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The '''Second War for Armageddon''' is the second best known of the [[Armageddon Wars|three wars of the system]]. It took place on the [[Hive World]] of [[Armageddon]] between the mighty [[Ork]] [[Warboss]] [[Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka]] and the forces of the [[Imperium]] and included [[regiment]]s of the [[Imperial Guard]] and [[Space Marines]] of the [[Blood Angels]], [[Salamanders]] and [[Ultramarines]] [[Chapter]]s, along with a large [[Squat]] army. It would see the planet being swarmed with green-skinned Orks of five different tribes. The main war lasted for two years, but the actual combat continued for the next twenty years, a colossal effort for just one planet.

The war may be seen to have begun on Armageddon, but it really began some nine years before. At this time, Ghazghkull was a lowly [[Ork Boy|boy]] in the Ork armies on the planet of [[Urk]] (possibly where part of his name came from).{{Cite This}}

A Space Marine force, (chapter unknown) raided the planet in the hopes of disrupting the Ork forces there. During the battle, a [[bolter]] shell ripped into Ghazghkull's skull, causing massive brain damage and blasting off a good chunk of his cranium. He was luckily (or not) found by a [[Painboy]] known as [[Mad Dok Grotsnik]] who replaced that part of his cranium with a [[bionic]] device. Somehow this device may have enabled Ghazghkull's latent [[psychic]] powers, or he may just have been suffering from delusions. But whatever happened, from then on he claimed to be in communication with the Ork gods, [[Gork and Mork]].{{Cite This}}

One month before landing, the hulk, named [[Alveus Alpha Alpha Sextus]]{{Cite This}} by Imperial [[Administrator]]s, blew away the defences of the Armageddon system, including obsolete orbital satellites and small attack craft. Desperate messages were sent in the hope of acquiring aid. Three [[Space Marine Chapter]]s began to organize themselves but would not be able to get there before the Orks landed. A month later the Orks disembarked, beginning the major section of the war for Armageddon on the day of the [[Feast of the Emperor's Ascension]], 941.[[M40]].{{Cite This}}

After the Orks landed, a massive [[warp storm]] formed around the Armageddon system, preventing Imperial reinforcements from aiding the beleaguered forces on the planet. The Ork forces split off into their five separate tribes, and two of them were sent north to take hold of [[Armageddon Prime]]. [[Herman von Strab]], the [[Overlord]] of Armageddon, was ignorant of the threat posed by the Orks. There were several warnings of the upcoming danger, including the [[Emperor's Tarot]] cards and freighter captains' warnings of disturbances in the [[warp]], but von Strab ignored them all. Only after the Orks landed did any real distress signal leave the planet, and only due to the foresight of [[Sebastian Yarrick]]. Von Strab banished Yarrick to [[Hades Hive]] for countermanding his orders, located in [[Armageddon Secundus]].{{Cite This}}

Von Strab decided he could take on the Orks with the available forces of the planetary [[PDF]]s. The populations of [[Armageddon Prime]] formed into defensive units and fortified around their [[Hive]] homes but were pushed further and further back by the unstoppable Orks. Piecemeal attacks were ordered by von Strab, which only led to the deaths of more [[human]]s. Yarrick ordered shuttle runs to help arm the north, the pilots skipping out of the atmosphere and back in again before the Orks could intercept them. Many pilots died as their ships were destroyed, the remains falling back to the planet in flaming chunks.{{Cite This}}

The Imperial forces now fell back, establishing defensive lines along the many rivers of Armageddon, including the [[Stygies River]] in the west and [[Diabolus River]] in the east. When the storms abated the Orks drove south, crushing the defences and sweeping into [[Hive Infernus]]. Demoralized, the officer in charge of Infernus surrendered without a fight. The refugee columns, hundreds of kilometers long, trekked across the deserts and were harried by Ork biker units, herding them back to Infernus to work as slaves.{{Cite This}}

Soon, Hades Hive was under siege, and the hardest fighting began. Commissar Yarrick was organizing the defences of Hades Hive and he seemed to be everywhere at this time. He would be at the welding shut of the great blast portals and negotiating treaties with the many [[gang]]s of Hades Hive. Amazingly he put together a rag-tag army to defend Hades. Thousands of Orks waited for the call to attack while the Gargants pounded the hive with their biggest guns. The people survived on rats and roaches and on reduced power. Few speak of this time other than to praise Yarrick.{{Cite This}}

It was then that von Strab released his secret battery of ancient [[virus bomb]]s. His family had had them stocked since the first colonization of Armageddon. They were mounted on antiquated missile systems and hastily pressed into service. Unfortunately, many malfunctioned due to their age: rockets would not fire, detonators would not arm and the virus had decreased in potency over time. The missile wreaked havoc among the Orks, but did not come even close to what was needed to stop their advance. His last scheme failed, Von Strab retired to his bunker to sulk.{{Cite This}}

Then Ghazghkull himself arrived to co-ordinate the attack on Hades Hive. He tried every strategy he could think of, and was told of by [[Gork and Mork]]. He tried dropping elite [[kommando]]s onto the spires of the hive, he had great siege weapons built and even retrofitted gargants with earth-moving devices. But for every strategy, Yarrick devised a counter. He had the maintenance crews go into the ventilation shafts, armed with a [[bolt pistol]] and knife, and attack the kommandos as they came down. Not one kommando survived. The hive transport infrastructure was used to counter-feint attacks and suicide parties slipped out to destroy the huge siege weaponry.{{Cite This}}

Meanwhile, as the siege of Hades Hive continued, Ork columns surged south from Port Helsreach and Hive Infernus heading for [[Hive Acheron]]. Acheron seemed to be the last bastion of Human resistance, and the Acheronians steeled themselves. As they looked out of their ocular monitors they could see the Orks slowly advancing on their position. The only support they had from von Strab were his well-wishing and twenty of the less-favoured members of his personal guard. The Orks stormed forward and quickly overran the outer hive, beginning the siege of the Hive core. The Hive Governor refused to surrender and made a passionate speech to his people, but it was all for naught. The Orks, confident of victory, charged headlong into the hive. Suddenly, out of nowhere, massive explosions rent holes in the Orks' advanced columns. The vehicles of the Orks were thrown into the air like so much chaff and the inhabitants of Acheron looked on in amazement as the orbital bombardment continued. Ships filled the skies and Imperial [[Thunderhawk]]s dropped advanced troops off in the path of the Orks. Surprised by this turn of events, the Orks reeled back while the [[Space Marines]] continued to deploy. The defenders of the Hive came out to aid the Space Marines. For the first time in the war, the Orks suffered defeat on the battlefield.{{Cite This}}

As devastating as the Second War for Armageddon had been, Ghazhgkull survived, and regarded it as little more than a practice run. Decades later, he would return, at the head of an even larger, better armed and better organized [[Waaagh!]]{{Cite This}}