Marine Regiments of the Horus Heresy

[Killion]

Marine Regiments of the Horus Heresy


With in the space marines the largest formation is the chapter. Each chapter includes enough men and material to form a complete field army including support troops, transport elements and Techmarines to allow the chapter to fight as a complete self-sufficient force. During the Horus Heresy, Space Marine chapters are of a much greater size than those formed afterwards out of their shattered remnants. The chapters fighting in the Heresy contain tens of thousands of Marines. Many of the most famous Marine chapters took place in the Heresy: chapters such as the Dark Angles, Space Wolves, Ultramarines and Blood Angles on the loyalist side, and the World Eaters, Thousand Sons, Death Guard, Emperor’s Children and the Sons of Horus on the Traitor side.

In each chapter, Marines are formed into regiments. A regiment acts as a flexible battlefield organization capable of independent undertaking most tasks but more often forming part of a mixed battle force for major campaigns. At the time of the Horus Heresy , a marine chapter consisted of twenty regiments such as drop and assault regiments to undertake planetary assaults or close assault regiments for clearing heavily defended positions and fortified cities.

Each Marine regiment is organized according to the precepts laid down in the Codex Imperialis, the ancient tomes that are housed within a great library in the Emperors Palace on Terra and which define the battle order for the space marines. The Codex Imperialis states that each regiment contains three battalions and each battalion contains three companies, with special additional forces at the battalion and regimental level. Although the type of Marines, their armament and their vehicles varies from chapter to chapter, this basic level of organization remains the same throughout the Legiones Astares.

Marines are often fielded in one or more battalions. The battalion is a large enough force to give its commander a range of troop options with additional support at the battalion level, but small enough to act as a fast-moving , hard hitting spearhead, employing marines’ classic tactics of surprise attack to crush key defensive points and bring the enemy swiftly to its knees.

Within each battalion, there are three companies. The company is a basic battle field group and individual companies often have quite specific roles to play, being assigned tactical objectives within the commander’s overall battle strategy. Many companies specialize in a single type of equipment, for example Terminator companies, bike companies, recon companies all mounted on land speeders and so forth. Other companies contain a range of equipment to allow a flexible response. Each regiment contains a mix of specialist and flexible companies within its three battalions.

(Source: White Dwarf 126)

[AgriusVaal]

So I take it they did not continue with this so we would know how many marines per huh?

[Killion]

I would have to say no. but i i just have the white dwarf. from what i understand the artical was from the old Space marine game whitch i have never been able to get my hands on.

[Cobra6]

I've read a few places that PH companies were about the same size as current loyalist chapters - about 1,000 Marines. So 3,000 Marines in a Battalion, 9,000 in a Regiment, and 180,000 Marines (!!!) in a Chapter.

[AgriusVaal]

WOW that is a lot of marines

[Killion]

I've read a few places that PH companies were about the same size as current loyalist chapters - about 1,000 Marines. So 3,000 Marines in a Battalion, 9,000 in a Regiment, and 180,000 Marines (!!!) in a Chapter.

I have also read about the same for PH great companies.

[World Bleeder]

That is a scary number of Space Marines.