Omnibus)
- 4: For the Emperor (Novel) — Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Omnibus):
- 5: White Dwarf 457, pg. 57
- 6: Warhammer Community : Sunday Preview – (Re)Enter Valhalla and More! (saved archive page, dated 16/02/2020, last accessed 12/01/2022)
- 7: White Dwarf 286 (UK): The Eye of Terror pgs. 69-70
- 8: White Dwarf 286 (UK), pg.29
- 9: Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition Rulebook, pgs. 385–399
- 10: Codex: Chaos (2nd Edition), pg. 48
- 11: Ice Guard (Novel), chapter 2
- 12: For The Emperor (Novel) pg. 205
- 12a: Chapter 1
- 13: Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pg. 24
- 14: Planetstrike, pg. 60-61
- 15: Imperium Nihilus: Vigilus Defiant, pgs. 30-50
- 16: Codex: Imperial Guard (2nd Edition) pg.12
- 16a: pg. 24
- 17: Warhammer Community: Order Today – Valhallan Ice Warriors (posted 20/2/2020) (last accessed 26/6/2022)