The First Battle for Fort Europa - Talos

Points: 1000.

Mission: Centre Ground.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, Engage On All Fronts and Oaths Of Moment.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Attrition, Engage On All Fronts and Psychic Ritual.

The war for Talos had reduced to a series of scattered skirmishes between the Imperium and the invading Tyranids. At Europa, the Imperium had hold up at a series of frontier posts, supported by the much larger fortress Europa. Marines of the Rift Wardens chapter were sent out to blunt the incoming forces. Initially the Tyranids fell back sustaining heavy losses. Chapter master Arthurus had directed two companies to engage as many Tyranid scouting patrols as possible to assist the Astra Militarum forces operating further north. These forces were headed south towards Fort Europa, hampered by breakdowns in the supply chain. 

As the Tyranids slowly advanced, Arthurus continued to fortify Europa with his battle brothers and their presence assisted the Astra Militarum in repelling the enemy vanguard. The Astra Militarum commander, preferred to dig in and wait for the enemy to come to them but Arthurus ordered him to send his men out to engage the enemy in the wastelands. In the early hours communications came through to say that the Tyranids had overrun one of the frontier posts. Following this, the Tyranids emerged from the wastes and advanced towards Fort Europa from the east. Battle was soon joined and fought in a series of isolated actions, with the Tyranids making costly assaults. As night fell, the Tyranids had suffered thousands of casualties while the defenders of Europa held firm. At this time the frontier posts were finally overrun and the Militarum survivours fell back to Europa to bolster the defences.

With a sudden surge in reinforcements, the Imperial forces attempted a large offensive against the alien invaders. The Tyranids changed tact and began a delaying action as the Astra Militarum advanced forth from the fortress. On the left flank, two battalions advanced into the wastes. The Tyranids however, were able to capture a lot of ground during this time and came to the walls of Fortress Europa.

Due to the Rift Wardens, the Tyranids were forced back from the walls but hunkered down in the ruined trenchworks around the fortress, where the space marines fought them in hand to hand combat. These trenches were systematically recaptured and within two days the fortress was back fully in Imperial control. After this defeat, the Tyranids withdrew to regroup their forces. The fortress had held against the xenos threat but the defenders had suffered severe casualties as the Astra Militarum defenders had, even with reinforcements, been decimated, leaving the Fortress Europa under the command of the Rift Wardens, who themselves were running low on ammunition and supplies.