“It is an ill-fated time. The traitors advance like a cancer . . . corrupting all before them. No! No, I say. The traitors will not take this city. We will fight. For each inch that the enemy advances, we will take 100 of their lives.”—Ionut Barbu, colonel, 81st Xandarian Regiment

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Preliminary Bombardment

The latest battle for Mygor began with a massive artillery bombardment by the enemy that lasted from 432 to 453 745.M41. An estimated 1,200 guns were employed by the Death Guard, with different-sized cannon ranging from Basilisks and Medusas to heavy mortars and quad launchers.

During the week-long bombardment, nearly 1.7 million shells targeted Imperial trenches defending the southeastern edge of the hive city and its sprawling suburbs of residential habs and manufactorums.

Imperial casualties during this initial bombardment were 21,000, two-thirds of the casualties occurring in the last two days of the artillery battle when the traitors switched from high explosive shells to biological, plague-dispersing gas shells.

First Wave of Attack

The first frontal assault against the Mygor trenches, along a 200-kilometer-wide front, was launched on 6 454 745.M41. As many as 1 million heretics and 300 traitor Astartes crossed “no-man’s-land” under heavy fire and suffered tremendous losses.

The battle was broken into two wings, separated by the sludge-filled Sordes River. To the east of the river, at least 40 regimental-sized warbands of cultists and an uncertain number of Traitoris Militarum regiments advanced across a barren, crater-pockmarked landscape.

Supported by thousands of armored vehicles, ranging from transports to tanks, this traitor force was resolute in its advance despite their losses—a sizable number to friendly fire, as the traitors continued to bombard the outer perimeter of the Imperial line, and some shells fell short and landed atop the traitor vanguard.

Although the traitors managed to overwhelm several outlying redoubts to their front, heavy defensive fire—supported by coordinated attacks by Imperial Navy bombers and gunships—proved overwhelming, and the traitor attack stalled about one kilometer short of the main trench line.

Threat in the West

West of the Sordes River was the more dangerous enemy force. At least 700,000 traitors advanced with regimental-sized units of tanks, walkers, and daemon machines. Screened by advancing troops, the majority of the attack’s Death Guard Astartes advanced as well.

The Imperial High Command responded by redeploying scores of artillery batteries from their reserves, as senior military leaders understood that this wing of the traitor army was the greatest threat.

It proved to be true. More than 200 artillery units, equipped with Earthshaker cannon, laid a barrage atop the lead cultists and several large concentrations of Death Guard warriors.

Yet, despite numerous direct hits on the Death Guard formation, the infamous resilience of the traitors was not a false rumor. One bombardment of 16 Earthshaker shells landed directly on a column of traitor Astartes, yet an artillery spotter observing the direct hit reported that, after the smoke cleared, 28 of the 30 warriors still were walking forward.

Unstoppable Numbers

The most dangerous threat of the western offensive took place in front of Bastion #23, where 100,000 traitors advanced in waves along a 6,000-meter front,

It took 20 minutes for the traitor column to reach the first Imperial trench. During that time, tens of thousands of cultists and traitor militarum troops had been torn apart by heavy bolters, mortar fire, and long-range artillery.

Forward troops also reported the destruction of numerous traitor tanks, as well as two dozen fearsome daemon engines [Classifications: Forge Fiends and Blight Drones].

The enemy was slowed but not stopped. Eventually, the sheer number of troops allowed the enemy to march into small-arms firing range, and both traitor and Imperial front-line troops were finally able to add their significant firepower to the defenses.

Casualties quickly rose exponentially. Although the Imperial Guard killed three traitors for every casualty they suffered, traitor fire began to thin the Imperial front line.

Once within 100 meters, the enemy attack column charged. Cultists and traitor Militarum troops took the lead, again screening the traitor Astartes. It was a successful tactic: Only in one section of the trenches did cultists reach the trenches, but the sacrifice of cultists and traitor troops elsewhere allowed numerous Death Guard units to reach the trenches relatively unscathed.

A Breach in the Lines

By the time, the Death Guard reached the first trench line, there were few surviving Imperial troops to contest the enemy’s advance.

The center of the enemy column quickly slaughtered what few Imperial Guard stood their ground. Screaming cultists, maddened by their heretical faith and the insane levels of casualties, literally tore the defenders apart with their bare hands.

To their west, at least 100 Death Guard Warriors breached the line with the help of a Helbrute and a massive siege dreadnought that stood eight meters tall.

Imperial troops fought resolutely—and died resolutely. One Imperial squad was incinerated by a meltagun fired by the dreadnought, while another was laid low by power-armor clad warriors who simply walked forward, ignoring gunfire bouncing off their armor and swinging rusty power swords that almost leisurely cut men in half.

Click here to read the conclusion of this battle.

Artwork at top of article was made using AI technology available on NightCafe.

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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.