The Imperial attack to retake its fortifications outside Susa City was a bloody and bitterly fought contest. (Artwork courtesy of Carl Holden.)

The beleaguered capital of Hegira erupted in celebration today after military authorities announced they had retaken the city’s trench lines seized by ork invaders earlier this month.

Three Imperial Guard battalions, supported by the 17th Conscript Battalion and significant armored assets, attacked at dawn yesterday. After a fierce struggle, Imperial forces broke through the greenskin lines and slaughtered the retreating xenos by their thousands.—Imperial Voxcast,  3 62 739.M41

Imperial Announcement

Broadcast Date: 3 062 739.M41

On 3 058 739.M41, mechanized forces of the 728th Cadian Regiment spearheaded a success attack against the ork invaders whose armies were deployed scant kilometers from Susa City, the capital of the war-torn moon of Hegira.

This spearhead was supported by the 4th and 6th Battalions of the 728th, the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Tallarn Regiment, and the 17th Conscript Regiment of the Hegira Planetary Defense Force (PDF).

The Imperial assault began just before dawn, with the 2nd Armored Company and 4th Mechanized Company using the cover of darkness to get within point-blank range of the orks. This maneuver proved effective, as initial ork fire was haphazard. Indeed, there is a confirmed report that one ork Battlewagon, equipped with what the orks call a “Zapp Gun,” suffered self-inflicted damage when its weapon misfired.

Even in the pre-dawn darkness, Imperial fire was more accurate. Graced by the psychic power of an Imperial-sanctioned psyker, which guided the targeting of Imperial guns, initial Imperial fire managed to destroy a Looted Wagon and Trukk, as well as severely damage an advancing Deff Dread.

Massive Melee

The 17th Conscripts clash early with the orks on the Imperial right flank. Despite repeated counterattacks, the conscripts held their ground.

Before dawn, the 17th Conscripts—its devastating losses replaced with fresh recruits—also took to the offensive, advancing to the north of the armored column. The rising sun saw two ork Trukks race toward the conscripts in challenge and disembark large mobs of ork warriors, who in turn charged the 17th with a roar of guttural and savage rage.

Bolstered by the morale-building example of a lord commissar and inspired to a frenzy by the sermon of a Ministorum Priest, the conscripts brought heavy fire to bear on the orks, then stood against their charge. What followed was a bloody free-for-all that saw massive casualties on both sides.

The fighting was so intense that, at one point, the two opponents broke contact out of sheer exhaustion. That allowed supporting Chimera to open up with their multi-lasers and, with the fire of the conscripts, the entire ork force was annihilated.

Ork Reinforcements

The sound of battle attracted significant ork reinforcements, but Imperial forces were able to target immense firepower against every threat.

Although the orks suffered greatly from the initial Imperial attack, the sound of gunfire quickly attracted xeno reinforcements eager to get “stuck in” with the “humies.” A squadron of Warbuggies, several Looted Wagons, and mobs of Boyz soon made their appearance on the battlefield.

Imperial forces responded by bringing every gun to bear. In the 2nd Armored Co., a squadron of Lemon Russ tanks, armed with Exterminator Autocannons and Battle Cannons, destroyed almost all the Warbuggies before they had a chance to close with the advancing Imperial line.

Meanwhile, a Hellhound advanced in the center to target a mob of Grots skulking in some ruins and wiped them out. A massive Battlewagon exploded in flames after being hit by a meltagun fired by a veteran squad firing out the top hatch of an advancing Chimera armored transport.

Strafing Runs

Ork aircraft were a constant threat to infantry in the open, but Imperial anti-air fire was effective in limiting the orks’ air superiority over the battlefield.

One of the most dangerous threats for Imperial forces arrived in the form of Dakkajets and Blitza-Bommas. One Dakkajet’s attrack run was aborted after it was targeted by a Hydra anti-air battery, but a Blitza-Bomma managed to target a Chimera ferrying veterans to the front lines—and the transport was wrecked, stranding the troops in the midst of a heavy firefight between ork and Imperial forces.

Heavy anti-air fire managed to limit other ork air attacks, yet there were Imperial casualties. One squad suffered heavy damage from a Dakkajet’s strafing run, while one Blitza-Bomma bombed a Hellhound, penetrating its top armor and immobilizing the vehicle.

Fighting Intensifies

Imperial commanders deployed massive armored formations to the battle.

As the full weight of these reinforcements began to make itself felt, the Imperial momentum waivered. Near a giant, abandoned crane in the middle of the battlefield, a black Deff Dread advanced steadily across the battlefield.

Indeed, the walker appeared to pay no attention to the firepower targeting it, its focus seemingly focused on incinerating nearby infantry squads with its skorchas.

A squadron of Scout Sentinels attempted vainly to stop the ork walker, but their multi-laser fire proved ineffective, the xeno monstrosity’s frontal armor deflecting every shot. Finally, as the Deff Dread threatened to break through the Imperial line, a final shot of a Chimera’s multi-laser brought down the xeno threat.

Not far away, a Trukk stopped and dropped off a mob of orks armed with rokkit launchas and accompanied by bomb-laden squids. The squids headed immediately to the nearest Imperial vehicle, a Hellhound, but the squids’ bombs failed to penetrate the tank’s armor. (Although, as the bombs exploded, they proved very effective at eliminating the threat of the squids.)

By 12:100, Imperial commanders could safely say their forces were standing firm against everything the greenskins were throwing against them.

Click here to read the conclusion of this battle.

Artwork

Click here to see more of the great artwork of Carl Holden at DeviantArt.com.

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The Corvus Cluster is a Warhammer 40K blog documenting our gaming adventures in the fantastical sci-fi universe of Games Workshop.